Here’s a quick and easy tutorial for a Barbie® skirt-easily customizable with ruffles or pleats along the bottom, as well as the pieced together look-you choose!
Click below for more!
You’ll need:
one piece of fabric 7 1/2″ x 4 1/2″, or two pieces equaling that, if you want the pieced look. (of course you can go longer or shorter)
a piece of 1/4 inch elastic 4 inches long
sewing stuff-matching thread
sew or serge your two pieces right sides together like so…
serge or zig zag stitch the other two long edges, and hem your bottom piece.
**use your matching thread for this step-or as close of a match as you can get**
Then on the other edge, lay your elastic down about 1/2 inch from the edge, stitch and back stitch a few times.
then start stitching along your elastic, stretching it towards you as you go. It gets easier once you can help it through the other way. Just don’t tug backwards too hard, be gentle on your machine!
Keep going until you reach the end…it should just about fit, if not, snip off the extra fabric. Back stitch a few times as well.
This is what you should have. cute, huh? 😉
Next, fold the top over the elastic, and sew along the edge, forming your waistband.
tada!
Then, match up your seams right sides together, pin together…
and sew with about 1/2″ seam
serge or zig zag the seam. Press with your iron.
you’re done!
repeat….
as wanted needed!
Thanks! Let me know if you have any questions!
***If you have used any of my tutorials, I’d love if you’d add a quick pic to my flicker group! Thanks!***
I want some of these for myself! Love the color combos. I don’t know how you can sew something so small… my machine would eat it up.
Super cute skirts! My favs are the one with the ruffle and the pleats on the bottom. Thanks Again! ♥
I love the little pleated one!! It’s darling!!
Ok, so not only do your dolls have better wardrobes than me, but now the barbies too?!? geez, I need to go shopping 🙂
These are such fun clothes…And I love that you’ve turnded Barbie into the darling girl next door, and not the scantily clad bimbo she usually is 🙂
How adorable! I love them…you have a lovely blog. Stop by if you get the chance!
http://www.karismaheartsavannah.blogspot.com
Very cute jess, your girls will have the best dressed barbie’s on the block!
Hi Jess!
(read your profile so I call you Jess). I’m from holland!
I love all your Barbie tutorials, my daughter Amélie (4 years) will love it! I’m gonna make a dress now!
She has a suprise when she wakes up tomorrow…
So Thanks for the tutorials!
Bye! greetings from Natasja
Love the skirts! I followed the tutorial and ended up with a dress instead…but still very cute. Thanks! I blogged about it here:
http://ginaandkris.blogspot.com/2010/09/diy-barbie-clothes.html
Thanks so much! I made a skirt for my little girls first Barbie and loved it. Then life hit and I haven’t been able to do much else….. now I am planning a massive influx in Barbie’s wardrobe for Christmas. Your tutorials are going to really help me out! We have 4 Barbies now and they are all in dire need of clothing. lol Thanks again!
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Super cute! I couldn’t seem to find a seam allowance reference. Am I correct to assume you using a 1/4 inch seam allowance?
thank’s! also this time I can’t believe to have made a so nice skirt!!! thank’s!!!
To make sewing the small seams easier, use some tear away stabilizer at the beginning and end of the seams. Start sewing on the stabilizer so the little pieces of fabric aren’t pulled into the machine, and run past the end of the fabric on to the stabilizer at the end. super easy.
Thank you, this was so helpful! I’ve made about thirty barbie skirts in the past few days.
Hi!
I loooooooved this tutorial! I’m a beginner sewer and I’ve been looking for projects like this that will help me get better! I tried it today, and ended up making three skirts 🙂 so fancy!!! I posted the picture on my blog!
Thanks again! you’re awesome!
I do not have a Barbie handy but want to make some for Christmas gifts, are your sizes pretty true? I noticed that you mentioned trying it on Barbie. I’d hate to have to go buy another Barbie to try these. Thanks so much!
It’s necessary for the darts on the dress and cap sleeve top to have a barbie on hand. the skirts are one size though.
This is lovely, but what is the waist measurement? I am trying to make a longer dress.
if you’re trying to tailor it to a specific barbie, I’d recommend measuring that one. 🙂
The skirts are so cute, and I like the way you made the waistband. Now I want to make some!
I made this skirt and then I used the pattern to turn it into a maxi dress. It turned out great thanks! If you tell me how to post a picture I will show you the maxi dress.
Thank-you so much, I’m a new sewer and this will help me make Barbie clothes for my Granddaughters dolls.
So very cute.
Thank you thank you thank you!!! Illloooovvvvveeeeee you!!! :o)
how do you make the shirt,and can you sew all of this by hand?
please e-mail me and let me know.
April
the shirt tutorial is on my blog as well, and you sure could hand sew it, with enough patience!
Just what I need for my granddaughter.
Where’s the pattern? Can you post it?
There’s no pattern-I listed the measurements for your fabric pieces in the post 🙂
i love my barbie dolls i love this skirt ive been makeing clothes for barbies sence i was two and now im 10 1/2 almost 11 and i can sew with my moms sewing machiene
First time sewing and thought I’d try Barbie clothes for my granddaughters. I made the simple skirt and I thought it came out great. Your instructions and pictures where easy to follow. Thank you! I do have a question. Do you have a tutorial for a pair of pants? Thanks again!