Fabric in the colors and prints of your choice. You can use different colors or prints, or just one type if you only want the layered look. A sewing machine. Scissors. Measuring tape. A ½” to ¾” wide piece of elastic long enough to go around your skirt’s waistband.
To determine how long you want your skirt to be, you can use a skirt that is the length you want your tiered skirt to be. Measure the skirt from the waist to the bottom hem and add 4” to this number to account for the hem, seams, and waistband. You can also measure the length on yourself or the person for whom you are making this skirt. Measure from the natural waist to the spot where you want the skirt to end and add 4” for the hem, seams, and waistband. If you plan to make your skirt with more than three tiers, then you will need more than 4" of extra fabric to work with. Add an extra inch for each additional tier. For example, if you want a four tiered skirt, then add an additional 5" inches to your length total. If you want to make a five tiered skirt, then add 6" to your length total, and so on.
For example, if your total skirt length is 30”, and you want to make a three tiered skirt, then you would divide 30” by 3 and get 10”. That means that each of your pieces will need to be 10” long. To add more tiers to your skirt, divide your total length by the number of tiers you want. For example, if you wanted to create a five tiered skirt, then you would divide the total skirt length by 5. For example, if your total length is 35” and you want a five tiered skirt, then you would divide 35” by 5 for a result of 7” per piece.
Multiply the waist measurement by 1. 5 for the first tier. Therefore, if the person’s waist is 30”, then the first tier will need to be 45” wide. Multiply the waist measurement by 2 for the second tier. For example, if the person’s waist is 30”, then the second tier will need to be 60” wide. Multiply the waist measurement by 2. 7 for the third tier. So, if the person’s waist is 30”, then the third tier will need to be 81” wide.
For example, if you are making a three tiered skirt for someone who has a 30” waist and wants the skirt to be 26” (total of 30” with added 4” for hem, seams, and waistband) long, then your measurements would be 10” by 45” for the first tier, 10” by 60” for the second tier, and 10” by 81” for the third tier. If you are using multiple kinds of fabric, then consider which one you want to be the top, middle, and bottom tier before you start cutting.
If you prefer, you can wait to add a seam on the skirt until after you have sewed all of the tiers together. This may be a better option if you are planning to do more than three tiers.
Make sure to leave enough space to add your elastic in later. Leave a small 1” to 2” gap in the seam to insert the elastic.
If you want, you can sew a permanent stitch over the baste stitch when it is gathered to your liking. However, sewing the middle tier to the bottom tier will create this permanent stitch, so it is not absolutely necessary to stitch over the baste stitch.
Be sure to line up the center seams on the bottom and middle tiers. If you did not create the center seam yet, then make sure that the ends are even. You can adjust the gathering before you start pinning the pieces together to make sure that the pieces are the same length. After you have pinned all the way around the pieces, sew the pieces together, removing the pins as you sew.
Make sure that you line up the center seams on the middle and top tiers. Remove the pins as you sew. If you have more than three tiers, then you will need to continue to baste and stitch until you have added all of your tiers.
It can take a while to work the piece of elastic through the waistband. Attaching a safety pin to the end of the elastic before you insert it into the waistband may help you to pull it through a bit easier.
