Every woman wants to look stylish. But fashion trends change so quickly that it is quite difficult to keep up with them. For example, today short skirts are in fashion, but in just six months their length can increase significantly.
What to do? Change your wardrobe again? Completely optional. There are quite a lot of options on how to lengthen a skirt without spending a lot of effort and money. And you don’t need any special sewing skills for this. Long skirts, photos of which are presented in this publication, are quite consistent fashion trends and will not make a big hole in the family budget.
Ways to lengthen a skirt
There are several ways to lengthen a skirt. Photos of each option will help you clearly understand what will happen in the end. Here are some common methods:
- lace processing;
- seam stitching along the hem;
- adding stripes of contrasting fabric;
- placing the skirt on the yoke;
- execution of shuttlecocks;
- fringed skirt design;
- addition of a train;
- layering of transparent fabrics;
- inserts in the middle of the product;
- belt extension;
- making an additional petticoat.
Each of them is quite interesting and has the right to life. Each fashionista will decide for herself which method to use.
Hem processing
If you don’t know how to lengthen a skirt and don’t know how to sew very well, you can use the simplest option. It will make the product a couple of centimeters longer. You just need to rip open the folded edge of the hem and steam it thoroughly. If there is enough material, you can turn the edge over a little and stitch again. The skirt will become 1-2 cm longer. When there is little fabric and even a small hem is impossible, you can trim the edge with braid. You can also sew additional tape to the hem to create a hem.
An interesting way to finish the edge is fringe. Firstly, the bottom will look quite original, and secondly, such processing will add a few more centimeters to the product.
Don't know the skirt? Sew a beautiful flounce of variegated colors along the hem. Finishes with polka dots, stripes, floral or geometric prints look great. Making a shuttlecock is very simple. To do this, it is enough to cut a strip of material 2 times longer than the hem. One edge of the cut needs to be stitched, departing 0.5-1 cm from the cut, and then, pulling one of the threads, gather it evenly, forming beautiful folds. The finished flounce is sewn to the hem, and the cut is processed with an overlock or zigzag stitch.
If you need significant length, you can sew a mesh base to the hem of a short skirt. And then place the finished shuttlecocks on it in several rows.
Inserts
Here's another way to lengthen a skirt without special effort. It's a little similar to the previous one. In this case, an additional strip of material is inserted into the middle of the product.
Cut the hem of the skirt, retreating 5-10 cm from the hem. Take a strip of fabric of a different color and stitch it between the two pieces. Finish and press edges.
To make the skirt look more impressive, the insert needs to be made a little narrower than the cut off part of the hem. If a significant increase in length is required, several additional inserts of different colors and widths can be made.
Mesh, guipure or other translucent fabric looks very beautiful as an insert. It will add elegance and sexiness to your skirt.
Waist inserts
To lengthen the product using this method, you need to remove the belt from the skirt. Darts, if any, must also be opened and carefully steamed. From a material suitable in color and texture, you can cut out a new belt, wider than the previous one, and put the product back together.
A special elastic band 10-15 cm wide can also serve as a belt. It can be purchased at a fabric store. True, this option will look advantageous only if the skirt is quite fluffy and made of light fabric.
The next method is suitable for those who can sew quite well and have at least a little knowledge of patterns. This is how the length of a straight skirt or pencil style is corrected. Between the belt and the skirt you can insert a strip of suitable width made of the same material. You will get something like a coquette. Only the darts will need to be re-laid on it. Decorate the junction with a beautiful ribbon or braid and decorate with a bow.
Attention! Do not use lace for this purpose. It will visually add a few centimeters to your hips.
If the skirt is quite fluffy or has pleats, it can also be placed on a yoke. Moreover, depending on its width, you can get completely different styles.
Second layer
How to lengthen a skirt with your own hands, without ripping out an existing product at all? Recently, tulle skirts have come into fashion. This is what we will use.
