How to: Gypsy Culture Skirts
- 1). Choose brightly-colored fabric. If you want a traditional, culturally accurate Gypsy skirt, go for bright cotton materials of different colors. These strips can be sewn together in tiers so they look like a patchwork quilt. Alternately, each tier can have a different pattern, so long as it is bright.
- 2). Start with the bottom tier and work your way up. The bottom tier -- which should be about ankle length -- is the widest. The next tier up is half as wide, and so on. Aim for at least three tiers, but no more than seven.
- 3). Spread the tiers out in a circle, one of top of the other. Stitch the tier by gathering it, as there is twice as much fabric, to a solid 2-inch piece of fabric. Fold the fabric in half, then turn it inside-out, so the final product is 1-inch thick. This thickness stabilizes the heavy Gypsy skirt.
- 4). Work your way up one tier at a time. Gather the material as you go, so you don't end up with an uneven look.
- 5). Cut a sash or waistband 1 to 2 yards long. Fold it over and sew it, turning it inside-out when you finish. Iron the sash before you attach it to the top tier.
- 6). Carefully stitch the waistband to the top tier. Tack it down by hand before you sew it on a machine, so it doesn't bunch up in one area. This sash makes a Gypsy skirt a truly one-size-fits all garment. Historically, it means women could wear a skirt when pregnant, simply by expanding the sash.
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