Quick Pencil Skirt

On Monday I bought a 2-metre piece of twill fabric at the opshop for 2 dollars. I knew that it was perfect winter skirt material. I planned to make a Vogue inspired skirt out of it, and after cutting it out, I found that I still had enough left for another skirt. This post will be about that skirt which I knocked up on the fly yesterday.

I wanted a quick pencil skirt with a slit-no zippers or closures-something with a stretch waistband that I can wear whether pregnant or not. I had some black stretch fabric lying around that I had bought from some opshop in some distant past, and some grey lining material that I was given. I quickly measured my waist and my hips-33" and 38". It is depressing to realise  that I'll never be a 24" again.

My plan was to just measure and cut on the cloth without any pattern. I wanted a rectangle of black stretch fabric about 3/4 of my waist measurement for the waistband, about 6 inches high and doubled over for strength and stability as per diagram below.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="450" caption="The blueprint"][/caption]

The waistband would go from my natural waist to my hipline, and the twill fabric panels will start from the hip. That way I needn't add darts for the lower panels, since it would fit over the widest part of my hips without any closures. The lower panels are cut simply-my hips were 36+2 inches wearing ease=38", so the front panel was 19" wide with half inch seam allowances, and the back panels 9.5" with seam allowances. The front and back panels taper downwards to 17inches and 8.5 inches in width respectively. The back panels I added about 1.5 inches in width starting from the middle centre back line for a split.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="450" caption="The cut pieces"][/caption]

I also cut a lining from the above twill fabric pieces.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="450" caption="Cutting into the lining"][/caption]

See Ma! No pins! I was really doing this on the fly. I was more excited about this skirt than the Vogue inspired one now-even though that one is all cut out.

First thing was to overlock all the edges.Most sewing machines have an overcasting stitch if you don't have an overlocker, although if you do plan on sewing garments, you can't beat an overlocker for a professional finish. I love mine.

To make the waistband, join the shortest edges of the two pieces together and form a tube. Use a narrow zigzag stitch, or overlock.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="450" caption="Form a tube with the stretch fabric"][/caption]

Fold the tube in half lengthwise, so that you have a double layer going all around your waist.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="450" caption="Waistband doubled up"][/caption]

The back slit needs to be done first. I neglected to take pictures-but here's a walkthrough. Sew down the back seam as usual, but at the start of the outside corner, change the stitches to the largest straight stitch. Press open, and sew around the slit. Use a seam ripper and unpick the large stitchs up to the outside corner where the slit starts.

Now it's just the simple matter of joining the two side seams together.

Repeat the whole process with the lining.

Attach the skirt to the waistband-pin at quarterly intervals, and stretch the waistband to fit the skirt as you sew. Use a narrow zigzag stitch. Now attach the lining with the same process, just be sure that the right side of the lining faces the inside. Use a blindhem stitch to hem the skirt and the lining, making sure that the lining is hemmed higher so that you don't see the lining from the outside. Handsew the lining slit to the skirt slit.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="301" caption="Quick pencil skirt"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="301" caption="Back view"][/caption]

Hmm..I didn't do a very good job on the pressing. But I guess it's not wool, since it didn't shrink when I steamed it, and it's not wrinkle resistant.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="301" caption="Closeup view"][/caption]

All in all, I'm very pleased with this skirt. It was a very quick job, and I spent only a dollar on the material. It will always fit me, and the pencil skirt is very flattering. It is also great for maternity wear too!

Go home and make one today!

Vogue Skirt-Check.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Vogue 8246"][/caption]

I've spent the last 3 days making that Vogue 8426 -inspired skirt I blogged about on the previous post and took pictures today. From the start to finish, I told myself that it was going to be a mock-up/test garment/muslin instead of the real thing in order to test the fit of my drafting, and then to later make other versions of it if it was successful. However, I also wanted to make it a wearable muslin. I was quite determined to use fabric from my stash, and only to buy little incidentals like zippers if absolutely necessary. The path to the  end was frought with mishaps, with me miscutting the front centre piece NOT on the fold, and having to piece another bit of fabric to make up for it, then I discovered a hole in the skirt fabric, then after that, I couldnt' insert the lapped zipper properly. Also, this was my first time inserting corded piping, so the results aren't as uniform as it should be.

After reading about SewVeryPrairies' skirt here, I thought and thought about how to draft the skirt. The front of the skirt was quite easy to draft. It was the back which had me puzzled for a bit. The bum-hugging shaping of the back of skirt has to be built into the 3 seams at the back, which ends in inverted pleats. This was what I came up with.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="321" caption="drafts and doodles..."][/caption]

It was quite successful-although for the skirt to hug the bum even more, I'd have to curve in the seams even more inwards. But I'm quite happy with my skirt as it is.

The materials I used were a dark grey crepe material, a silvery rayon? fabric, and bemberg lining.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="450" caption="Fabrics"][/caption]

Here are the pattern pieces laid out on fashion fabric ready to be all cut out.

Ready to cut.

I wanted my skirt to have piping details in the lower waist seams and on the side, but didn't want to buy ready made piping-so I made my own. I started by cutting 1-inch wide bias strips with the grey fashion fabric.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="450" caption="Bias strips"][/caption]

Instead of buying cord for the piping, I used some regular knitting yarn.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="450" caption="Knitting yarn."][/caption]

I used a zipper foot to sew the yarn into the piping.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="450" caption="Handmade corded piping"][/caption]

I was too lazy to take pictures of the process in between. But here are the photos of the finished project.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="301" caption="Front view"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="301" caption="Back View"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="301" caption="Side View"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="301" caption="Closeup"][/caption]

The whole project cost me nothing-I used everything out of my stash, most of which came from opshops.

Not too bad for a mock-up. I'll be making more soon.

My little man was very good-he just smiled at me from his little rocker as I hammer away on my sewing machine. How lucky am I?

Pencil Skirt-Vogue 8426

I have an itch to scratch. I want to sew. Want. Want. Want. I want need more winter skirts. Skirts in sturdy, thick tweeds and houndstooth. Pencil skirts. Skirts like these.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="320" caption="Gray high waisted pencil skirt"][/caption]

But I started having serious skirt envy when I saw this.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="516" caption="Back view"]Vogue 8426 by Sew Very Prairie