Ahoy, pirates! The Summer of Wovens is in full swing so I wanted to show you how easy it is to add a gathered woven skirt to a knit bodice. You can use this technique to the Boundless dress, like I have, or the Sunshine dress. If you love the bodice of the Sweetheart dress as much as I do you can use it and hack it with a woven gathered skirt too.
The most important thing to keep in mind when adding a woven skirt is CHOOSING THE RIGHT WOVEN fabric. Make sure to use a light weight fabric with great drape. I used a Nicole Miller chiffon and it worked beautifully. You can also use rayon, rayon challis or crepe georgette. Avoid quilters cotton, it will look stiff and add visual width which we don’t want. Am I right, ladies? 😉
Cut the pieces as per the pattern. You do not need to size up or down, just be sure to measure yourself and choose the size based on that. I do recommend adding some width to the skirt for more comfortable wear. I did not add it to mine but you can certainly increase width by a couple of inches. You can see how to take your measurements here.
Sew the bodice as per the pattern tutorial. I marked the center of the front skirt piece and the back. I like to use clear elastic when I attach the skirt to the bodice. I do that for two reasons, the clear elastic will add stability to the seam and it will help you gather your skirt evenly. Simply cut a piece of elastic that matches the bodice bottom. Don’t forget to add seam allowance! I prefer to cut just one piece and match the elastic seam to the center back but if you prefer to cut two pieces and match the seams to the sides you’re welcome to do that as well.
Mark the quarters of the clear elastic. Mark the side seams and center back and front of the skirt. Remember to mark the to of the skirt if you’re using a fabric with a directional print 🙂
Match the quarters of the skirt to the quarters of the elastic.
Sew the clear elastic to the top of the skirt. Use a zig zag stitch and adjust the tension and width to better fit the type of fabric you are using. Stretch the elastic as you sew. If you use a 1/2″ clear elastic simply align the edge of the elastic to the edge of the skirt. I use 3/8″ clear elastic so I put it a little lower than the edge to accommodate the 1/2″ seam allowance that is followed in this pattern.
All you have to do now is attach the skirt to the bodice. The bottom of the bodice and the top of the skirt will be the same circumference. Match the side seams and the center backs and fronts, pin right sides together and sew.
I like to attach the skirt to the bodice using a zig zag stitch but you can also use a triple stretch stitch.
Optional: top stitch the seam allowance up towards the bodice.
Tadah! You’re all set to rock your new woven skirt Boundless (or Sunshine) dress! I can’t wait to see your take on this easy hack so be sure to post it in the P4P group too!
Hi do you have any information for self-drafting a gathered skirt hack for the sweetheart bodice please?
You can use the Boundless skirt. 🙂
It looks like the construction is identical to how you do it with a knit skirt. Is that true, or did I miss something?
You can certainly use this exact method for all knit as well.
Thanks SO MUCH for this!! How would I figure the measurements to add an elastic with woven waistband? I want the waistband to be in the same fabric as the skirt, so it looks like my knit top is sort of tucked in, while being one piece.
Thank you for sharing this! The pictures and description were equally helpful!