Ribbon skirts are an important form of cultural expression for many Métis women, worn for ceremony, community events, teaching, and everyday pride. For Métis makers and wearers, they commonly symbolize identity, resilience, sacredness, survival, and personal or family stories.[1][2]
What makes a Métis ribbon skirt distinct
A Métis ribbon skirt is often described as having two ruffles at the hem, whereas many First Nations ribbon skirts have one. That second ruffle is interpreted by some Métis cultural sources as honouring both First Nations and European roots and the emergence of the Métis people.[3]
There is no single “correct” design: colours, ribbon placement, fabric, and motifs are personal. Popular Métis-inspired choices include floral (“granny’s print”), polka dots, rickrack, and paisley; ribbons may represent children, ancestors, missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, or loved ones who have passed on.[3]
Meaning and use
Ribbon skirts are worn by Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit people at powwows, ceremonies, graduations, weddings, cultural gatherings, and sometimes as everyday clothing.[4][5]
For Métis women, they can function as:
- A visible statement of Métis identity and pride.[6]
- A symbol of women’s roles, sacredness, and strength within family and community.[2][3]
- A form of cultural reclamation and protection against assimilation.[6]
- A way to carry personal history through chosen colours, ribbon patterns, and materials.[3]
The circular form of the skirt is also meaningful in some Métis teachings: it can represent the circle of life and a connection to Mother Earth, especially in ceremonial contexts.[3]
Buying or making one
If you are Métis, making or choosing your own skirt can be a meaningful process: select colours and ribbons that reflect your family, community, intentions, or the occasion. Métis-made sellers offer handmade options, often with elastic waists, satin ribbons, pockets, and custom lengths; examples listed in Canada range roughly from about $135 to $275 CAD.[5][4]
If you are not Métis or Indigenous, it is generally respectful to avoid wearing a ribbon skirt as a costume or generic fashion item. Métis Nation British Columbia’s cultural guidance specifically advises non-Indigenous allies not to wear culturally significant items such as ribbon skirts or shirts, while suggesting less culturally specific items such as pins or earrings.[1]
Practical care
Most handmade skirts use cotton or a cotton-polyester base with satin ribbon. Wash cold, avoid bleach, turn the skirt inside out, and iron on medium heat with a pressing cloth to protect the ribbons.[4][5]
If you’d like, I can help you find Métis-made ribbon-skirt makers in Alberta, or outline a beginner-friendly sewing pattern with the two-ruffle Métis style.
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Show me a beginner sewing pattern for a two-ruffle skirt
Here’s a simple, no-paper-pattern version you can draft directly from your measurements. It makes a comfortable elastic-waist skirt with a main body and two gathered ruffles at the hem—the style commonly associated with Métis ribbon skirts.[11][12]
What you need
- 2.5–3.5 m of cotton fabric, depending on your length and fabric width
- 2–4 m of double-sided satin ribbon, depending on how many rows you want
- 1 m of 25–38 mm (1–1.5 in) elastic
- Matching thread
- Basic sewing machine, pins, scissors, iron, safety pin
Métis crafting kits commonly include about 2 m of cotton, 10 m of satin ribbon, and 1 m of elastic, which is a useful benchmark for a full-length adult skirt.[13]
Take three measurements
- Waist: Measure where you want the skirt to sit.
- Finished length: Measure from that point to where you want the hem to fall.
- Ruffle allowance: Plan for about 8–10 in total for both ruffle layers, including seam allowances.
For a beginner, make the skirt about 28–32 in long, then add the two ruffles below it.
Cut your fabric
Use these cut lengths for an adult skirt. All measurements are in inches; add 1 in to the skirt length if you prefer a deeper hem.
|
Piece
|
Cut width
|
Cut length
|
|
Main body
|
Waist + 2
|
Desired skirt length + 4
|
|
Ruffle 1
|
1.5 × waist
|
6
|
|
Ruffle 2
|
2 × waist
|
7
|
|
Waistband
|
Waist + 2
|
4
|
Example: for a 36 in waist and a 30 in finished skirt, cut the main body 38 in wide by 34 in long, Ruffle 1 at 54 in by 6 in, and Ruffle 2 at 72 in by 7 in. The wider lower ruffle creates the fuller, layered look; two-tier skirt tutorials use the same principle of gathering a larger lower tier onto a smaller upper tier.[12][14]
If your fabric is only 44–45 in wide, join shorter strips end-to-end for Ruffle 2 to reach the needed width.
