Dear Costume Goddess,

I cut out the circle skirt and put it together exactly as instructed but when hanging, the front of the hemline is longer than the sides. It appears really uneven while hanging -- when I lay it down on the floor and straighten all the hemlines, it is even all the way around! Is it supposed to be like that?

--Goofy Hemline

Dear Goofy,

A circle skirt always hangs unevenly at first, due to the nature of a circular pattern. The parts where the straight grain of the fabric is parallel to the floor will remain at the original length, while the parts where the grain is diagonal (bias) to the floor will stretch out, sometimes several inches. That's why beginning, or even experienced, sewers struggle with hemming the circle skirt, although the original concept seems so simple.

This must be corrected, because you could trip on parts of the hem that drag on the floor. The skirt must hang out on a hanger for a day or two, to allow maximum stretch on the bias parts.

Then, try it on. The hemline will appear different again, because your hips will raise it. Make sure you mark where the center front of the skirt is, with a piece of hem tape or a small safety pin, so you will always wear it the same way, and not rotated. Have someone mark the correct hemline, about an inch from the floor, as you stand in the skirt. It's almost impossible to do this without help.

Turn under and edge-stitch just below the marked hemline, trim closely, then stitch again to complete the narrow hem.

It's possible that after several wearings, the skirt will become slightly uneven once again, and need to be adjusted.

--The Costume Goddess

Here are some additional thoughts on why you experienced the problem you described and how to avoid it. On my article that describes how to make a circle skirt (which might be the instructions you used), I state:

Now, using either pins or basting stitches, attach the top edge of the skirt piece to a wire hanger. Hang it in an out-of-the-way place for at least one month. The longer, the better. This is very important. Many fabrics will stretch along the bias, which is the diagonal. If you don't hang your skirt to let the stretching happen before you hem it and put trim on the bottom edge, then it will stretch later when you store your skirt or wear it. The result will be an ugly, uneven lower edge, which will be a real nuisance to remedy after you have hemmed and decorated it. So hang it. Clip clothespins about every 6-8 inches along the lower edge to give added weight and encourage the stretching to happen.

I too have noticed that even though the hem is very uneven while you're wearing it or hanging it, the silly thing looks perfectly fine when you lay it down flat and compare it to the original pattern you used to cut it out! The uneven hem occurs only when the weight of the fabric is suspended from the top edge - which, of course, it does when you're wearing it. For additional comments about hanging the skirt and letting it stretch, click here to read the full article.

Other articles on this web site that you may find helpful include:

Shira's Circle Skirt Instructions. Describes how to make a circle skirt.

How to Make a Narrow Hem, by Shira. Describes how to make a hem that works well for the bottom of circle skirts.

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