Increasingly, children's holiday outfits include such an element as a fluffy American skirt. This model was developed by Christian Dior in the middle of the last century and since then, in different variations and modifications, has been used by many other fashion designers.
Fluffy skirts, made of transparent lightweight fabric, can be of completely different lengths. Their cut and sewing method has several options, each of which is described in this article.
Both adult girls and school-age girls can wear this wardrobe item. However, the clothes that will be worn with an American woman should be chosen very carefully. One wrong step and the image will turn from fashionable and modern to inappropriate and tacky. Most often, such skirts are worn to participate in photo shoots or for festive events.
An American skirt for a girl under three years old can be sewn independently. Those with cutting and sewing skills can take risks and sew a more complex model. Recommendations regarding the cutting and sewing process are given below.
Types of fluffy skirts
There are several possible embodiments of the immortal skirt:
- Classic American.
- A simplified model made from strands of tulle.
- Ruffle skirt.
- A fluffy skirt made of several layers of the same length.
Experienced craftswomen recommend using nylon chiffon with a density of 15 D for sewing. However, with a limited choice of material, you can get by with tulle, mesh or light chiffon. In any case, the fabric must be airy, otherwise the essence of the product will be lost.
Some of the skirts are made of only a few layers of sheer fabric, others include a thick lining. Sometimes additional petticoats are used to achieve greater volume.
Types of American skirts
What are the options for curvy “American women”:
- Classic "American". Several levels of the same height but different widths. To each previous one, two or three times as many lower ones are attached.
- A simplified model without using a needle and thread. The fabric is cut into ribbons and tied around the waist. Due to the number of these stripes, a magnificent product is obtained. Suitable for small children.
- Skirt made of a large number of ruffles and frills.
- A tutu skirt made of many layers of fabric of equal length (photo).
Modeling and calculation of an American skirt
The description will be based on making a product for a girl. Models for girls can be created according to the same principle.
A children's tulle skirt has four levels. The first, upper one, is made of thick fabric. The rest are cut out from tulle. They have the same width, and the length of each of them is twice as long as the previous one. The hem of the lower level is equipped with thick short ruffles. The listed components are mandatory for any American woman.
The total length of the product is calculated based on the girl’s age and the purpose of such a popular item of clothing as an American skirt. A master class (how to sew a skirt with your own hands) is presented in this article; the product is sewn quite quickly. The instructions greatly help to form an impression of the scope of work and the principles of sewing the product.
DIY American skirt: sewing instructions with step-by-step photos and instructional videos
The American skirt in appearance is a mixture of a tutu and a multi-layered skirt made of nylon chiffon, organza or tulle. Skirts for girls are most often made from tulle, since it is stronger than tulle, and for children's clothes this is one of the important characteristics. The top layer of the skirt is always made of thick satin and is decorated with a bow. An American skirt is quite easy to sew with your own hands, despite its apparent complexity - just processing the material takes a lot of time.
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How to calculate fabric for a skirt
Yoke: its length (denoted by the letter G) can be calculated by measuring the girl’s waist. You should make the yoke slightly wider than the waist (1.5 times), since it will be gathered with an elastic band. The height of the part is 10-12 cm. This element is made double, so the fabric consumption doubles (20-24 cm).
Tiers made of transparent fabric: their height is calculated based on the length of the product without a yoke. For example: the total length of the skirt is A, the height of the yoke is B, the number of tiers is 3. The height of each tier:
(A-B):3=B.
A children's American skirt (we describe a DIY master class) requires about 5-7 m of material. If expanding layers are sewn on both sides of the product (inside and outside), then these numbers should be doubled.
It is convenient to calculate the yardage of fabric for purchase by finding the area of each tier using a mathematical formula.
1st tier: Hx2D=D
2nd tier: Vx2D=E
3rd tier: Bx2E=W
The width of the ruffles that are provided at the bottom edge of the 3rd tier is 3 cm. Their total area will be equal to:
3x2W=I
Knowing the width of the mesh or tulle (about 2.5 m), you can find out how much material you need to buy (in linear meters):
(D+E+F+I):2.5
When buying fabric, you should play it safe and buy half a meter more.
American skirt master class
For a better idea of what and how many layers and levels the skirt consists of, look at the diagram of the American skirt before starting sewing.
Let's start sewing a fluffy and beautiful skirt for a little or not so little girl)).
First, we will process all the edges of the chiffon using an overlocker or a zigzag on a sewing machine so that they do not fray.
To the edge of the satin rectangle, apply and iron the adhesive fabric from the wrong side of the satin, along two long sides. Finish the edge with a zigzag stitch.
Since sewing such a fluffy skirt requires patience from the performer, let's start with the most difficult, from the second, longest tier.
