Thread: How effective is hanging a skirt to lengthen it?

I purchased a 25 yard skirt, and found it was 2 inches shorter than what I requested. Would hanging it for a few days possibly extend it this much? It is made of cotton and silk, so was a little wrinkled when taking it out of the box-- I'm wondering if that shortens it.

Thanks! :)

I'm going to say, "No," to the possibility of two inches. Can you lengthen it from the top? Say, open the waistband and add two inches there?

Hanging a skirt over several weeks can cause it to lengthen - but unevenly. If the skirt was not hemmed properly (allowed to first hang for several weeks), it will stretch out on the bias (where a piece was laid out on the diagonal of the fabric), causing the bottom edge to be uneven. (This can happen even if it was hemmed properly, which is why some don't hang up their skirts.)

ditto kiyaana. you should be able to salvage the skirt by taking out the existing elastic, and adding a new 2" wide casing to the top of the waistband. it won't show under your belt or hip scarf.

My suggestion is to let it hang for a couple of weeks and see where it settles. If it grows, you will have to have it properly hemmed. If not you can add to the waist band as suggested or a strip at the bottom. But before doing either, I would strongly suggest that you allow it to hang first as many time the manufactures don't.

{{{HUGS}}}

Hanging will only lengthen a skirt if it's cut on the bias or it is made out of stretchy material.

Thanks for your replies. I think I might have the chance to exchange it, but I didn't want to cause a hassle for the vendor (nor me) if it could be easily solved. I'd hate to have to cut this lovely thing to fix it!

Can you add a ruffle or some fringe or something to the bottom?

Phew, I'm getting it exchanged for the correct length (order mixup). At first I thought maybe it was expected that it would "stretch" to it's proper length after a few days, but now I know that doesn't happen!
And thankfully I don't have to modify it, because who knows what kind of disaster I would have made of the skirt :)

Originally Posted by elljay

Can you add a ruffle or some fringe or something to the bottom?

Originally Posted by elisagamal

ditto kiyaana. you should be able to salvage the skirt by taking out the existing elastic, and adding a new 2" wide casing to the top of the waistband. it won't show under your belt or hip scarf.

This is a great way to lengthen a skirt and my favorite way of doing so. If you decide to go this way, be sure when you add your new piece of fabric to the top to allow a litttle extra for the seam allowance.

Lisa