How to Measure and Draw Inserts for Skirt Alterations

Measure for a Skirt Insert

• 1

  Measure your waist using a soft, flexible measuring tape. The measuring tape should be fairly snug, but comfortable around your waist.

• 2

  Measure the waist of the skirt.

• 3

  Calculate how much larger you need the waist of the skirt. The skirt should be at least 1 inch larger than your waist measurement for comfort.

• 4

  Divide this measurement by 2 if you’re making an insert for each side of the skirt. For example, if you want to make the waist of the skirt 2 inches larger, the top of each finished insert needs to be 1 inch wide.

• 5

  Add 1/2 inch (if you’re using 1/4 inch seam allowance) or 1 1/4 inches (for 5/8 inch seam allowance) to the width of each insert. For example, for a 1 inch insert, make the pattern 1 1/2 or 2 1/4 inches wide.

Draw a Pattern for a Skirt Insert

• 6

  Mark the width of the insert on a piece of paper, about an inch below the top.

• 7

  Mark an endpoint for the bottom of the insert at least 6 inches below the first marks, and centered between the two top points.

• 8

  Draw straight lines between the end point and top points of the insert. The insert pattern should now look like a triangle with the point at the bottom.

• 9

  Draw two straight lines from the top points to the upper edge of the paper. This extra space at the top will allow you to hem the upper edge of the insert.

• 10

  Cut along the lines to make a pattern for the insert.