Fanciful Fringe Skirt Made Easy - Using My Own Fringemaker

This week I'm on a fringe project kick, thanks to my new fringe making abilities.  On Wednesday I shared how I've learned to use the My Own Fringemaker® tool and how I can now turn any string, ribbon or yarn into gorgeous fringe.  Today I'm showing how to make extra long, 12 inch fringe with it and how to turn that into a Fanciful Fringe Skirt in just minutes.  

Why Make A Fringe Skirt?

With a pair of shorts underneath, this little skirt makes an everyday outfit look way more fun.

It's got a nice bit of sway - perfect for doing the hula:

And plenty of movement for pretty twirls:

It's also great for dance class, costumes and playing dress-up.  The looks change depending on what type of ribbon you use.  Green raffia makes a great Hawaiian grass skirt, silky strands a perfect for a 1920s flapper, metallic or variegated to make fun fairy looks. Lots more options and way cheaper than buying fringe by the yard or ready-made skirts.  And by using the fringe's header as a casing, there's no complicated waistband to sew. Beyond easy!

Added bonus: the elastic waistband means it's easy for kids to put on & take off too.

Materials:

- Skein of ribbon or yarn (1 should be plenty - exactly how much depends on the thickness) 

- My Own Fringemaker® tool (foam noodle & tulle is included)

- Sewing machine

- Shears

- 1/4 inch wide elastic and safety pin

I got this spool of metallic tie-dye ribbon with the My Own Fringemaker.  I thought this would be perfect for a fairy-style fringe skirt:

The technique to getting the extra long fringe length uses a pool noodle on the bottom rod of the My Own Fringemaker.  A perfectly sized foam noodle was included with the tool, so it was super easy to just slip it on the bottom rod and start working.  I started by knotting the ribbon on the top rod at one end and then winding my ribbon on as I did with my previous fringe projects:

I made sure to cinch up & wrap the strands close together as I wanted to make it nice & full. I used the built-in ruler on the My Own Fringemaker base to get it the exact width I wanted - 24 inches - and then tied it off when ready.  

To easily sew it up, and create the waistband casing, I placed a piece of tulle over the top fold and held it in place with the tool's elastic band:

Then I removed the rod unit from the base and it was time to sew it up with a zipper foot (while everything is still on the rods).  

About 6 overlapping passes is just right to make sure every strand is strongly sewn down in place:

Time to cut!  My daughter is 5 and I wanted it to fall at her knees, so I carefully cut the ribbon on one side just under the stitching (cutting further away would make it shorter):

The ribbon fringe simply fell away from the noodle covered rod in perfectly even pieces.  Then I trimmed off the excess tulle from either side to neaten things up.

Now there's a nice, extra long fringe that's ready to be made into a skirt in a hot second. This could be sewn onto fabric or a ready-made skirt to simply add a fringe top layer, but thanks to ithe built-in casing, it can be made into it's own skirt:

I cut a piece of elastic to the waist size I wanted - my daughter was 22 inches.  I used a safety pin to snake the elastic through the casing.  I found it was easiest to put the safety pin right up to the rod and pull the fringe off the rod and directly onto the elastic.  I made a second 24 inch wide piece, following all the previous steps, to get the fullness we wanted.

One half of the skirt

All that was left was to overlap and stitch together the ends of the elastic and then evenly spread the waistband to conceal it.

Now it's ready to add a little dazzle to any outfit:

And little legs can't help but dance & prance while wearing it:



Now I'm combing my stash looking for more fun materials to fringe up into skirts.  What kind would you make?



I was not financially compensated for this post.  I received the My Own Fringemaker® tool to review.  The opinions are completely my own, based on my experience.  For my complete disclosure policy, click here.