Sew a mini skirt: A-line or circle

A mini skirt ends 10 to 20 cm (4 to 8 in) above the knee, and the two easiest shapes to sew are the A-line, cut flat with a little flare at each side seam, and the circle, cut as a ring that swings from the waist. Both take under 1 m (1 1/8 yd) of 140 cm (55 in) wide fabric and an afternoon. Pick the A-line for twill, denim or corduroy with a zip and waistband; pick the circle for a drapey fabric and an elastic waist.

A-line or circle: which mini skirt should you sew?

The A-line is the better choice when you want pockets, topstitching and a skirt that holds its shape in a structured fabric. The circle is the better choice in a soft fabric and when you want movement.

What do you need to sew a mini skirt?

For the A-line with a waistband:

• Skirt front, cut on the fold, and skirt back, cut on the fold with the zip in the left side seam, or in two halves for a center back zip.
• Waistband, a strip your waist plus 4 cm (1 5/8 in) long and 8 cm (3 1/8 in) wide, finished to 3.5 cm (1 3/8 in).
• Pocket bags, four, for in-seam pockets, or two patch pockets.
• Notions: a 20 cm (8 in) invisible zip, interfacing for half the waistband, a button or hook and eye.

For the circle:

• Skirt front and back, each a quarter circle cut on the fold that opens into a half circle.
• Notions: the same zip and waistband as above, or 3 cm (1 1/4 in) elastic cut to your waist for the pull-on version.

Fabric for a 40 cm (15 3/4 in) finished length on 140 cm fabric: 0.7 m for the A-line, 0.9 m for a full circle and 0.6 m for a half circle. A one-way print on an A-line needs no extra; on a circle, half the hem will show the print sideways whatever you do, so choose a non-directional one.

How short should a mini skirt be?

Measure from your natural waist down the side of your leg to the top of the knee. A mini ends 10 to 20 cm above that point: on a 58 cm (22 3/4 in) waist-to-knee, a 40 to 45 cm (15 3/4 to 17 3/4 in) finished length is a wearable mini, and 35 cm (13 3/4 in) is short. Before you cut, pin a tape measure to your waist at that length and sit down: a skirt rides up by 3 to 5 cm (1 1/4 to 2 in) when you sit, more if it is close-fitting at the hem.

Add the hem allowance to the finished length: 2.5 cm for the A-line, 1 cm for the circle. If you will wear the skirt sitting at a desk, a lining or a pair of shorts underneath is worth considering in a light fabric.

How do you sew an A-line mini skirt, step by step?

1. Cut and mark the front, back, waistband and pocket bags. Transfer the darts, two in the front and two in the back, and the notch at the end of the zip.
2. Sew the darts and press them toward the center.
3. Sew the pockets. Sew a pocket bag to each side seam edge 4 cm (1 5/8 in) below the waist, right sides together, press the bags out, then sew the side seams around the bags. Leave the left seam open above the zip notch.
4. Insert the zip in the left side seam, then close the seam below it. How to insert an invisible zip covers the foot and the order.
5. Attach the waistband. Fuse interfacing to one half of the strip, sew the interfaced half to the skirt, fold the band in half, turn the ends and stitch in the ditch from the outside to catch the inner edge. Sew the button or hook on the overlap.
6. Hem. Fold 1 cm then 1.5 cm (5/8 in), press and stitch. On a flared hem the fold is wider than the skirt above it; a shallow hem of 2.5 cm total ripples far less than a 4 cm one.
7. Press, and topstitch the side seams and hem if you like the look in denim or twill.

For the pull-on version, skip the darts and zip, cut the front and back wide enough to pass over your hips plus 4 cm of ease, and fold a 4 cm casing at the top for 3 cm elastic.

How do you sew a circle mini skirt?

The waist is the inner edge of a ring, so its radius comes from your waist: add 1 cm (3/8 in) of ease, then divide by 6.283 for a full circle, 4.712 for three quarters or 3.142 for a half. For a 72 cm (28 1/4 in) waist, a full circle has a waist radius of 11.6 cm (4 5/8 in) and, at a 40 cm length, a hem radius of 51.6 cm (20 1/4 in). The circle skirt calculator gives the radii and the fabric for every fullness.

1. Fold the fabric selvedge to selvedge and draw both arcs from one corner with a tape pinned at the center point. Cut a front and a back.
2. Staystitch the waist edge 1.2 cm (1/2 in) from the edge immediately; it is mostly on the bias and stretches when handled.
3. Sew the side seams, inserting the zip on the left or leaving both seams closed for an elastic waist, where the waist radius is computed from your hip plus 4 cm instead.
4. Attach the waistband or sew the casing and thread the elastic.
5. Hang the skirt for 24 hours, level the hem, and sew a narrow hem: stitch 6 mm (1/4 in) from the edge, fold on the stitching, fold again and stitch.

The full-length version of these steps, with the radius table and fabric widths, is in how to sew a circle skirt.

What mistakes should you avoid?

• Too little ease at the hip. An A-line mini sits on the hip, so the hip line of the pattern needs 2 to 4 cm (3/4 to 1 5/8 in) more than your hip measurement, or the skirt pulls into horizontal folds when you walk.
• A waistband that matches your waist exactly. Cut it your waist plus 1 cm of ease plus the overlap; a band with no ease rides up above the waist and digs in when you sit.
• Hemming a circle on the day you cut it. The bias sections drop overnight and the hem turns wavy.
• A deep hem on a flared edge. Keep the A-line hem at 2.5 cm total and the circle hem at 1 cm.
• Forgetting the sit test. Check the length sitting, not standing, before you cut.

Can Sewly draft the mini skirt for you?

Sewly's A-line skirt pattern has a mini length option with a further adjustment of up to 25 cm (10 in), flare at each side from 2 to 25 cm (3/4 to 10 in), a waistband with a zip or a pull-on elastic waist, and in-seam or patch pockets; the waistband is given as cutting dimensions and the zip, interfacing and elastic lengths are listed in the guide. For the circle version, the circle skirt pattern computes the radius from your waist for a full, three-quarter, half or quarter circle at the length you set.