Update – Since I published this post, I received many questions, so I’ve updated the post. If you came back to this post, have a read again below. If you are new… welcome! 🙂
First, I’d like to say THANK YOU for such positive responses to How to Make a Mermaid Skirt Part 1. It was so touching to see emails and comments from many of you showing your enthusiasm and support!
Alright, so this is Part 2 of How to Make a Mermaid Skirt. In this video, you will see the right type of fabric for this pattern and how to put the skirt together. By the end of the video, you’ll know how to make a 5-panel mermaid skirt that fits you. So let’s get started!
Click here to get the free Stretch Check Tape 🙂
Want to make other belly dance costume bits to go with the mermaid skirt? Sign up for my free course, Belly Dance Costume Making 101!
Choose the right fabric
Because we want this skirt to be snug around the hips but comfortable enough to move around and sturdy, I suggest the fabric you use has these 3 elements.
1. The fabric has good stretch.
Go to the dancewear section of your fabric store or ask people there for dancewear fabric. The fabric should have nice stretch, and it has spandex in it. This type of fabric usually has a smooth finish, unless it is velvet.
Take a measuring tape or download the stretch check tape from here. Make sure the fabric stretches at least 1.2 times longer for your pattern to work. So for example, hold 10 cm of fabric and stretch comfortably, not too hard. If it stretches to 12 cm without being pulled too hard, it is good material for this mermaid skirt pattern.
If you are making this skirt for daily wear or practice wear, you can just use any knit fabric, like stretch cotton for t-shirts. 🙂 By the way, if you are making this to wear everyday, you can make with fewer panels. So when you calculate for pattern making in Part 1, change “5” to the number of panels.
2. When you stretch the fabric, it doesn’t become see-through.
Some lighter stretch fabric loses opacity when it’s stretched. Try stretching the fabric a little, not too hard, but enough to make sure the fabric stays in tact when stretched.
3. After you stretch the fabric, it comes back to the same length.
We need sturdy fabric for dancing, so I recommend you pick good, sturdy fabric that recovers from the stretch well.
How Much Fabric to Buy
How much fabric you will need for this project depends on the fabric you pick.
If you are using fabric that is smooth on the surface and has no pattern or fabric that has pattern but it doesn’t matter which way the pattern goes (like polka dots), then buy your skirt length x 3 plus 25cm (10in). You should be able to lay the pattern twice within the width of the fabric.
If you are using fabric with nap (ie the fabric has fuzzy surface like velvet) or fabric with patterns with directional requirements, then buy your skirt length x 5 plus 38cm (15in).
The above guide is based on the assumption that the fabric stretches from selvage to selvage, which is mostly the case.
Materials
So now that you have the right type of fabric, you will also need:
Your panel pattern from Part 1
And your sewing tools (see my favourites on the Resources page 🙂 )
How to Make a Mermaid Skirt
Okay, now that you have your pattern and fabric, lay the fabric on the floor or a large table.
Check which way the fabric stretches. We want the skirt to stretch wide, not long, so place the pattern so that the belt line is parallel to the direction of the stretch.
Then trace the pattern, or place weights on the pattern, then cut. Repeat this 5 times so you have 5 identical panels.
I use a rotary cutter and a self-healing mat when cutting fabric, and my mat is not large enough, so I put a couple of cardboard boxes underneath the fabric. You can use scissors to cut fabric, but I like using my rotary cutter, because it saves time and creates a smooth edge. If you are curious, check out the resource page to see which ones I’m using 🙂
What I like about this pattern is that sewing them together is relatively easy 🙂
Just place 2 panels right sides together, place pins inside the seam allowance and sew along the side. The seam allowance is 1.5 cm or ⅝ in, and you can cut it down if you like, but this will allow for adjustment in case the skirt is too tight or becomes too tight in the future.
I would go back and sew the hip section one more time, because this part goes through a lot of stress, and I want to make sure the seam does not rip.