Take a piece of tulle or thin guipure of the required length and width 2 times the hem of the original skirt. Sew the end pieces together. You should end up with something like a “pipe” of transparent fabric.
Now fold the “tube” at one end and stitch it directly onto the miniskirt near the waistband. Ready. All that remains is to process the edge of the tulle.
Working with leather
How to lengthen a skirt made of leather? After all, this is a fairly delicate material, on which holes from a needle or ripped seams are very clearly visible. There are several options here.
Leather goes perfectly with mesh, thick guipure or stiff tulle. To prevent the holes from the opened seam from being too visible, it is best to apply decorative stripes on top.
Carefully, being careful not to damage the fabric, open the hem. Place the decorative element and carefully stitch, trying to get the needle into the existing holes. A decorative insert can also be made in the middle by cutting off the hem by a few centimeters.
The option with a yoke is not suitable for working with leather. Indeed, as a result, unsightly holes from a needle may form in the most visible places. It will be difficult to hide them. But the skirt will look very stylish if you decorate its hem with long thick fringe. And leather goes well with thick lace running along the hem. By the way, in this case the machine may not be needed at all. The lace is easy to glue with special glue.
This lengthening method leather skirt Suitable for those who know how to handle a crochet hook. Carefully open the hem at the hem, and then simply tie the skirt to the desired length, choosing beautiful pattern. In exactly the same way you can lengthen a short one. denim skirt. It will look very good.
Lace is always in fashion
Sometimes nothing else comes to mind but to lengthen the skirt with lace. It's very simple and effective way, because chic woven patterns never go out of style. Weaving can be chosen to match or focus on contrast.
The job is very simple:
- rip apart the hem and carefully steam the edge;
- we process the cut using an overlocker or zigzag;
- We place the lace strip on the front side of the fabric so that 1.5-2.0 cm is on the product, and the rest hangs freely;
- We attach the decor along the hem and steam it.
Lace can also be stitched under the hem. In this case, you won’t even have to rip anything apart. The lace insert also looks nice.
Stylish train
Here's another rather interesting way to lengthen a denim skirt. The photo below will demonstrate the principle itself. The skirt can be absolutely anything, not just denim.
The essence of the method is that you don’t have to touch the main product at all. You just need to take a light fabric in a matching or contrasting color and cut out a beautiful train from it. Place it on a stylish belt and then simply fasten it at the hips over the main skirt. This way you get a two-in-one option. At any moment you can unfasten the train and again enjoy the trendy and modern mini.
By the way, you can make several trains from materials various colors and textures and change them depending on your mood.
As you can see, lengthening a skirt yourself is not that difficult. There are a lot of options, and only you can decide which one to choose.
From season to season, designers let us make our own choice of skirt length. And yet, having looked through this or that collection, you can see that many of them prefer mini or midi skirts, and some prefer maxi. The choice is truly ours.
Having sorted out the dresses and skirts in our wardrobe, we can see that some of them require transformation, because we consider ourselves quite economical and practical, and therefore, we are not in a hurry to part with an item just because its length does not correspond to the model that we would like to buy. see for yourself. What to do? Pick up scissors, as Chanel did, and... What if there is nothing to cut, but on the contrary, you need to lengthen it? Then go to a studio or become a designer yourself.
The possibilities for lengthening a skirt are quite wide: ruffles, frills, flounces, folds, borders, pleating, appliqués, scallops, denticles, inlays, fringe.
David Koma
Elie Tahari
Photo above - Oscar de la Renta
Photo below - Peter Pilotto
If there are remnants of the material from which the skirt or dress is made, then you can make an extension with a part with folds laid on it, and it is not necessary that they go along the entire width of the skirt. You can cut the bottom part on the bias, then we get a model similar to Elie Tahari.
If a different material is used for the lower part of the skirt, then, first of all, it must be of similar quality to the main material. The color can even be contrasting. The model will be interesting if the fabric for the lower part of the skirt is also used for finishing the upper part of the dress or suit. Bottom piece can be connected to skirt in different ways. For example, sew directly to the bottom edge of the skirt or to its lining, or you can get creative and make something similar to Milly.