We sew a mesh/tulle ribbon in wide steps exactly in the middle, and pull it together until a ruffle is formed, along a length equal to the longest rectangle (720 cm).
Then, we sew the ruffle on a machine to the front side of the chiffon, departing 1 cm from the edge. We make 2 such blanks.
We do, with the first tier, all the same work as described above. The blanks will be slightly shorter, 540 cm each, there are two of them.
Let's start with the yoke. We sew satin fabric into a tube. We smooth the side seam and provide a distance of 2.7 mm for threading the elastic into the belt (step back 1 cm from the seam).
We will support the seam and secure the edges by hand. The place for the elastic band is ready.
Let's fold the workpiece so that the edges treated with non-woven fabric look at each other, and the satin side is out. Let's press it, leave a distance of 2.8-3.2 cm from the fold. Secure it with tailor's needles and stitch it on a typewriter. This is the place for the rubber belt.
The yoke turned out to be double-sided. We sew our 1st tier to the top of the yoke. The seam should be on the inside. To do this, we assemble the top layer of the tier to the length of the yoke (120 cm). The build will be strong. You need to make it uniform. We do the same with 1 tier of the inner layer of the yoke. The ruffles should look outward on both layers.
We collect tier 2 on a thread. The length of the assembly at the top of the tier should be equal to 540 cm, that is, equal to the length of 1 tier. Let's repeat this work again. Separately for the outer and inner layers. Sew, departing 1cm from the edge. Let's look at the result. All ruffles should be facing the viewer.
Those. the skirt should look like a double skirt.
Sew a ribbon to the edge of the elastic band on both sides. The width of the tape and elastic are identical. We tuck the elastic into the place for the belt on the yoke using a pin. We connect the elastic band with a hand seam. We release the edges of the ribbons. Iron it carefully. All is ready.
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Watch the video master class on how to sew an American skirt with your own hands for a girl for the holiday!
Cutting and assembling parts
In order not to make mistakes when cutting, you need to make a pattern from cardboard. Its width will be equal to B, and its length will be about 25-30 cm. This approach allows you to cut all strips of the same width.
The sequence of stitching the cut parts is obvious:
- Assemble the yoke. For simplicity, it is folded in half and stitched, leaving room for elastic.
- The pre-assembled 1st tier begins to be sewn to one of the free sides of the yoke (its length is D, when assembled - D).
- After performing similar actions with a strip of fabric for the 2nd tier (gathered to size D), it is sewn to the free edge of the 1st tier.
- Do the same with the 3rd tier.
The final step is making and fixing the ruffles; this process is clearly illustrated by the photograph.
Ruffles along the edge of the 3rd tier allow you to give the product fluffiness and lightness, which is why the American skirt is so popular. The DIY master class describes how to make only the front side; the back side can be made the same way or equipped with a simple petticoat.
How to sew an American skirt: pattern and instructions
The upper frill of the skirt - a kind of yoke with an elastic band - is sewn from a denser material - satin and is decorated with a bow.
Despite the fact that processing numerous frills takes quite a lot of time, sewing an American skirt, as you may have guessed, is not so difficult. Firstly, in order to sew an American skirt, you do not need to create a pattern, just measure the length of the future skirt and calculate the length of each frill.
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Choosing the color of an American skirt
Before sewing an American skirt, it is important to think about the colors of the future skirt. The right combination of ruffle colors will make your skirt not only unique, but also extremely impressive! White and soft pink, purple and lilac are successfully combined, black can be combined with white, a plain American skirt also looks very nice, but the choice is yours.
American skirt pattern
Rice. 1. American skirt pattern
The American skirt consists of 3 wide frills, with narrow frills - ruffles - attached to the bottom. In order to calculate the length of the frills, you need to measure the desired length of the skirt from the waist. Divide the resulting value by 3 to get the width of the frills. Also, the top satin frill can be made slightly narrower than the bottom two.
Instructions for sewing an American skirt
From satin, cut out the top double frill with a fold along the top of the skirt. The length of the frill is given in the drawing - see the drawing in Fig. 1.
Cut 4 layers of middle ruffles from nylon and 8 layers of bottom ruffles. Cut out 26 layers of narrow frills.
Sew the satin piece along the short side, leaving an open area for threading the elastic, bend it in half and iron it. Sew the middle 4 nylon frills along the short sides and pull them along the top. Fold one on top of the other and baste to the bottom of the satin frill, stitching. Attach the bottom 8 frills in the same way.
Sew the ruffles along the short sides, each separately. Gather in the middle, fold in layers of 3 ruffles and stitch along the bottom of the skirt from the front and back sides (6 layers in total).
Thread an elastic band around the waist and sew up the open area by hand. Hand sew a satin bow around the waist.
