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How to make a tulle skirt in 10 simple steps

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Learn how to make a simple tulle skirt with an elastic waistband with this easy sewing tutorial for beginners.

How much tulle do you need for a skirt? What type of tulle is best for this skirt? Does tulle have to be hemmed, and what needle should you use for tulle fabric?

In this easy step-by-step tutorial, I will answer all these questions and I’ll show you how to create your own tulle skirt, with lots of photos and tips & tricks.

How to make a tulle skirt in 10 simple steps tutorial

Basically, this is an exposed elastic gathered tulle skirt, with a ratio of approx. 1:8 (the tulle skirt width is 8x the waist measurement), lined with a half-circle skirt.

So, how much tulle do you need for a skirt like this?

To make the tulle part, I cut four identical rectangles of tulle, each measuring 118 inches (300 cm) in width x 23 inches in length, then sewed them together two by two. I basted through the two layers of tulle, each measuring now 236 inches x 23 inches. After that, I gathered the tulle to match the top of the skirt lining.

If you want a less-full skirt or less pleats, you could make this skirt using only three or even two rectangles of 118” soft tulle. Or you could adjust the width of the tulle, using rectangles of 100” or 150” wide soft tulle. That’s up to you, really!

To make this DIY tulle skirt, you will need approximately 3-4 yards of 118 inches (300 cm) super wide soft tulle. However, if you can’t find 118-inches wide tulle, don’t worry. Just make sure you use a soft tulle fabric – the type that’s available in bolts. Anyway, you can always join fabric widths to make an extra-wide panel.

My option for the lining is a half-circle taffeta skirt – for this part, you need 2 yards of fabric. I wanted something not only to provide opacity but to hold its shape better. This way, the skirt can have more volume without being too bulky at the waist. I sewed together the gathered tulle layers and the taffeta skirt, then I stitched the exposed elastic to the garment’s top edge. That’s it!

woman wearing a diy tulle skirt

Related: How to make a tiered tulle skirt / gathered tutu skirt / circle tulle skirt / reusable tulle produce bags / easy one-seam tutu skirt

I fell in love with midi skirts and pleated skirts this summer and this is how the pink tulle skirt came to life.

It’s pleated, it’s fluffy, it’s girly, it highlights the waist by keeping it cinched in with the exposed elastic, and it has plenty of volume on the hem. How could I want more?

What is tulle fabric?

Tulle is a lightweight, very fine netting, most commonly made of polyester fibers. Tulle fabric has a dreamlike texture, lightweight and delicate. It is commonly used for making wedding outfits and dance costumes, but tulle skirts are not just for brides, ballerinas, and little girls.

pink tulle skirt with elastic waistband

DIY tulle skirt tutorial – Fabric choice

I used for my tulle skirt 300 cm / 118 inches super wide soft tulle fabric and a lightweight taffeta for the skirt lining.

Satin fabric is fine too for the lining. However, I chose taffeta because its crispness creates a fuller skirt.

The elastic for my skirt is 1 ½ inches wide, and it’s navy blue because I didn’t have any other elastic to match the pink tulle. I didn’t want to insert a zipper, either.

Sewing supplies – DIY tulle skirt

How to make a tulle skirt in 10 simple steps

Step 1 – cut the tulle fabric pieces

Decide on the desired length of your skirt and add 1 inch to that measurement. This will be the length of your tulle pieces, each 118 inches (300 cm) wide. You need 4 such rectangles of tulle fabric.

If you use 118 inches wide tulle, fold the yardage 3 times so the width of the fabric becomes approximately 14.7 inches. Now it’s a piece of cake to cut the tulle. Use a rotary cutter, a ruler, and a self-healing mat, this way it’s easier to get a straight edge.

tulle fabric, rotary cutter, acrylic ruler, self-healing cutting mat, cut tulle fabric with a rotary cutter

If your fabric is wrinkled, iron it before you cut the pieces. Use a low heat setting and you’re safe to go.

I wanted my skirt to be 23″ long, so I cut 4 pieces of tulle, each measuring 118 x 24 inches.

Step 2 – cut the lining

Measure your hips – since we’re using an elastic waistband, the skirt opening has to be big enough to fit over your hips.

I added 2 inches to this measurement, just to be sure – 35+2=37 inches in my case. This is the length of the circular line that will be on the waist.

Now take this measurement and divide by 3.14 to get the waist radius. I used the circle skirt calculator from byhandlondon.com to determine the waist radius for a half-circle skirt – which is 11 ¼ inches in my case.

For the length of the skirt lining, I added 1 inch to the length of the tulle pieces. That extra inch is for the hem. You don’t need to hem the tulle, but the taffeta frays and you need to do something about it.