Elie Tahari 
Mary Katrantzou
Milly
Sophie Theallet
It is possible to lengthen the product along a curly line. A great option to follow may be a model from the Emilio de la Morena collection, which uses not only a figured line, but also lace.
Emilio de la Morena
Jonathan Simkhai
Shoshanna
The easiest way to lengthen a product is to use ribbon or lace. In this case, the strip of sewn-in material can be placed anywhere on the skirt, and not even one strip can be used, but several. Look at Burberry Prorsum or Oscar de la Renta.
You can get a very original product if you use fringe as an extension. In this case, the length of your outfit can be from midi to maxi. The trend for the 2015-2016 season is to trim all wardrobe items with fur. By extending the product with a fur insert, you will get the most fashion item in your wardrobe.
Andrew Gn
Zimmermann
Models from the Tom Ford and PPQ collection tell us that it is possible to completely change our skirt if we make multi-stage ruffles or flounces.
P.P.Q.
Tom Ford
As you can see there are many options. And if you dream up your own imagination, there will be even more of them.
Lengthening a skirt is a creative process that will transform your product. It just takes time, hard work and in some cases not a lot of money.
There are several ways to lengthen a skirt that turned out to be somewhat shorter than its owner expected. The main thing that determines the lengthening method is its style and the season in which you are going to wear it.
Perhaps the simplest and most popular method is the following. The bottom hem at the hem of the skirt should be unraveled and the factory hem seam should be opened. Then you need to carefully iron the folds formed after steaming, using an iron with a steam function and a piece of damp gauze. After this, you need to sew a narrow strip of fabric along the hem, along the very edge, which will lengthen the product. Then you should bend the sewn strip so that the stitch seam (the seam that connects the hem of the skirt and the edge of the strip of fabric) is 1-2 mm from the wrong side of the hem of the skirt. The product will gain an additional length of 1 to 3-4 cm, depending on the width of the factory hem.
The simplest option for lengthening a skirt is to use contrasting fabric, attached as an extension of the skirt to the hem. However, this method is good mainly for full summer skirts, because they look better with similar length additions. It is also noteworthy that you can lengthen the skirt either with a hidden seam or by sewing the fabric directly over the existing product, gathering it slightly and finishing the edge with an overlocker. You can sew a beautiful braid over the new seam, and add lace to the edge of the skirt. To create the full feeling that this is exactly how it should have been originally, you should sew pieces of the same fabric or lace along the edge of the pockets or make a lace belt.
You can also lengthen the skirt by creating a new yoke, increased to achieve the desired overall length of the product. Fashionistas often use old ones for this. The result will be a fashionable skirt in a boho style, which is also relevant this year.
You can also lengthen a classic straight skirt using a yoke. But in this case, it is important to either cut out a yoke from the same fabric as the skirt, or a fabric more or less suitable in color and texture. In order to make a skirt in this way, it is necessary to rip the product apart at the seams and darts. And then, focusing on the existing parts, make a yoke of the desired shape, and then assemble the entire product at the seams. At the same time, we should not forget that for this type of narrow skirt it is better to leave a small vent, which allows the owner not to feel discomfort when walking.
A skirt can also be tied on if the owner of the product is familiar with the art of knitting or crocheting. This will give the item uniqueness and can make it the envy of some representatives of the fair sex.
Lengthen a straight skirt made from light colored fabric, you can sew a flounce on the bottom of the product, which can be either symmetrical or asymmetrical. IN in this case It is important not only to choose the right fabric, but also the length of the flounce, so that a cute skirt does not turn out to be something that, looking at it, will say that its owner has no taste.
If you like experiments, then you can lengthen the pleated skirt by sewing a corset to it instead of an elongated yoke. A thin blouse made using knitting and sewn to a skirt also looks original - and now in front of you is not an old skirt, but a new dress.
