How To Fix a Skirt That's Too Small

I bought a skirt from Restyle and didn't bother to check the measurements, just picked the same size I usually wear. When it arrived, it was TINY! I couldn't fit in it no matter what, it didn't stretch at all, but since the skeleton print was so nice, I wanted to keep it. So here's how to make a skirt fit when it's too small!

Saved because of the print.

You need:
A skirt
Stretchy fabric that matches the skirt's colour or compliments it (amount depends on how long your skirt is and how much width you need to add to it, basically: length + 2cm x width to be added + 2cm)
Sewing machine (or lots of patience and a needle and thread)
Scissors
Pins

1. Cut the side seams open. I just cut the whole seam (and the zipper) off, but you could carefully open the seam if you want to. If the print had been so wide that it would have been cut it with the seams, I'd have opened them.

The skeleton skirt with seams cut off

2. Measure the skirt and yourself to find out how much fabric you need to add to make it fit. Cut two slices from the stretchy fabric that are as long as your skirt and half of the required extra width wide each. Leave 1-2 cm extra on the edges. If the fabric is super stretchy like mine, take a few centimetres off the measure to make sure it fits snugly. Make sure the fabric stretches so much you can get the skirt on, or add a zipper to the new side seam you'll soon sew.

3. Pin the stretchy fabric and one of the skirt pieces together, right sides facing each other. You can pin both stretchy strips to the skirt piece and sew them in one go. You should make the stretchy fabric follow the curve of the skirts edge, not like I did, because then you can be sure to get the same amount of added width everywhere. My fabric was so stretchy it didn't matter. If you do it my style, cut the excess off only after you have sewed the pieces together, it's easier that way.

On top is the back side of the skirt, with right side facing the stretchy fabric pinned to it.

4. Sew the new side seams you just pinned.

Sewing the skirt and the stretchy fabric together.

5. Lay the skirt pieces with the strips sewed on the floor right side up. Lay the other skirt piece on top of it, right side down, and pin it to the stretchy fabric edges.

The front of the skirt with the extra fabric added.

The back of the skirt laid on top of the front with added fabric, right sides facing.
Just pin and sew! I left the lining fabric in, the skirt originally had it just on
the front piece and it was sewed with the side seams.

6. Try the skirt on. If it's too big (like mine was, I didn't measure correctly), just sew a seam in the middle of the stretchy pieces to take a few centimetres in. If it's too small, you can cut the stretchy pieces in half and repeat the process to get some more room.

7. Once the skirt fits, hem the top and bottom of the added fabric strips. Zigzag the raw edges to prevent the fabric unravelling, the stretchy types fall apart fast if the edges are left unfinished.

Finished! Enjoy your new, correctly sized skirt :)

Here's mine, you can see the extra seam in the middle of the stretchy piece,
because I accidentally made mine too big at first.