Waist radius – 11 1/4 inches

Desired length of skirt – 23+1=24 inches

DIY tulle skirt, measuring tape, scissors, half circle skirt math, measure radius circle sckirt, cut fabric circle skirt

I used a regular marker to trace the lines, so you can see better what I did, but you should use a tailor’s chalk or a fabric pencil.

Lay the lining fabric on the floor and fold it in half, so that selvage edges coincide.

Measure out from the top corner using the waist radius to create a curve, as shown. Now, measure again to create a hem curve, this time using the skirt length.

Step 3 – sew the side seams for the lining

Sew the side seam of the lining – place the fabric wrong sides together, pin and slowly sew it.

You can finish the seam with a serger (in which case you should sew the side seam with the fabric right sides together). However, for this tulle skirt I prefer the french seam method.

DIY tulle skirt, sewing machine, iron, scissors, cutting mat, ironing skirt seams

I trim the seam allowance and press with an iron.

Then, I turn fabric right sides together, press again, and stitch to encase the raw edges within the seam allowance. Now there are no visible raw edges to fray.

french seam

Step 4sew the side seams for the tulle

Lay two of the tulle layers on top of each other. Make sure edges are aligned and sew the side seams. Backstitch to secure the seam at both ends.

tulle side seams

Repeat for the last two tulle layers.

To sew the tulle seams without puckering, switch your needle for a new ballpoint/jersey needle – size 70/10 is what I used. Then, use a short straight stitch and slow down your sewing machine speed to avoid puckering. Find more tips on how to sew with tulle fabric here.

Step 5baste the tulle layers around the waistline

In the previous step, you sewed the initial four pieces of tulle to create two very large fabric tubes, each measuring 2 x 118=236 inches in width.

Now, you have to align the side seams of those two tulle tubes, right side to wrong side of the fabric, and baste through the two layers.

basting tulle fabric

Change the stitch length to the longest possible and run two parallel lines of basting stitches. Leave long thread tails at the beginning and end of each row, and do not backstitch!

This is rather tedious, but take your time, as you don’t want to cross the sewing paths of your lines. Soon enough, all of this will be worth it.

Step 6 – gather the tulle to match the top of the skirt lining

Let’s create the gathers. Grab the two top threads with one hand and push the tulle fabric over with the other hand.

Continue until the gathers are evenly distributed and match the top of the skirt lining. Then, tie the threads in a knot.

gathering tulle fabric, basting tulle fabric, gathered tulle layers

Step 7 – sew the tulle and the lining together

Place the skirt lining inside the tulle – the satin right side to the tulle wrong side – pin and stitch across the gathering line.

I placed the lining back seam in the middle of the tulle side seams.

cutting mat, sewing machine, sewing tulle fabric

Finish the waist seam with a serger.

sewing tulle fabric, serger brother 1034D, sewing needles, how to end a serger chain, finish a serged seam

Step 8prepare the elastic

Cut your elastic band, so it comfortably fits around waist when stretched. Add ½ inch for the seam allowance. Sew the ends of your elastic together.

elastic, pins, magnetic pin cushion

Step 9 – sew the elastic to the skirt

Mark the tulle waistband and the elastic in four equal segments – the center back, the center front and the two points halfway on each side.

Match the pins and sew the elastic to the skirt, the wrong side of the elastic to the right side of the skirt.

pink tulle skirt, sewing tutorial, cutting mat, sewing machine, sewing elastic to tulle skirt

The elastic band will be smaller than the skirt opening (that’s measured to the widest part of your hips). Therefore, you’ll need to stretch the elastic towards you (one hand in the back and one in the front, pulling both ways) until the fabric gap straightens out.

Don’t hurry, sew slowly and stop every time before you reach a new pin and remove it.

Make sure the needle is in the down position when you stop. I sewed the elastic to the skirt using a straight stitch.

Step 10 – hem the lining

All we have to do now is to hem the skirt lining – use sharp scissors and trim excess fabric from the bottom, but be careful to not cut through the tulle.

I finished the edge of the lining with a narrow rolled hem on the serger.

pink tulle skirt, sewing tutorial, fabric scissors, serger brother 1034D, cutting mat

The lining layer is a bit shorter than the tulle layers – I like this look better.

DIY pink tulle skirt

I also made a pleated tulle skirt for my daughter, following the same steps, but a less-full skirt this time.