A summer skirt made of light fabric also looks elegant, in which the edge of the hem is cut off and a strip of lace or other fabric is sewn into the resulting cut, and the cut edge of the hem is sewn back on. Depending on the need to lengthen the product by more centimeters than the width of the lace strip, 2-3 such cuts are made.
There are many options for lengthening a short skirt. Your own imagination and a certain courage of the owner of the updated elongated skirt will help you choose the right one.
Oh, how I want to change my wardrobe for summer! Today we’ll talk about how to change your skirt at minimal cost and without spending long hours in the fitting room. The topic of the article is how to lengthen a skirt.
How to lengthen a skirt photo
Today there are several ways to lengthen a skirt. Namely:
- unravel the bottom hem;
- add material;
- sew a layer on top;
- placing the skirt on the yoke;
- sew on a belt.
Please note that fabric that is denser and heavier than the skirt material will ruin the shape of the product.
Also, when choosing a lengthening method, it is worth remembering that a wide yoke visually shortens the figure.
How to lengthen a short skirt
Today it is in fashion, so now you will learn how to lengthen a short skirt by sewing a layer on top.
- mini-skirt;
- tulle 1.5 × 1.5 meters;
- sewing supplies;
- machine.
If your original mini is black, then it is recommended to take tulle in a bright shade. Light green or pink. On the threshold of summer, allow yourself to be bright!
- Cut out a piece of tulle of the desired length.
- We connect the fabric into a circle and sew the ends.
- We attach it to our mini from the top, right to the border with the belt. In this case, the tulle needs to be gathered, forming folds. You can do without folds. All that remains is to hem the edge of the tulle and the skirt is ready. The braid looks impressive suitable color along the edge of the tulle.
How to lengthen a leather skirt
Leather is a delicate material; after ripping out the seams, holes will remain. Therefore, for a leather skirt, the method with adding fabric from below is suitable. Leather goes well with rigid tulle or mesh.
Required:
- skirt;
- a strip of mesh, 1 meter long and 7 cm wide;
- strip of leather;
- sewing supplies;
- machine.
- Unravel the fabric flap from the bottom of the finished skirt. We do this very carefully, without damaging the skin.
- Attach the mesh. When working with leather, it is better not to make unnecessary punctures, so a basting stitch is not done.
- Sew a piece of leather to the mesh. You can do without this. In this case, choose a mesh with embroidery. It will be more effective this way.
How to lengthen a straight skirt
Lengthening a straight skirt through the construction of a yoke looks good.
Required:
- ready-made skirt;
- 1 meter of fabric;
- sewing supplies.
- We open the darts. We also open the side seams up to the middle of the thigh.
- We cut out the yoke. Easiest to use ready-made pattern, downloading it from the Internet and transferring it to fabric.
- What to do if there is no pattern. Let's make a yoke using a rectangle with an elastic band at the waist. You can make a yoke based on the upper part of a straight skirt (15 - 20 cm). It is possible to flare the yoke by making darts on it.
- You need to know the length of the lower part of the yoke L. For a rectangle, L is equal to the circumference of the hips plus an increase for seams and a loose fit (L = About + Pb). For an option based on a simple straight skirt: add the length of the back to the length of the front and multiply by 2: L = 2*(L1 + L2).
- Sew the yoke to the skirt.
How to lengthen a skirt with lace
Here we come to the simplest but most effective way to lengthen a skirt. Extend the skirt with lace. This method is suitable for almost any model and fabric.
Required:
- strip of lace 1 meter long;
- ready-made skirt;
- sewing supplies.
- Undo the hem at the bottom of the skirt. Steam the seams thoroughly.
- Sew a lace strip along the hem of the skirt. Place the lace on top of the front side of the skirt. We position the lace so that part of the width of the strip is on the skirt, and part hangs down. Instead of lace, you can use braid, fringe, and pompoms. Here your imagination is limited by yourself.
