How to Make a Bubble Skirt: Draft the Pattern and Sew the Bubble Hem

Have you always loved the look of a bubble skirt but didn’t know how to pattern one yourself?

I made one from start to finish on my half-scale dress form: drafting it in Adobe Illustrator, then sewing up the bubble hem. I’ll walk you through both parts here, a little slower than I did in the videos!

The short version

→ A bubble skirt is two skirts sewn together: a longer, fuller outer skirt and a shorter lining (underskirt).
→ The outer skirt’s hem gets gathered and sewn to the lining’s hem. Because the lining is shorter, it pulls the outer hem up and under, and that’s what makes the bubble.
→ The outer skirt can be a half circle or a full circle. I went with a full circle.
→ Add twice the “bubble drop” to the outer skirt length. My bubble hangs 2″ below the lining, so I added 4″ (2″ down and 2″ back up).
→ For an even fuller bubble, add tulle between the layers or flatline tulle to the outer skirt.

How a bubble skirt works

The first thing to know is that a bubble skirt is actually a double-layer skirt.

The lining layer is what holds the hem up and in to create the bubble. The outer layer is longer and fuller, and it gets gathered in at the waist and at the hem. That means the hem is built right into the skirt. There’s no separate hem to finish. The seam where the two layers meet ends up on the inside, so you never see it.

Part 1: Draft the bubble skirt pattern in Illustrator

I drafted this in half scale in Adobe Illustrator. The steps are the same in full scale, just with bigger numbers. (To scale a half-scale pattern up, multiply by 2.)

Draft the lining

I started with my basic skirt pattern and turned it into an A-line, so the lining isn’t super tight.

Draw a few slash lines from the hem up to the darts, cut the pattern apart along them, and rotate the pieces to close the darts. That swings the dart fullness down to the hem. Do the front and the back the same way.

A quick tip: if a piece won’t rotate the way you expect, check your tool. When it happens to me, it’s usually because I’m on the Direct Selection tool instead of the Selection tool.

Draft the outer skirt as a circle

I decided to go a little crazy and make the outer skirt a full circle. I also wanted some gathering at the waist, so the inner circle needs to be bigger than the waist measurement.

In my half-scale draft, I used a 27″ inner circle for a 13 1/2″ waist. To draw it, divide the circle size by 3.14 to get the diameter: 27 ÷ 3.14 = 8.59″. Then draw a circle that’s 8.59″ x 8.59″. I always double check my math by measuring the circle after I draw it.

Work out the outer skirt length

My lining is about 7 1/2″ long. I wanted the bubble to hang about 2″ below that, and the fabric has to travel 2″ down and then 2″ back up to meet the lining. So I added 4″: 7 1/2″ + 4″ = 11 1/2″.

The outer circle’s diameter is the inner diameter plus that length on both sides: 8.59″ + 11 1/2″ + 11 1/2″ = 31.59″.

Cut it down to print

You can print a circle skirt as a full circle, a half circle, or a quarter circle. I went with a quarter circle and cut on the fold to save paper.

Label everything as you go, so you always know what each pattern piece is:

→ Outer (bubble) skirt: cut 1 on the fold for the front, cut 2 for the center back
→ Lining front: cut 1 on the fold
→ Lining back: cut 2

If you want to bounce between tools as fast as I do, grab my free Illustrator key commands for patterning. And if circle math makes your head spin, my printable circle templates do the math for you.

Part 2: Sew the bubble hem

Step 1: Cut your pieces

Print, tape, and cut out your pattern. Pin the pattern pieces down so they don’t move while you cut.

I used the selvage edge of the fabric as the center back seam allowance on both the lining and the outer skirt, and put the lining front on the fold so there’s one less seam to sew.

Step 2: Sew the side seams

Sew the lining pieces together at the side seams. Then do the exact same thing with the outer skirt pieces. Backstitch at the beginning and end of each seam.

Step 3: Press

Press your seams. I also pressed out the center front crease from the fabric fold, so I could see the skirt clearly when checking it for any changes I’d want to make.

Step 4: Add your gathering stitches

Add gathering stitches along the outer skirt’s hem and waist.

I like to do my gathering stitches in sections instead of one long row all the way around. That way, if a thread breaks, I only redo that section, not the whole skirt.

Step 5: Sew the outer hem to the lining hem

Put the hems together and match up the center back edges, the side seams, and the center front. This tells you exactly how far to gather each section, so you don’t gather too much or too little.

Pull the gathering stitches until the outer skirt hem is the same length as the lining hem. Spread the gathers evenly, pin, and sew.

This is the bubble seam. You won’t see it on the finished skirt, because it gets pulled up inside the bubble.

Step 6: Gather and sew the waist

Line up the raw edges at the waist, along with the side seams and center front, before you start gathering. That keeps the gathers even all the way across. Gather in sections, pin, and sew the waist seam.

Step 7: Fluff the bubble

Put the skirt on your dress form (or yourself), pin it at the waist, and work the hem with your hands so the bubble sits the way you like.

Mine came out full, full, full! I love it, because I love circle skirts and I especially love that pulled-up hem.

How to make your bubble skirt fuller

If you want more oomph, you have a few options:

→ Stuff the bubble with something to give it shape.
→ Add a layer of tulle between the outer skirt and the lining, so it doesn’t touch your skin.
→ Flatline tulle to the outer skirt for extra fullness and stability.

I kept mine simple and plain so the shape could speak for itself.

Quick answers to common questions

Want to draft your own skirts?

If drafting your own designs in Illustrator sounds fun, start with my free Illustrator key commands for patterning. It has the patterning shortcuts I use every day, plus fraction-to-decimal charts.

Happy patterning,
Christina