Repeat this to connect all 5 panels.
If you want a slit in the front, you can just sew down from the belt line as much or as little as you like. And fold the rest of the edge by 1.5 cm or ⅝ inch and just do a basic straight stitch.
If you don’t want any slit, just sew all panels together from the belt line to the bottom.
Then put it on and fold over the belt line for hemming. You may have noticed, we made the pattern according to the measurements of your back. The front part of your body doesn’t have as many curves, so the front part of your skirt would appear too long. So we have to adjust the length here. Make sure the front part of the skirt touches the floor because there is still 1 cm or ½ in seam allowance at the bottom, and just tuck in the excess fabric at the top.
Place a pin right in the front centre, and take it to a table. Lay the skirt flat, and fold the back centre by 1cm or ½ in, and place a pin. Then connect the folds in the front and back to create a smooth line and place pins. Then take it to your sewing machine.
Make sure to hem using a zigzag stitch or other stitches that allow stretch. No straight stitching here. Then just trim any excess fabric.
What I love about stretch fabric is that it doesn’t fray 😀 So if you want a professional finish, you can hem the bottom line with 1cm or ½ in seam allowance, but if you just can’t wait to start wearing it (which often happens for me 🙂 ), skip the hemming, and chances are, no one in the audience will notice 😉
And your mermaid skirt is done! Once you have a pattern, you can make lots of skirts with different fabric, you can use different colours for the panels, and best of all, they will fit you perfectly.
Got more questions?
You’re not the only one 🙂 Here are a couple of other questions that are asked often.
Don’t you need to add a waistband?
I didn’t add a waistband to this pattern for 2 reasons.
- We made the pattern based on our belt line & hip measurements in Part 1. So the skirt should be snug around the belt line and hips and it should not fall off.
- Waistbands tend to be the cause of muffin tops….! Waistbands tend to be tighter than your actual belt line measurement, so they stay up, but your flesh above the waistband comes out, creating a muffin top. I wanted to create smooth lines from your waist to hip to the skirt, so no waistband in this pattern.
If you feel that the skirt may fall, I have a technique to add elastic without creating a muffin top. You can check it out here.
Can I make this skirt out of non-stretch fabric?
If you are making this skirt as a dance costume, I don’t recommend using non-stretch fabric. It will be too tight and uncomfortable to dance in.
If you are making this skirt as a prom/wedding dress, I think you can. I haven’t tried it myself, so what I lay out here is how I would approach it if I were to make it with non-stretch fabric.
First, go back to the measurement section of Part 1, and add 3.5cm (1.5in) ease to your hip and thigh measurements. This will help you sit in your skirt.
Then when you get to the calculation section of Part 1, and take out “1.2” from the formulas. It counts for the stretch of the fabric, so taking it out makes the pattern true to your measurements.
Follow the rest of the instructions, and finally, when you sew together the skirt panels, add a zipper at the back centre seam.
You may have to play around with the amount of ease added to the pattern, because as you can imagine, it will not be very fitted around the hips and it can distort the overall look of the skirt. Let me know if you give it a go, and I’d love to learn from your experience 🙂
Do you love mermaid skirts?
And if you love mermaid skirt, up your game and try these designs next!
Click here to learn and make these mermaid skirts!
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial, and if you make your own, please share a photo on Sparkly Belly’s Facebook page, and also sign up for the Sparkly Belly newsletter below to get updates and free resources only available to newsletter subscribers.
Click here to sign up for the Sparkly Belly newsletter (+ get the free Stretch Check Tape!)
Thanks for reading, and keep sparkling!
P.S. Now are you ready to complete a whole belly dance costume that goes with this mermaid skirt? Check out my free course, Belly Dance Costume Making 101!
P.P.S. Pin this picture to work on it later 😉
Are you ready to make more costuming bits?
Thank you so much for putting together this tutorial and taking the time to share your knowledge with us!
