Belly Dancewear

How to Sew a High Waisted Tiered Skirt

All About Gypsy Skirts

For those who enjoy wearing hippie clothes, gypsy skirts are a real treat. The sense of freedom and nostalgia coupled with what could only be called true femininity make these peasant skirts really attractive fashion options.

If you are unfamiliar with these boho skirts think back to what girls wore frequently in the 60s or might wear now to a Renaissance fair. Besides the bell bottom jeans, girls were most noted for wearing dresses and long skirts made of flowing materials. Sometimes they were broomstick skirts that were tie dyed or tiered. Either way gypsy skirts are now iconic symbols of the 60s fashion for women.

Because the clothing in the 60s was often patterned after that of other cultures, tribal Indian skirts or gypsy clothing and motifs were often worn. The light cotton fabrics were well suited to tie dye, or might be embroidered on the hem or around the pockets.

These hippie skirts were also often patterned after cholis like the harem skirts or pants you think of as well, tight fitting to the body, or draped over with a piece of matching fabric over the shoulder or over the face. For Renaissance fairs you might throw in a coned hat with matching cloth draped from it.

Such gypsy costume pieces were not readily available at the local 5 and dime and had to be handmade in the 60s. Today, you have more outlets for finding gypsy skirts like the internet, but you may also want to make your own like the women of the 60s did.

Embroidered skirt hems make a nice addition to your gypsy skirt. Yellows, golds, greens, and primary color embroidery floss were typical color choices for the skirt designs. Such lovely designs as flowers, rainbows, peace signs and the like were frequently used. However, in modern times, simple words could also be used to great effect, much like tattoos.

You can do this embellishing by hand with needle and thread or with a sewing machine as most typical sewing machines come with an embroidery stitch these days. Since we live in modern times, you can even pay someone to do it with an embroidery machine. This works great for gypsy costumes or hippie costumes because you can make several with the same template, but use different threads to make each costume different.

If you want to be really fancy you could choose to add a metallic embroidery thread to the mix. Gypsy clothing often had a metallic look, like sequins, which made them seem so mysterious and magical.

You can find a gypsy skirt pattern online or at your local sewing shop. Just check the section under Halloween costumes. If they don’t actually have a gypsy costume, look at the peasant skirts, or the belly dance skirt patterns. For all practical purposes any circle skirt pattern will do. It is this circle cut that makes these skirts flow loosely the way they do. You should be able to find them for most sizes including plus size patterns.

No matter whether you buy one new or used, or make your own, gypsy skirts makes a great fashion statement.

About the Author

Jacob Simon writes about gypsy skirts, bohemian outfits frequently on his site. He enjoys all kinds of hippie stuff including alternative energy, gaming, gardening, crochet, quilting and emergency preparedness. Visit he and his wife’s site to learn more.