The little navy tulle skirt has three tulle layers of 118” soft tulle, all basted and gathered simultaneously, as opposed to two super-wide tulle layers for the pink tulle skirt – see Steps 4 and 5.

girl wearing a navy tulle skirt in the garden

How to care for your tulle skirt

  • To keep your tulle skirt in the best shape and to prevent wrinkling it’s best to store it on a clothes hanger.
  • You can wash your tulle skirt by hand, or in the washing machine. In the latter case, turn the tulle skirt inside out, place it in a laundry bag, and use a mild detergent and a gentle cycle. Wash in cold water and dry it in low heat.
  • You can iron the tulle skirt to remove wrinkles. Just make sure you use the lowest heat setting and keep the iron moving on the garment. Don’t touch the tulle with the hot iron because the tulle will melt instantly. To be on the safe side, place a towel on top of the tulle so that you will not burn your skirt.

Did you find this tutorial helpful? I’d like to hear what you think of it!

And I would LOVE to see pictures! If you give this DIY tulle skirt a try, please tag me on Instagram or Facebook or send some photos by email.

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15 thoughts on “How to make a tulle skirt in 10 simple steps”

  1. Do you have a video by any chance? I am trying to make one and I am a very new sewer and I’m really struggling.

    Reply
  2. Hi,
    I just came across your skirt tutorial, I am going to make a skirt for my daughter. I just had a question in regards to finish the waistband before attaching the electric banding and finishing the hem on the lining fabric on a normal sewing machine (not using an overlocker).
    Thank you for your help 😊
    Laura

    Reply
  3. Hi!
    I’ve made one squirt using your tutorial and about to begin another one for myself. My tulle is only 55in in width and I’m having mom brain. Can you help me figure out how to measure and cut the tulle that is 55in in length? I have 3 yards total. Thank you

    Reply
    • Hey Jen,
      Thanks for the comment. I totally get you 🙂 So, this is what you’re working with – you have a large tulle piece that measures 55″ in width and 108″ in length (3 yards). According to my tutorial, you’ll need 8 rectangles of tulle each 55″ wide to make your gathered skirt.

      But, you can’t fit 8 rectangles in 108″ of fabric, unless you cut each piece 13.5″ long – totally unrealistic, considering this is an adult tutu skirt. However, you can make it work, and the best part is that the compromise doesn’t mean your skirt won’t be full and gorgeous – don’t worry.

      So, here’s how I’d go about this – you have 108″ of tulle, and you want 2 gathered layers of tulle for your skirt. So, that means you can ‘spend’ max 54″ on 1 layer. Depending on your skirt length, you can make your layers by joining 2 or 3 tulle pieces (3 only if you want a mini skirt, 18″ long). In the first case (joining 2 tulle pieces), your final 2 tulle layers will be 110″ wide each, and that’s still a pretty good gathering ratio for your skirt. The most important thing would be to make the lining a half-circle skirt, not a gathered skirt – that combo looks a bit weird, IMO.

      I hope that helps, and I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you! Also, I’d love to see your skirt when you finish.

      Reply
  4. Now i know how to design the tulle skirt.Thank you for the essay …Now i need to know about the Zip part.That’s if i want a tulle skirt with a zip at the back.How do i insert the zip?

    Reply
  5. Yes, this really helps a lot. Thank you so much! I am making one for a size 3T little girl. I appreciate your quick response! Have a great weekend!

    Reply
    • Glad to be of help! For size 3T, you can keep the 118″ width or use 100″ or 110″, if you need some tulle scraps. I generally didn’t, so I used the full width. Either way, the skirt will turn out just fine.
      When you make the lining, if you go the lazy way, aka gathered skirt (easier to cut & make a pretty hem, in my opinion), there are 2 things to consider – the freedom of movement, and the bulk at the waist. I usually went with a 1.5 ratio (hips measurement x 1.5). All the best and thank you for reading me! 🙂

      Reply
  6. How many yards of the 118″ soft tulle did you use for the child’s skirt? How many yards of taffeta did you use for the underskirt for the child’s version? Thank you!

    Reply
    • Hi Linda,
      How many yards of tulle you use for this type of skirt depends solely on the skirt’s length.
      My daughter’s tulle skirt was 12 inches long, and I used 3 pieces each measuring 12” in length and 118” in width – that means I only used 1 yard of tulle. My daughter was 7/8 years old at the time. If you plan to make the skirt for a smaller child, you can reduce the width of the tulle pieces – for example, for a 1-year-old I’d use 3 tulle pieces each 90” wide x 9” long.
      As for the lining, you can make it either a gathered skirt from a rectangle (and use 1/2 yard of fabric) or a half-circle skirt (and use about 1 yard of fabric).
      Hope this helps,
      Violet

      Reply

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