I was walking past a huge variety of bandannas at the craft store last week and had this idea to make some circle skirts for my girls. Because we are planning to attend a few 4th of July celebrations next month, I grabbed some red and blue bandannas make some seriously patriotic skirts. I like sewing with bandannas because they are so inexpensive. And for summer clothes they are ideal because they are so light-weight.
The Bandanna Skirt Tutorial is so simple and quick! It only takes about 10 minutes from start to finish…
Supply List:
-3 Bandannas from your local craft store
-1.5 inch wide Super soft elastic
-sewing machine and matching thread.
I have used the wide white elastic that you find in ANY sewing aisle of any super store and my girls hate it. It is well worth the trip to the fabric store to buy this very soft 1.5” wide elastic because it saves me the whining I hear if I use the other stuff. 🙂
Step #1: Iron the pesky wrinkles out of the bandannas. Lay all three of them on top of each other and fold in half.
Step #2: Fold in half again. Now you have a square.
Step #3: Measure 3 inches in from the point…or more for a shorter more gathered skirt. Cut the middle point off the square using a round cut…not a straight across cut.
{You can even lay out all three bandannas on top of each other and put your elastic circle from step five in the middle and draw a chalk outline on the OUTSIDE of the elastic. Then cut on the line.}
Step #4: Open the bandannas and you have a near-perfect circle.
Step #5: Measure your little one with the elastic and cut the appropriate size. Overlap the elastic about 1/2 inch and zigzag stitch the end down. Flip over and zigzag stitch the other loose end down.
Step #6: Stagger the bandannas so they are not laying perfectly on top of each other. Make sure you can see all 12 points. Line up the circle in the middle.
Step #7: Pin the circle. I put four pins across from each other. This makes it easier to attach the elastic evenly; allowing you to spread the pleats out a bit so they are not all on one side of the skirt.
Step #8: Pin the stitch part of the elastic to one side.
Step #9: Pin the opposite side of the elastic to the fabric across from the first pin you used.
Step #10: Pin the sides of the elastic to the skirt with your remaining pins. Try to make sure the pins are equal distances apart {without making yourself crazy, it doesn’t have to be exact}.
Step #11: Now you are going to work between two pin at a time. For example the back pin and the left-side pin are pictured above. I am only going to work with the fabric between those pins right now.
Step #12: Gather the fabric between the back and left-side pin and pin it into place. Make sure to spread it out equally between the 2 pins. Next work with the fabric between the front and left-side pin and pin it in place. Do this all the way around the elastic.
Step #13: Secure the fabric to the elastic using a zigzag stitch at the bottom of the elastic.
Step #14: Take out all the pins and you have a super cute and seriously simple circle skirt. It’s already hemmed and ready to wear!
I definitely plan on heading back to the store for MANY more bandannas. They come in all colors and designs! Grab whatever design you want and start creating.
Great idea! I was wondering what aprox size this would be.
The red one is one my 4 year old. The blue one is on my 6 year old…{I only used 2 blue bandannas for hers}.
The blue one is a bit shorter than I would like on my leggy 6 year old so she wears little shorts underneath.
I made this for my 6 year old grand-daughter, it was so cute. I realized that it would be short, so I made a pair of blue shorts from 100 % cotton suede print and attached them at the waistline before just before attaching the elastic. It did not create extra bulk and the blue peaking out from under the read bandana skirt with the gold elastic looked really cute.
Becky we should make these for all the girls for the 4th of July parades and fireworks!! These are so adorable!
I know, right? Let’s do it!
How do you know how much to cut out of the bandannas when making the opening?
Mandy,
Measure 3 inches from the point and cut your opening. Great question. I will edit the post with this information.
well damn, these are super cute, but I will have to modify the heck out of this idea for 10 & 12 year olds!
Oh now that is an idea! I think I feel a tutorial brewing. Stay tuned. 🙂
I am also wondering how much to cut out of the circle – 2 inches down? 3 inches? Also i assume the circle is the same size for everyone but the elastic is the only thing that changes?
sorry…. new to sewing =)
Correct about the circle. The circle can be cut bigger for a shorter skirt with more gathers at the waist. Measure 3 inches from the point and cut your opening.
I will edit the post with this new information. Thank you.
Also – is your elastic the same size as the waist or an inch smaller so it fits snug?
My elastic is the same size as the waist, but when I sew it together in step 5 I overlap it about a 1/2 inch or inch depending on the child. 🙂
Becky!! I love it. My little Kayla would adore this! I might make her a few. It looks super simple!
Seriously too cute! Hugs and blessings, Cindy
Very cute! I wonder how they would look with three different colors of bandanas.
How would you go about sewing it onto a onesie? Like 3-6 months size??
Super Cute and easy! Pinned!
Hey. Is there any possible way that you could make a bandanna maxi skirt?
I would love to know, also, if this skirt could be adapted to a maxi skirt, or a skirt for women.
I havn’t tried it as a women’s skirt or maxi skirt. There is bandana-looking material that you could easily use to create this same look.
This has nothing to do with the skirts I just wanted to tell you a number of years ago one of my daughters was out growing a favorite pair of pants. After some thought I decided to take a plain pair of black pants and cut a “V” shape, split the slides of her favorite pants about 6 to 8 inches down and sewed the black v’s in there and she was able to wear her favorite pants a bit longer.
Love it! Brilliant Idea!
What a cute and easy project! I made this in about 20 minutes from start to finish. We have a perfect impromptu cowgirl skirt for school tomorrow. (I can see the hours of playtime in this thing as well.) Many thanks!
Yes!! I am so glad you were able to use the tutorial and that you took the time to comment. Thanks so much!
Hi there! I love this skirt, thank you so much for posting! I have three girls, ages 5, 3 and 1, and I want to make a skirt for each of them. I went to two fabric stores today (JoAnn and Hobby Lobby) and I couldn’t find the soft waistband elastic in the right color. Where did you get yours? Is there somewhere online I can order from? Please let me know, thanks!
Also, I’m afraid this will be too short for my 5 year old. I like skirts to hit them at about the knee, maybe just a tad higher. Any ideas on how to extend a skirt like this?
You can absolutely buy it on Amazon. Try this link: http://amzn.to/1Bf7epS
As for extending the skirt, you might be able to add a little lace or ruffle to the bottoms of the bandannas. I also sewed 4 together to make one large square…you could try that. Let me know how it all works out!
Love this and plan to make one for my granddaughter. I checked the website mentioned for the soft waistband and they do not show it in red. Where did you find the red. Orange, teal, green, and purple were the only colors available. I plan to embroidery a cowgirl on the shirt to go with it.
Love the skirt…can’t wait to make one for my daughter to wear for her brothers western theme birthday party
What an adorable skirt!
I work at Walmart in the craft dept. , made a sample to put up and show the customers. They all loved it lost count of how many bandanas I sold that day. My granddaughter loved hers.
Omg I did this but used a fat square for the top and bottom and this turned out totally adorable!! Wish I could post a picture!!
Hi Becky Marie!
I know you posted this years ago, but I’m really hoping you see this!!! Totally brand new to seeing and want to try this skirt for my granddaughter. When I was looking at bandannas I noticed they have kids bandannas and adult. What size did you use? Thanks!
Tammy