Steampunking a Skirt with Drapery Tape

 I originally got this idea from someone I spoke to at a convention.  I admired the way her skirt was gathered up and she said she used drapery cord tape to do it.


Conveniently I have had this skirt hanging out in my closet for years, but never wear it anymore.  So I decided this would be a good opportunity to try a new technique for modifying an existing skirt into a steampunk piece.

The first step is to buy some drapery gathering tape at the fabric store.  They are usually located in their own space in the home decor section.  They come in many different styles, you'll have to see what is available.  I bought 1" pleater tape.  I thought it had pleats every one inch, but instead it has several pleats every few inches.

You'll also need some thread that matches your skirt as closely as possible.

Choose where you want to place your gathers.  For this skirt I choose to place my tape in two places on the front panel.  You could do this just to the front of a skirt or all the way around if you prefer.   Pin your tape in place on the inside of the skirt.











You want to cut you tape to the right length, and if your tape has two cords like mine, tie the bottom ends of the cords together to prevent pulling them through the tape accidentally.  You may want to pull them to the back side of the tape to hide the ends.  Fold the end of the tape under and pin.

Do the same at the top of the tape by the waist, but you want to leave the ends accessible for adjusting.

 Stitch the tape into place down both edges of the tape.  The only problem with this method of gathering a skirt is that the stitching shows from the right side, but when it's pulled up you won't notice.  It's a really quick way to modify a skirt, and get nice pleats and swags.

I planned to sell this skirt, but now I think I may keep it... :)