I have a question, when you sew the panels together, do you use a straight stitch or a zig zag stitch?
Love from Ecuador- South America
Alinne
You’re most welcome, Alinne, and thank YOU for your kind words! I used a straight stitch for sewing the panels together, since my fabric only stretched width wise, and so I wouldn’t be stretching the skirt length wise. If you are unsure, and/or if your fabric is 4-way stretch, you can use a very narrow zigzag stitch, so that the stitches give a bit of stretch and won’t pop 🙂
And something else I need to work on! I got some fabulous bathing suit type fabric at the Textile Museum warehouse sale and wasn’t quite sure what it would be good for … this is it!
Lovely! I would love to see it when you make it, Beth 🙂 Where is this museum? I’d love to go visit!
Just wondering how much did it cost for you to make this?
Good question! I picked up the black fabric in the sale rack at my local fabric shop, and it was $15 for 3m. I used the leftover wrapping paper for making the pattern, and I had the black thread, so I think I just spend $15 for the fabric for this skirt! 😀
Thank you for putting together this tutorial and taking the time to share your knowledge. LOVE IT!!!
You’re very welcome, Donna. Thank you so much for your kind words 🙂 They help me keep going!
do you have a method of determining how much yardage you need to complete a skirt? I know that there is a formula for circle skirts.
Generally, if you are using fabric without nap (ie smooth fabric with no directional requirements), you need 3 x your skirt length, assuming the stretch direction is from selvage to selvage. 🙂
Forgot to mention, if you buy this much fabric, you will be able to place your pattern twice in the width of the fabric.
I loooove this type of skirt and I already saw a great fabric for it, unfortunately not very cheap….do you have any idea if there is a way to cut fabric in the most efficient way? I have a normal body type……
Thank you, Iris! How you would cut fabric depends on which way the fabric stretches and what type of fabric you are using. As I mentioned above in response to r’s question, if your fabric has no directional requirements (no nap, no patterns), and if your fabric stretches from selvage to selvage, you can probably fit in 2 panels in the width at a time – one up, one down – so you need 3 times your skirt length to fit in all 5 panels.
If your fabric stretches parallel to the selvage, then you may need a little less…
The best way to figure out how much fabric you need (and I do this for all my costume projects) is on a piece of paper, draw a mini-pattern, which is 1/10th of the actual measurements. First draw a 1/10th version of your fabric (if it comes 60 inches wide, you draw a 6 inch wide rectangle on a piece of paper), then draw a 1/10th version of your pattern from Part 1 of this tutorial. Then based on the stretch direction of your fabric, you can figure out how you can fit the 5 panels most efficiently on your fabric and exactly how much fabric you need. 🙂
Hello there Mao! Love this tutorial! What type of fabric did you use for the red mermaid skirt? Looking for a similar fabric in black.
Thank you, Dannielle 🙂 I actually found the fabric in the sale rack at a local fabric store, and since it didn’t give me much information, but my best guess is it has spandex in it, and the black polka dots are actually plastic – feels like stickers. Hope this helps!
This is the first thing I have sewed ever! I’m a masochist and did it with non-stretch. Came out great! Of course I’m not using it for belly dance so I’m not too worried about dancing in it. Wearing it next weekend.
Lovely! So happy for you, Aeshna! If you take a photo next weekend, would you mind sharing it with me? I’d love to see. You can email me at mao@sparklybelly.com <3 Thanks!
Lovely ! Pleasesssssssssssss kindly make a tutorial on a non -stretchy fabric (mermaid skirt)thanx n luv ya!
Thanks, Angela 🙂 I’ll add it to my to-do list!
Mao, so many of us are waiting for the non-stretch version. You’re a genius love!
Thanks, Odo! You’re right, I’ll try to get to that 🙂
Thank you very much for this tutorial!just amazing! My group and I are planning on making mermaid skirts for our next performance and this tutorial is what I used for a scale model on a doll and I added the slit. I wonder how do you keep the slit looking normal? In my model it opens too much showing both legs. I am asuming it has to do with the size of the model and the fabric, what do you think?
