Here is the process of designing and making a skirt. From a simple muslin A-line skirt, to a variety of designs and draping, and finally to complete designed skirt.
The Basic Muslin Skirt:
Basic Muslin Skirt- Front
Basic Muslin Skirt- Back
Draping:
Skirt sketches:
Final Skirt- The whole process:
The complete pattern for the skirt
Final skirt- Illustration
Final Skirt- Flats
Cutters Must- Skirt
I decided to use a blue Silk- Cotton fabric, with piping detailing. In the back, I used interfacing in order to make the pleats stand and not move around.
I found myself struggling with adding the front pieces of the skirt with the piping. After trying for a few hours doing it directly with the sewing machine, I decided it would be better for me the baste stitch the piping by hand and then go over it with the industrial machine.
After adding the invisible zipper, I attached the facing and lining. Originally, I attached piping around the whole upper skirt, which connected between the upper and bottom parts of the skirt. After attaching the two parts, I found that the fabric was pulling in the front. (see picture below)
When I tried on the skirt, I also saw that the upper back portion was too long for me and decided to shorten it in the back in an inch and a half. I also wanted to shorten the hem of the whole skirt by four inches.
Since I decided to already remove the two parts and re-do the back of the skirt, I also took down the piping connecting the two pieces and made sure that there would be no pulling in the front.
I finished the skirt by blind stitch finishing the lining and doing a “baby-hem” to hem the skirt.
I like the design, although I think that the skirt does not look the best on me. I wanted the skirt to give me more of an hour-glass shape, but the length of the back and the heaviness of the fabric did not comply with that intention. Although the piping is one of my favorite aspects of the skirt, it created many obstacles, and did not work as well as it should have with the fabric.
If I were to do the skirt over again, I would probably shorten the back and made it more form fitting, and I might have not used the fabric, although I do love it.