Most women, when buying new outfits, want to look fashionable and stylish. Every season, designers offer new fashion trends, and it is simply impossible to keep up with them. For example, having bought a spectacular mini skirt of a certain style dictated by fashion, after a couple of months or years you can understand that it is not relevant. An item may be of high quality and perfectly preserved, but many fashionistas will no longer dare to wear it. They will come to help in these situations simple ways altering the product. One of which is lengthening skirts.
You can transform a skirt from almost any fabric. They can be made from different fabrics, such as organza, velvet, satin, denim, leather and many others. The main point is the choice of a suitable companion fabric in color and texture, as well as a future design option.
IMPORTANT! Knitted skirts are difficult to lengthen models. Not all methods are suitable for them. For example, it is impossible to cut many materials in the middle due to unraveling and shedding.
Popular ways to lengthen a skirt
There are many different ways to lengthen skirts. Much in this process will depend only on the author’s imagination and available materials. Give new life possible for each product.
Working with the hem
Processing the hem is perhaps one of the most simple options and is suitable even for girls who do not know how to sew at all. This method will allow you to add from a couple to tens of centimeters to the product. So, first you should rip open the edge of the hem, remove excess threads from it and thoroughly steam it with an iron through gauze. Typically, the hem of skirts can be up to 4–7 cm or more, depending on the choice of processing by the manufacturer. In the future, the edge can be bent only 1–2 cm or processed using braid, tape and other methods.
The use of lace is one of the elegant options. The lace ribbon at the bottom of the skirt makes the outfit more seductive. In addition, this type of ribbon is very convenient to work with, since you don’t have to rip out the hem. This option is suitable for wide lace ribbons. They just need to be placed along the edge of the hem and carefully sewn by hand. Stitches should be made small and invisible. You can also stitch a piece of material to the wrong side of the product. This method is discussed in more detail below.
REFERENCE! Recently, one of the fashionable combinations is the combination of lace with denim and leather. These seemingly incompatible materials in many respects look stylish and harmonious together.
Using fringe can significantly add length to a skirt. This method can add elegance, solemnity and style to the product. It is necessary to choose the right fringe for the skirt in terms of color, length and pomp. If desired, you can use several layers of this material. The fringe can either match the color of the product or differ from it in color, adding zest to the outfit.
For this method you need to find a piece of fabric. You can use either matching fabric or a different color and texture. For example, fashionable combinations of pink and purple, chocolate and white, and many others are in demand. The selected material can be combined with a badlon or other accessories. Let's look at the process step by step:
- First you need to cut out a strip of fabric of the required width and length. To do this, you can lay the item on the fabric and draw the desired stripe by hand with a piece of soap. This should be done especially in flared skirts or sun and half-sun skirts, since the material goes on the bias there. For straight skirts, just use a ruler.
- It is necessary to take into account all allowances for seams and folds, if they are provided for in the design.
- The resulting strip must be ironed.
- Next, we rip off the hem of the skirt, remove the excess threads and iron it.
- You can sew the resulting strip in different ways. First, it is connected to the skirt using pins, then it is basted by hand, and then stitched on a machine.
- So, when sewing end to end, the bottom and the strip form a single seam. In this case, the bottom of the skirt must be processed.
- Additional fabric is sewn on top if it differs significantly in texture and density from the fabric of the main product. In this version, the top of the strip should be processed before sewing it to the product.
- At the end of the work, the resulting product must be ironed.
Thanks to this method, you can make a full-fledged long product from a mini skirt. In this case, the skirt itself will not be affected. You need to take a piece of light fabric (organza or tulle) and cut out a spectacular train from it. Next, we process the side sections and sew on the belt. It can either be closed with a zipper or made in the form of ribbons. This option is very convenient, because the train can be removed at any time.
Double skirt
Products made from tulle have been in fashion for many years. Almost every skirt can have one or more additional layers on top. Follow the suggested sequence of actions:
- Let's make a pattern. To make the tulle layer more luxurious, it is necessary to take material several times wider than the hem of the original product.