That’s exciting, Winic! Thank you for your kind words 🙂 If the fabric pull too much and opens the slit too wide, an easy fix would be to add 2-3 inches to your thigh measurement and adjust the pattern. You’ll be basically adding a bit more room around the thigh area so the slit doesn’t open as wide.
You can also start the slit at a lower point – a couple of inches can make a big difference visually 🙂
Another thing you can try is adding a modesty panel. You can find the tutorial here: https://www.sparklybelly.com/how-to-make-a-modesty-panel-insert/
Hope this helps!! I’d love to see when your mermaid skirts are ready (if you can, please send a photo to my email mao@sparklybelly.com or share a photo in the FB group http://www.facebook.com/groups/sparklybelly) 😀 Let me know if I can help you and your group along the way 🙂
I really loved this! I think it will help me out when I try to make something like it for prom. I would like to know how you could make a train in the back part of the skirt. Since I want my prom dress to be two pieces, meaning the top not connected to the bottom, I would like the skirt to have some what of a train in the back. I will definitely be using this tutorial when making my prom skirt.
Love your ideas, Melissa! Ah, yes having a train would be so lovely. 🙂 You could modify the bottom of the 2 back panels kind of like this image http://www.costumegallery.com/skirtsm.jpg I love the idea of 2 piece prom dress <3
Hi Mao, love working through your projects. Have you ever tried making this same mermaid skirt, but reversible? Basically two skirts right-sides out and sewn at the top? Do you think it would be that simple, or would it be too heavy to stay up? Thanks for all the wonderful things you put out there for us!
Thank you, Helena! And what an awesome idea 😀 It would be so cool to have a reversible mermaid skirt! I’ve never tried it, and I understand your concern about the weight… I think if you use spandex for making this skirt, it will probably be too heavy to stay up on its own, so you may need to create an elastic waist band at the top. But by attaching the 2 layers only at the top, you get a peek of the under layer, which would be very cool if the under layer has a nice finish on the wrong side! Plus the under layer will act as lining, which will help underwear lines to show less. If you ever try your idea, let us know how it goes! I’m curious 😀
Hi Mao! I wrote you a letter the other day asking you to re-send instructions on ruffle-making. I am able to get wi fi where I am sitting right now and downloaded what I needed. Sorry to be the pesty caveman! Your information is amazing, and thank you for sharing it! Denise
Novice sewer here! Wondering if you could give any advice to adding a zipper or some kind of closure on one of the seams for easy removal? (Will be using for a burlesque routine).
Thanks!
Hi Alana! You can definitely add a zipper at the back centre seam with a little hook. Oh but if you need to get out of the skirt quickly, it might be easier to add a tie? Undoing the tie could be part of performance 🙂
That’s a great idea! My limited knowledge of stretch fabric thought that zippers in stretch were difficult to do, but a tie is even better. Thank you!
My pleasure! Let me know how it goes 🙂
how do I see zipper to the curved edge of pattern
Hi Miku! My tip is to carefully align the zipper against the edge, and pin each side well. You can add snips to the seam allowance if the curve is big… like this: https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/199706564705450297/
Thank you Mao for this great tutorial, you helped me make a beautiful all golden shiny mermaid skirt, I’m so proud of it! And got many compliments the first time I performed in it a few days ago. So, again, many thanks all the way from the Netherlands!
Aw how wonderful, Karen! It’s my pleasure, and I’m so happy for you! 🙂 Do you have a photo of the skirt you can share with me? If so, please send it to mao@sparklybelly.com. I’d love to see it! 🙂
[…] original measurement by 7.2, which is a simplified way of saying, we divide it by 1.2 (which is the stretch ratio), then by 3 (because we’re making 3 panels), then by 2 (because we’re using this number to make […]