Cute black skirt

Having planned to make a completely different skirt, and then found that it wouldn't fit on the fabric, I had a root around the pattern stash and came up with this. I have made it once before, but made it too tight. As it was wool crepe, this super tightness soon resolved itself into a ripping sound as my backside hit my office chair. Not good.

Learning from my mistakes, I added two and a half inches to this one before I cut it out. Partly to avoid the same problem and partly because I seem to have grown a bit since I last made the skirt.

The fabric is a wool stretch or a wool mix stretch in black. I am not totally sure of the composition as it was an Abhakan remnant.

The pattern is Burda World of Fashion August 2006 number 103. It has a cute little side panel at the hip which is triangular and is a complete pig to sew... especially if you follow the Burda directions which also has you put an invisible zipper into the same part of the skirt.

I went my own way as usual, starting with putting the triangular insets onto the side backs. I then put the invisible zipper in the back seam (which is the only straight seam on the back) before sewing the side backs to the mid back to make one unit.

At that point the front was in one piece as I had cut it five eighths away from, and on, the fold, for fit insurance. So this meant I just had to put the front to the back and sew the side seams.

Having fit it, it was too large so I tweaked the seams a bit to take it in about one and a half inches, a little more on the waist. This included sewing a five eighths seam down centre front and cutting open the fold.

The original skirt had either a facing or petersham treatment I think (I didn't actually look at the instructions after I'd concluded that they weren't really going to be helpful). Mine has a very narrow waistband, just the width of the seam allowance. I put a loop and button at the top of the zipper for a closure.

The hem is a scant three eighths inch and was machine hemmed to give the skirt a bit of weight as the fabric is quite lightweight.

The skirt is unlined.

I love the flare at the back which allows me to stride out and I think I've made the thing big enough to avoid the fear of sitting down in it. Overall, I am quite pleased with this. It was rather windy in the garden when I took the photos... but at least you can see the flare at the back. :)