In this lesson, I teach how to create a tapered skirt by draping. I explain that for a tapered skirt, the shaping is done from the hip line down, unlike an A-line skirt where the flare starts from the waist.

I demonstrated how to taper a straight skirt by folding in the fabric from the hip line towards the hem, creating a slimmer silhouette at the bottom while maintaining the straight grain at the waistline.

Lesson Steps:

• Start with a basic straight skirt pattern
• From the hip line down, fold in the fabric by about 1/2 inch on each side
• Pin the folded sections, creating a 1-inch total tapering at the hem
• Ensure the tapering doesn’t distort the straight grain too much
• Mark the new side seam lines for the tapered skirt
• Trim any excess fabric for a clean finish
• Combine the tapered skirt with a bodice to create a dress foundation