There’s a quiet joy in sewing doll clothes — the way a tiny pattern piece can transform a scrap of fabric into something magical. This wrap-around flared half‑circle skirt is one of those pieces: soft, swishy, and beautifully simple. With two overlapping front panels, it ties neatly at the waist and opens with a graceful flutter.
Click the link below to browse all the free PDF sewing patterns for women:
✂️ Materials
- Lightweight woven fabric (cotton, linen, lawn, chambray)
- Sewing machine
- Matching thread
- Fabric scissors or rotary cutter
- Pins or clips
- Iron
- Free PDF Sewing Pattern (link given below)
Cutting the Pattern Pieces
You will cut the skirt piece on fold and the waistband three times the length as given in the pattern.
Sewing Instructions
1. Finish the Straight Edges of the skirt
These are the edges that will overlap.
- Press each straight edge under ¼ inch twice.
- Stitch neatly.
Let's try this on our doll to check the height and fit of the skirt.
The fit is perfect, but I trimmed half an inch off the skirt length since it appeared slightly long. I’ve already made the change to the pattern, so you don’t need to adjust anything. However, if you’d like to shorten the length further, you’re welcome to do so.
2. Hem the Skirt
- To achieve a perfect hem on a curved hemline, sew a 1/4″ line of stitching around the entire hem. This creates a guide fold and makes hemming much simpler.
- Press the curved hem under ¼ inch using the stitch line as the guide for folding.
- Fold again 1/4 inch and press. Pin around the hem to hold the fold.
- Sew closer to the folded edge. Stitch slowly for a smooth curve.
3. Create the Waistband + Ties
Cut a long strip:
- Length: 51.5 inches (This measurement is equal to three times the waistband length given in the PDF pattern. It appears to be too long for a doll skirt, but you need this length to wrap around the waist and tie a bow.)
- Width: 1.5 inches
Press the seams flat.
- Trim the corners of the waist band as shown in the image below, to give ribbon-like shape to the tie ends.
Measure the waist circumference of the skirt and divide this number by two. Label this measurement as A.
Fold the waistband in half widthwise, and from the fold, mark two points, each spaced A apart. In the image below the black line shows the center of the waistband, and the red dots mark the measurement A from the center of the waistband. That is, these red dots mark the end of the skirt waistband. The rest of the strip will be used for the ties.
Now, fold the waistband in half lengthwise.
- Starting from the corners of the waistband stitch along the long edge and stop when you reach the mark you made before.
- Clip into the seam allowances at the corners and along any curved or angled edges. I used pinking shears for clipping. Make sure not to cut through the stitching line. These small notches remove excess bulk, allowing the fabric to spread and lie smoothly when the piece is turned right‑side out. This helps the corners look sharp and the edges press beautifully flat.
- Turn the waistband right‑side out, gently working the fabric through the opening until the seams are fully reversed. Use a point‑turner, a blunt knitting needle, or the closed tip of small scissors to carefully push out the corners from the inside. Apply light, controlled pressure so you don’t poke through the fabric. Shaping the corners at this stage helps them look crisp and well‑defined once pressed.
- Your waistband part should be open as shown in the above image.
4. Attach the Waistband
- Sandwich ¼‑inch seam allowance of the top edge of the skirt into the opening in the waistband. and pin.
Then, using a simple running stitch, I basted the two layers together.
These stitches were intentionally long and easily removable — just enough to keep the waistband fold and the skirt’s top edge neatly aligned while I continued with the construction. This basting step helps prevent shifting, ensuring the waistband stayed evenly folded, and makes the final stitching much more precise.
- Topstitch to finish.
- Sew the side edges of the skirt
- Sew the hemline
- Prepare the waistband with ties
- Attach the waistband with ties to the skirt
Simply print it on A4 or Letter-sized paper, and you’ll be ready to start sewing!
How to Print and Assemble the PDF Pattern Pages:
Pattern Assembly:
The diagram below is given as a guide to assemble the pattern pages. There are 6 pages in the pattern PDF. And these pages are arranged as shown in the diagram below.
