DIY Tulle Circle Skirt Tutorial (Exposed Elastic Waistband)

Oh tulle skirts, how I love thee. No matter how I'm feeling, tulle skirts give me so much happiness and make me feel like a princess. In all my years of sewing, I had never made one though. The only time I made one was when I made this Fourth of July dress, 3 years ago. It's incredibly easy to make a tulle circle skirt. The fact that it is a circular piece gives it a beautiful shape and movement.

 Seriously, now I want to make one in every color, even though I already have a couple in my closet! I will keep updating this post when I make more tulle circle skirts. :)

For my magical 24th birthday this year, I made this lavender tulle skirt to match my unicorn print ruffle blouse. Usually, I hide my elastic waistbands, but this time around I bought this pink glitter elastic, so I wanted to show it off. You can make a waistband if you want your elastic covered, or you can show it if it's glittery or colorful. (or both!) There are many different colored elastics available, and in different sizes. I don't really like wide waistbands, so I chose a 1.5" wide elastic.

Now, let's get to making this beautiful tulle skirt!

STEPS: 

1. I started off with the lining, because it is the easiest piece to cut out, hehe. :)

Fold it once, as shown below.

2. Next, use this Circle Skirt Calculator to figure out the measurements for your lining piece. 

Here is what my results looked like when I chose half and my waist measurement 26".  The length doesn't really matter right now, until Step 5, where you will cut out your skirt piece to your desired length. 

For reference: My lining piece was 21" total. 20" desired length and 1" to allow seam allowance for hemming.

Using your waist radius measurement, make a mark on one side, as shown below.

3. Now, make a mark on the other side.

4. Keep making marks across using your waist radius measurement, until you have made a curve...

... like this! :)

5. Now from your waist radius curve, make a mark with your desired length measurement. Remember to add seam allowance for hemming!

6. Now like you did in Step 4, keep making marks from your waist radius until you reach the other side and form an even curve.

This is how it'll look like after you cut it out.

7. Now, you are going to cut out your tulle pieces. How many tulle circle pieces you cut out depends on how much volume you want your skirt to have. 

For reference: I cut out 6 tulle circle skirt pieces, because I wanted a really full tulle skirt.

Go back to the Circle Skirt Calculator to get measurements for your tulle circle pieces.

Here is what my results looked like.

Fold your fabric once, and then once again, so that there are two folds, as shown below. 

The fabric if folded TWICE since a full circle is desired, versus the ONE fold for the lining piece since the desired result for the lining piece was a half circle.

You are going to repeat Steps 2 - 6 to mark and cut out your tulle circle pieces.

Tip: Since tulle moves around a lot and is really thin, instead of marking with tailor's chalk, I mark with pins to hold everything in place. So just imagine the pink dots in the picture below being pins. :)

8. Now that everything is all cut out, let's go back to the lining piece.

Since it was cut as a half circle, sew down the side, right sides facing.

9. Hem your lining piece. If you are using a serger, you can use this tutorial to easily hem your curved hem. Your lining piece is now done. 

10. Back to the tulle! Baste together all your tulle pieces along the top. This is so you can handle all tulle pieces at once. 

See? All layers nicely held together for now.

11. Next, grab your lining piece and pin to the layers of tulle along the top. 

12. Sew your tulle and lining together.

13. Almost done! You are going to attach the elastic waistband next.

Mark 4 even points along the top of the skirt.

(Front, back, and sides)

14. Cut out your elastic, subtracting about 2" from your waist measurement. You may subtract/add more or less, depending on how comfortable you feel. After cutting it out, sew it closed.

15. Mark 4 even points along the elastic.

(Front, back, and sides)

16. Pin your elastic to your skirt, matching up your 4 even points.

(Front, back, and sides)

17. Continue pinning all around, slightly stretching your elastic to fit your skirt.

After, sew with matching thread and a stretch stitch.

 Now, twirl and dance around in your new tulle skirt! :)