Long, Light and Easy to Wear: 7 Best Maxi Skirt Sewing Patterns

A maxi skirt is the answer to the days when nothing in the closet feels right: comfortable, long enough to forget about it and dressy enough for dinner. Store-bought ones are often too short for tall women and too long for petite ones. In its simplest form it is also easy to sew, with an elastic waist and long gathered panels. The best maxi skirt sewing patterns tell you how much fabric you need and leave room to walk.

Three of the seven picks are not printable patterns at all: they are drafting tutorials that turn a basic skirt into a godet skirt, a front slit skirt or a skirt with a train. The rest range from a pull-on tiered maxi to a six-panel full circle. Further down: how drafting differs from a printed pattern, room to walk, getting the length right and why the waistband takes so much weight.

Maxi Skirt Sewing Pattern Options, Printed and Drafted

Every pick is drafted at full length from the start, not a knee-length skirt with a note to lengthen it. The four printable patterns come with their own pieces; the tutorials need a basic skirt pattern to start from.

TL;DR: Seven long skirts, four sold as printable patterns and three as drafting tutorials: a tiered ruffle maxi and a straight skirt with side slits, both with an elastic waist, a six-panel full circle, a classic long skirt, then a godet skirt, a front slit denim skirt and a skirt with a train to draft from a basic pattern.

• Romspattern SaffronFlow Maxi Skirt – Best tiered maxi
• Sewing DIY Long Skirt with Slits – Best maxi with slits
• Circular Skirt Sewing Pattern PDF – Best circle maxi
• Skirt Maxi Pattern PDF XS S M L – Best size range
• Sewing Drafting: Maxi Godet Skirt – Best godet skirt
• Long Straight Skirt Sewing Drafting – Best denim maxi
• Pattern Making: Long Skirt with Train – Best party maxi

Quick Comparison

Printed Pattern or Drafting Tutorial?

A printed pattern gives you the finished pieces in your size: print, tape, cut. A drafting tutorial gives you the steps to change a basic skirt pattern (a simple fitted skirt, often called a block) into a new design. You need that basic pattern first, and it has to fit you, because every change starts from it.

The three Petit Citron tutorials are worth it if you want to learn pattern making along the way. If you are a beginner sewing a first maxi skirt, one of the printable patterns asks far less of you.

Room to Walk: Slits, Godets and Hem Width

The hem has to open wide enough for a full stride, and a stride is wider than your hips. Gathered and tiered maxi skirts have that room built into the hem, and so does a circle. A straight cut does not, so it needs a slit, a kick pleat or extra flare at the side seams.

• Side slits: the long skirt with slits keeps a straight shape and opens at both sides.
• Front slit: the denim drafting tutorial puts one slit at the front.
• Godets: triangular insets at the bottom of the skirt that flare as you walk while the hips stay fitted.
• Full circle: the six-panel circular skirt is likely to have the widest hem of the seven. The radius math is in our guide to shorter skirts.

Getting the Length Right

Measure from your waist, or wherever the waistband will sit, down to the floor while wearing the shoes you plan to wear with the skirt. One tutorial hems its maxi about an inch above the floor so the hem does not catch. Heels or flats change that number, so measure in the pair you will wear most. The same floor-length check comes first on the evening gowns in my formal dress sewing patterns.

Try the skirt on before you hem it and ask someone to mark the hem level with pins, since a long hem shows every unevenness. A circle maxi should hang for a day before you level it, since its bias sections stretch. The circular skirt can be shortened or extended with extra panels, according to its listing.

Why Waistband Support Matters on a Maxi Skirt

A full maxi in a heavier fabric can put noticeable strain on the waistband, and a narrow elastic can roll or slide down. Two tutorials for long skirts use wider elastic for that reason, 2 inches in one and 3.5 cm in the other, and it should feel snug when you try it on.

Lighter fabrics ease the load. Viscose, rayon challis, cotton gauze or a light linen move well without dragging. For colder months the classic long skirt lists wool, thick corduroy or cotton twill, which are heavier and suit a simple shape with little fullness. A sheer fabric such as voile needs a lining or a slip underneath.

Long Skirt Questions

How many yards does a maxi take?

As a rough guide for 58 to 60 inch fabric, a simple straight or slightly flared maxi takes about 2 to 2.5 yards, a tiered maxi 3 to 4 yards and a full circle 4 yards or more. A pull-on knit maxi can need less, around 1.5 to 2 yards. Your height and hips change all of these, so buy by the pattern’s chart.

Which maxi skirt here has pockets?

The straight denim drafting tutorial shows how to draw side pockets. For the others, the listings do not mention pockets, though side seam pockets can usually be added to a simple long skirt.

Are there plus size maxi skirt patterns here?

The classic long skirt listing covers XS to L, and the same designer sells larger sizes as separate listings. Elastic waist styles such as the tiered and the slit skirts are also forgiving across a size, since the waist adjusts.

A Stride Check Before Cutting

Lay a long skirt you can walk and climb stairs in flat, and measure its hem width. Then add up the hem edges of your pattern pieces, minus seam allowances, and compare. If a straight maxi skirt sewing pattern comes out narrower than your comfortable skirt, keep the slit at full length or add flare at the side seams before you cut. The tiered, godet and circle styles usually pass this check easily. Shorter styles are in the skirts and pants section.

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