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Such a different American skirt
A skirt is undoubtedly the most feminine and charming item in a woman's wardrobe. Particularly popular today is the American skirt - airy, fluffy, with the lightest bright ruffles, made of nylon, organza or chiffon. How much enthusiasm and coquetry there is in her!
Thanks to its mischievous and cute appearance, the American skirt is loved by little girls, teenagers, and even their mothers. Fashionable American skirt The American skirt has been a real hit over the past few seasons. Designers suggest wearing it to everyone without exception. Like an airy cloud, it beautifully emphasizes the feminine silhouette and looks very seductive and playful.
Its length can vary from a sexy mini and almost to the floor. But the most popular is the curvy knee-length model. Externally, the American skirt resembles a combination of a circle skirt and a tutu. This style appeared back in the 16th century. But then this skirt played the role of a petticoat, giving the outerwear pomp and volume.
Typically, American skirts are made from nylon chiffon, organza, and tulle. And to create them, a lot of fabric is required, because they consist of several tiers. The more tiers, the more magnificent the “American” will be. The bottom layer of the skirt, as well as the yoke, bow at the waist and ruffles can be made of satin or satin. In terms of color, the skirt can be monochrome. However, often ruffles, flounces, decorative elements and a belt are made of fabric in contrasting shades. Who should wear an American skirt? Fluffy American skirts look best on small children. They give them even more fabulousness, tenderness, fragility and mischief at the same time.
Today you can even find “American” onesies for newborns, which are worn on special occasions. For example, for a photo shoot. For little girls, this model will be an excellent option for elegant clothes for a matinee, birthday or school holiday. Adult women and girls look more youthful and flirtatious in them.
American skirt - how to choose and sew
When choosing an American skirt, you need to take into account the characteristics of your figure. This style is ideal for slender girls with beautiful legs. If there are lines of weight, then the skirt will look too heavy and cumbersome. This model is mainly aimed at young people, emphasizing the lightness, carefreeness and romanticism of the young soul. An American skirt is a great option for a party at a club, a photo shoot, prom, hanging out with friends, or even for an evening walk.
Voluminous skirt made of several rows of ruffles
This type of mesh or tulle skirt involves using a slightly different method of connecting the cut parts.
A special feature of the method is that all tiers are sewn to the lining, and not to each other. Thus, several rows of ruffles are formed. One side of them is fixed to the lining, the other remains free. The main condition for sewing such a skirt remains the principle of expanding each next tier. The lining is also cut out not straight, but with an extension (semi-sun or sun).
The tulle strips are sewn so that the free edge of each next tier slightly covers the sewing line of the bottom one.
Simplified model of a skirt for babies
To make fluffy tutus for little ones, you can simplify your task and make a skirt like this.
The process of its creation differs from the previous one in its simplicity and ease. You will need a thick elastic band and about two meters of material (provided its width is more than 2 m). This American skirt (master class) is sewn with your own hands using successive photos and looks no less fluffy than the classic model. True, it is only suitable for the smallest children.
To make the product, you need to cut the material into strips 5-10 cm and 20-30 cm long. Next, each strip is tightly tied to an elastic band, cut to fit the baby’s waist and sewn into a ring. The two free ends of each strip puff up and form an air pack.
The length of the stripes depends on the planned length of the skirt and allowances for forming the knot. In the photographs, the children's tulle skirt is made of two colors: white and pink. For each unit of the product, two strips of different colors were taken simultaneously.
At the end of the work, you can decorate the skirt with a bow, sequins or beads.
We sew a beautiful American skirt with our own hands in a step-by-step lesson
The American skirt consists of 3-4 rows of multi-layer frills, the top of which is a yoke with an elastic band, and the bottom of the skirt is decorated with rows of narrow ruffles, due to which volume is created at the bottom.
The chosen color is important when sewing a skirt. With its help, you can not only make your skirt original, but also very impressive. Color combinations such as white with soft pink, purple with lilac, black with white look very beautiful, and a plain American skirt also looks very beautiful.
Even an inexperienced seamstress can sew an American skirt - you don’t need to create a pattern for it, and this fact is very important for many novice tailors. It is enough to decide on the length of the skirt and calculate the length of each frill. The main difficulty lies only in the processing of the fabric, or more precisely, in its quantity. To reduce the amount of fabric processed, chiffon can be combined with tulle, using chiffon to make the bottom layer so that the skirt does not prick the legs, and subsequent layers from tulle - it is more voluminous and does not require overcasting.
So, the American skirt pattern consists of three regular rectangles, the width of which is the length of the ruffles. Their length is calculated by dividing the length of the skirt by three. The top frill can be made a little narrower than the next two; the length of each frill is shown in the photo.
In order for you to make sure that sewing this type of skirt is really not difficult, we offer you the following master class.
