Free tool
Free circle skirt calculator
Enter your waist measurement and skirt length to get the exact cutting radius, fabric yardage, and waistband amount. Works for full, half, quarter, and 3/4 circle skirts on 45 or 60 inch fabric.
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Costumary tracks fabric, materials, budget, and timeline in one build workspace. Start a project and keep your yardage notes with everything else.
Start your sewing projectHow to use the circle skirt calculator
A circle skirt is cut from a circle of fabric with a smaller hole cut at the center for the waist. The shape of that circle determines how much the skirt flares. A full circle skirt (360 degrees) gives maximum flare. A half circle skirt (180 degrees) gives moderate flare with less fabric. Quarter and three-quarter circles fall between these.
The waist radius
The waist hole radius is calculated from your waist measurement and how much of the circle you are cutting. For a full circle, the formula is: radius equals waist divided by (2 times pi). For a half circle, divide that result by 0.5, giving you a larger radius for the same waist. This is why half circle skirts use less fabric than full circle skirts even though they cover the same front-to-back distance.
Panels and fabric width
To cut a circle skirt, you need fabric at least as wide as the diameter (twice the total radius). If your fabric is narrower than that diameter, the calculator tells you how many panels to cut and seam together. Most full circle skirts fit on 60-inch fabric for waist sizes up to about 36 inches with a 24-inch length. Longer skirts or very wide fabric widths may require two panels.
Waistband yardage
The waistband is cut as a straight strip, typically 4 inches wide and twice your waist measurement in length so it can be folded in half. The calculator adds waistband yardage on top of the skirt yardage. If you are adding a zipper, add another quarter yard for a placket.
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