How to Sew a Flamenco Skirt - Sewing Ruffles onto the Skirt

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This is the last part of the tutorial How to Sew a Flamenco Skirt. If you haven’t already check out

How to Sew a Flamenco Skirt – Tutorial Part 1

How to Sew a Flamenco Skirt – Tutorial Part 2

How to Sew a Flamenco Skirt – Tutorial Part 3

How to Sew a Flamenco Skirt – Making the Ruffles

to catch up on how to make the skirt and prepare the ruffles for this last step ahead – sewing 5 ruffles onto the skirt.

Download the entire tutorial in pdf format

Marking the Skirt

The first step is to mark the ruffle positions on the skirt. I use tailors chalk/pencil in an easily visible colour. Whatever you use, it needs to be easy to see but not leave a permanent mark.

The pattern includes the suggested ruffle positions but before simply transferring the marks make sure the skirt has the correct length. Shorten if necessary. If you like the skirt longer you can place all ruffles lower. For example, if you want the final length of your skirt with ruffles to be 5cm longer than the skirt is at the moment place the bottom ruffle marks 10cm from the hem (assuming your ruffle is 15cm wide). Then mark each following ruffle 12cm higher.

The best way to mark ruffles is with the skirt hanging. I find a coat hanger with pegs works well, just make sure the skirt hangs straight. Place the marks for each round of ruffles no more than 20cm apart. When you reach one mark while sewing you want to easily see the next. Otherwise it is easy to lose orientation and “get lost” in your ruffles.

Sewing the Ruffles

With the ruffles ready and their positions marked on the skirt we are ready to sew.

Turn the skirt right side out
Place a top ruffle mark near the center back seam under your presser foot. Place the ruffle right side down and position the inner edge onto the skirt mark (the wrong side of the ruffle is to the left of the needle) and sew, leaving a couple of cm (ca. 1 inch) loose at the beginning.
Follow the mark until you complete the round
When you reach the start of the ruffle fold the piece of ruffle you left unsewn at the beginning towards you and sew the ruffle over it to close the round. Cut the ruffle and close the open edges of start and finish of your first ruffle.
Repeat for the other 4 ruffles