Sewing any product begins with cutting the fabric. An American skirt requires quite a lot of fabric, since it consists of a large number of layers. From satin we cut out the top double frill with a fold along the top of the skirt. Next, cut out 4 layers of middle frills, 8 layers of lower frills and 26 layers of narrow ruffles. The length of each frill is shown in the photo above.
We sew the top satin frill along the short side, leaving an area for threading the elastic, fold the part in half and iron it.
We sew four frills of the next layer along the short sides, pull them together at the top, put one on top of the other and attach them to the bottom of the satin part. We do the same with the frills of the third tier. To gather the ruffles, you can use a special foot on your sewing machine.
Now let's start working with the ruffles. To begin with, we sew each ruffle along the short sides and gather it in the middle. After this, we stack the finished ruffles on top of each other in three pieces and attach them to the bottom of each layer of the third frill from the front and back sides, that is, on each bottom layer you should get 6 layers of ruffles.
Insert an elastic band into the upper frill along the waistline and sew this area by hand. Make a bow from a satin ribbon and sew it on the waist.
As you can see, sewing an American skirt step by step with your own hands is really not that difficult, you just need time and patience, but the result is worth it. In such a skirt, any girl will look like a little princess, and such a skirt will add flirtatiousness and romanticism to a young girl. A necklace made of natural pearls will perfectly complement a romantic look.
When deciding to sew an American skirt for an adult girl, take into account the characteristics of the figure. The fact is that such a skirt will look good on slender girls with beautiful legs. If you are overweight, this skirt model will further enlarge and make your figure heavier.
It is better to combine an American skirt with a tight top; a lace-up corset, a T-shirt with a bright pattern and even a turtleneck that matches the color and style are ideal. You can wear an American skirt with either high-heeled or flat-soled shoes; in combination with heels, this skirt model will add romanticism to a girl’s image, and in combination with sneakers or brutal boots - brightness and extravagance.
Elegant model for girls
The next type of skirt is suitable for both adult girls and little girls. The peculiarity of this model is that all its tiers are the same length. When using this sewing method, the fabric for the skirt should be chosen carefully. Tulle is suitable only for babies. A girl's skirt should be made of nylon or regular chiffon.
Layering multiple layers of sheer material creates an elegant, lightweight look. It is much more romantic than the classic American skirt.
The described American skirt (the pattern is given below) is easier to calculate.
As you can see in the pictures, this skirt is cut according to the “sun skirt” principle. By adding the two lengths of the skirt and multiplying this figure by the number of tiers, you can get the amount of material required in linear meters.
Based on the instructions given, as well as using your own imagination and common sense, almost every craftswoman will be able to cope with sewing an American skirt on her own.
American skirt pattern
Cutting and calculation for a little girl
To make calculations easier, let’s take a skirt for a baby, 30 cm long and a waist volume of 60 cm. All calculations will be made in proportion to this length and volume.
This is a yoke made of satin fabric, 2 OT long. It is more rectangular or square - depends on the measurements.
This is a 1 tier 9 OT long chiffon skirt.
This is a 2 tier skirt, 12 OT long, made of chiffon.
In fact, an American skirt does not need a pattern. It is sewn from three rectangles.
Height of 1 rectangle (yoke) = 20 cm, length at least 2 x waist size, we have 60*2=120.
The height of 2 rectangles (1 tier) is 11 cm, length 9 OT. 60*9= 540 cm.
The height of 3 rectangles (2nd tier) is 11 cm, length 12 OT. 60*12=720 cm.
Ruffles are cut with ribbons, 7 cm wide, made of mesh (tulle). Choose not very stiff tulle or nylon mesh.
Draw two dark, even lines on paper or cardboard that will be visible through the mesh, with a distance of 7 cm between the lines. Place the mesh on the paper, pin it with a tailor’s needle, and cut it into strips.
We cut the adhesive fabric (non-woven fabric) into strips equal to the length of the first rectangle (yoke) and a width of 1.5 to 2.5 cm.
We will divide the cut pieces of fabric from chiffon and mesh into two parts, since we have a double skirt. The first layer is outer (top) and the second layer is inner (bottom).
To sew an American skirt for girls we will need (approximate material consumption):
| Tools | Materials * |
| Scissors | Satin, crepe satin (width not less than 1.22 m) 19 cm |
| Tailor's needles, pin | Nylon chiffon 2 m |
| Threads according to fabric color | Wide elastic band (from 2.5 cm) length 0.55 m |
| Iron | Wide satin ribbon (up to 3 cm) 1 m |
| Cardboard or paper | Tulle, nylon mesh for ruffles 44 m |
| Tape measure | Non-woven fabric (width 1.22 m) 1 m |
*If the length of the skirt increases, the listed consumables should be adjusted. A very fluffy skirt for a girl can be achieved if each tier of the skirt is made several times wider than the previous one.