- Next, we sew the tulle at a distance of 5–6 cm from the edge using a machine. To do this we use a large line.
- We connect the side sections of the tulle layer.
- Next, we gather the tulle to the width of the skirt’s waistband.
- You can sew on the tulle layer without ripping the belt. To do this, just fold the fabrics face to face and pin them with pins and carefully sew them on.
- Next, remove all the auxiliary stitches and cut off the excess fabric allowance.
Working with a belt
More difficult option lengthening the product is to work with a belt. First you need to unpick it and choose one of possible options further work.
Belt made from a different fabric
To lengthen the product it is necessary to carry out preparatory work and cut out the future belt. It can be made from any other suitable fabric. As a basis for the belt pattern, you can take a cut belt and expand it. Next, the product must be reassembled. Convenient to use as a belt wide elastic band. It will look spectacular on wide and fluffy skirts made of light fabrics.
ATTENTION! Skilled craftswomen can knit a thick elastic band for a skirt on their own. By making the elastic in two layers you can significantly insulate the product. True, you should wear wide sweaters over such a skirt.
They are already quite capable of making a basque experienced craftswomen. It can also be removable. The peplum visually makes the skirt longer, as it suggests a high waistband. To make such a design, you need to completely remove the belt and zipper, and then make a peplum pattern. It is necessary to do a fitting at each stage to ensure that the skirt is comfortable.
This option can be used for skirts of different styles. It is also convenient for working with pleated products and wedge-shaped inserts. The yoke can add from 5 to 20 cm in length. Its shape can be varied and is determined by the personal preferences of the craftswoman. For example, a narrow yoke visually adds height to a person, while a wide one, on the contrary, will shorten the girl. Follow this sequence of actions:
- First you need to prepare the product. To do this, turn it inside out and rip off the belt, facing and clasp. Iron all seam allowances and ripped darts.
- Next, we determine the location of the lower edge of the yoke and measure the girth along the width.
- From the waistline on the product itself, put a couple of centimeters down and draw a line for the bottom of the yoke. Excess material should be removed.
- To build a yoke, you can take a pattern for the base of a straight skirt or use a skirt with ripped darts for these purposes.
- We cut out the yoke and process the side cuts.
- Next, we connect the lower section of the yoke with the upper sections of the skirt.
- You need to make a zipper in the left side seam.
- To process the upper part of the yoke, we cut out the facing and sew it on.
IMPORTANT! If it is problematic to buy a fabric suitable for a yoke, then you can use any material. In this case, you should choose a long sweater or blouse for the outfit to hide the yoke.
The inserts in the middle of the skirt look unusual. This method can significantly lengthen the product. Let's take a closer look at this process:
- We cut out a strip of the given dimensions in length and width, taking into account seam allowances.
- From the bottom of the skirt we measure the place where we plan to sew the insert.
- Cut off part of the skirt along this line.
- We pin the insert and the bottom edge of the skirt with pins and connect them together.
- Next, we connect the resulting element to the main part of the product.
What materials are suitable for inserts
Transparent fabrics work well for inserts. They create the effect of lightness and airiness even on the most massive skirt. Mesh, chiffon or lace fabric looks impressive. Inserts can be of different widths, shapes and colors depending on personal wishes.
In what cases is it impossible to lengthen a skirt?
There are cases when you need to be especially careful when lengthening your skirt. This applies to cases when the cut of the element is bias and the fabric may stretch during stitching. Therefore, after sewing on additional fabric, the skirt needs to hang for a couple of days. Next, excess fabric is removed and the bottom of the product is finished. It is not recommended to lengthen items made from fabrics with complex geometric patterns, such as stripes. And only an experienced craftswoman will correctly cut the material into a cage.
Knowing the possible ways to lengthen skirts, you can reconstruct various things. At the same time, it becomes possible to always be fashionable, stylish and significantly save the family budget. There are many ways, and every needlewoman can find one for herself. interesting option. We hope that this article will be useful and will help you make adjustments to your existing wardrobe.