Sew the main body
- Fold the main body right sides together along the short ends and sew the side seam with a 1/2 in seam allowance.
- Finish the seam with a zigzag stitch, serger, or pinking shears.
- Hem the bottom later only if you are not covering it completely with ruffles; otherwise the ruffles will hide it.
- At the top, fold the raw edge under 1/2 in and press. Then fold it under another 1 1/4 in and press again to create the elastic casing.
- Sew close to the lower folded edge, leaving a 2–3 in opening at the back for inserting elastic. Backstitch at both ends.[12]
Make the two ruffles
- For each ruffle, sew the short ends together, right sides facing, to make a loop.
- Hem the bottom edge of each ruffle: fold under 1/4 in, press, then fold under another 1/4 in and stitch.
- Set your machine to the longest straight stitch. Sew two rows of basting stitches across the top of each ruffle, about 1/4 in and 1/2 in from the raw edge. Do not backstitch.
- Pull the bobbin threads gently to gather each ruffle until its width matches the bottom edge of the piece above it.[14][15]
Attach the ruffles
- Divide the bottom edge of the main body and the top edge of Ruffle 1 into quarters; pin the matching quarter marks together.
- With right sides together, adjust the gathers evenly and pin.
- Sew with a 1/2 in seam allowance, then finish the raw edge with zigzag or serger stitches.
- Repeat with Ruffle 2, gathering it to fit the bottom edge of Ruffle 1.
- Press both seams downward, toward the hem.[15][16]
Add ribbon
For a classic ribbon-skirt look, sew satin ribbon rows across the main body before attaching the ruffles:
- Mark horizontal guide lines with tailor’s chalk or washable marker.
- Pin ribbon in place, keeping it straight.
- Topstitch along both long edges of each ribbon, backstitching at the side seam.
- Use two to four ribbon rows on the body, plus optional ribbon rows on each ruffle.
Satin ribbon is the standard material for this style, and double-sided satin is especially useful because both faces look finished.[13]
Insert the elastic
- Cut elastic to your waist measurement minus about 2 in, then try it around your waist to confirm comfort.
- Attach a safety pin to one end and feed it through the waistband casing.
- Overlap the elastic ends by about 1 in and sew them securely with a zigzag or box stitch.
- Sew the casing opening closed.[17][12]
Beginner tips
- Use cotton for your first skirt: it presses well and is easier to gather than slippery satin.
- Always hem each ruffle before gathering it.
- Pin at quarters, then eighths, to distribute gathers evenly.
- Make your first skirt in inexpensive fabric to test fit, then make your ribbon skirt in fabric and colours that hold personal meaning.
For a visual walkthrough, the two-tier elastic-waist tutorial from Whitney Sews follows nearly the same construction sequence: top tier, gathered lower tier, casing, and elastic.[12]
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- https://www.mnbc.ca/sites/default/files/2023-03/IX. Cultural Meeting Guidelines.pdf
- https://www.saskculture.ca/impact/success-stories/ribbon-skirt-making-project-reconnects-community-after-covid
- https://metisgathering.ca/history-culture/traditional-dress/
- https://www.oldtribes.com/products/oldtribes-metis-floral-ribbon-skirt
- https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/4329731321/handmade-metis-ribbon-skirt-satin
- https://redrivermetismarketplace.ca/product/darlene-monette-green-ribbon-skirt/
- https://www.etsy.com/ca/market/ribbon_skirts_ojibwe
- https://www.etsy.com/ca/market/metis_ribbon_skirts
- https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/DesertMetis
- https://www.etsy.com/ca/market/indigenous_women_skirts
- https://metisgathering.ca/history-culture/traditional-dress/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDLj7CyZIbA
- https://metistradingpost.shop/collections/diy-kits
- https://www.chicaandjo.com/sew-a-tiered-ruffled-skirt/
- https://www.janome.ca/inspire/projects/tiered-ruffle-skirt/
- https://forum.lettucecraft.com/t/self-drafted-tiered-ruffled-skirt-tutorial/34983
- https://icansewthis.com/diy-tiered-ruffle-skirt/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoP4K79m-WY
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OxXR2bJm8c
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGBPuSvQrXg
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INZx8DgXKe0
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZzVOo4cS74
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzbQVzaQTTs
- https://mellysews.com/ruffled-skirt-diy-tutorial/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYszYqAI6BA&xstg=CAMSBhUD-7L2Hw==
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGeZoBP26zU
