How to sew a pencil skirt and what patterns to use?

It is not the first season that all the most fashionable outfits have been built around this model. Do you want to get this little thing too, but do not know how to sew a pencil skirt and what patterns to use?

We will tell you about all the intricacies of self-production of this stylish wardrobe item.

Here you will learn all the most important - from the choice of fabric to variations of patterns and even how to sew a pencil skirt without using patterns!

A classic pencil skirt looks great in almost any fabric. One and the same style, sewn from one or another material, will sit a little differently. Therefore, several categories can be distinguished for different occasions:

• Business style: gabardine, crepe, loden, flannel, tweed, plaid, jacquard, boucle (any costume fabrics).
• Casual style: jeans, corduroy, jersey, cotton, linen, crepe de Chine, georgette.
• Evening style: lace fabrics, velvet, velor, natural or artificial suede, leather, fur, satin, satin, silk, chanzhan taffeta.

An experienced seamstress can work with any fabric. But if you are just learning and are planning to create your first pencil skirt, you should choose the material for it based on the following criteria:

• the lightness of the fabric itself and ease of processing;
• lack of stretch (the fabric should not warp or stretch while working with it);
• lack of flowability (or at least minimal);
• lack of a pattern that requires fitting;
• low cost.

The following fabrics fully meet all these requirements:

• crepe;
• gabardine;
• linen;
• thick cotton;
• jeans (thin or medium);
• costume fabrics.

The decision to buy velvet, velor, velveteen, silk, satin, chiffon and other complex fabrics for this case will be fundamentally mistaken.

It is not just difficult to start with them, it is almost impossible to achieve the desired result at the exit without some experience in cutting and sewing with such materials.

Take a plain fabric, any pattern, be it a cage, a strip or other frequently repeated ornaments, will also significantly complicate the sewing work. You can start working with such fabrics only when you have already mastered the basics of sewing.

The straight two-seam model is the standard of the classic pencil skirt. We will look at the process of building a simple pattern for this elegant piece and analyze in detail the sewing process.

You will be convinced that every needlewoman is able to create this elegant thing with her own hands, which has symbolized femininity and grace for more than a hundred years.

Prepare a measuring tape, pen, and notepad (to record your measurements). To build a pattern, you will need the following measurements:

• POT - half-girth at the waist;
• POb - half-girth of the hips;
• DS - the length of the skirt at the back;
• Дп - the length of the skirt in front along the middle line;
• Du - the length of the skirt from the waist line from the side;
• Dst - the length of the back to the waist line.

You will also need two more values ​​- allowances for a free fit, which are universal:

• PB (increase on the hip line) - 2 cm;
• Fri (increase on the waist line) - 1 cm.

When all the necessary measurements have been made, you can start building the pattern.

Look carefully at the pattern diagram.

Build the pattern in the same way. This is a classic straight pencil skirt. But so that it does not hinder your movements, there should be a slot in it. Therefore, the rear panel should undergo a slight modernization, as indicated in the figure.

The back panel must be cut out of two halves, which will then be joined by a seam. The pattern can now be cut and cut out of the fabric.

1. We cut out all the details from the fabric, having previously outlined the seam allowances on it: 3 cm - for the side and rear, 6 cm - for the hem from the bottom, 6 cm on the left - for a secret zipper.
2. All parts should be processed from top to bottom. Darts are swept away first.
3. Further, a bodice tape or belt is swept to the upper cut.
4. Fitting. At this moment, you can finally decide on how large the lateral constrictions will be.
5. If the skirt fits properly, we connect the side sections, sew in the fastener.
6. We process the top cut and the slot.
7. The last step is to hem the bottom.
8. Iron, try again.
9. Loops can be sewn on the seamy side for easy storage of the skirt on a hanger.

You can use the calculations above to sew a pencil skirt with one vertical back seam. This will simplify the sewing process.

It will be based on the same classic straight skirt. Strictly speaking, there will be seams on the sides here, but small - 8-10 centimeters below the hip line. Build paper patterns for the front and back of the skirt as described above, but in duplicate. After cutting them out, lay them out on the fabric, as shown in the figure.

There is also a way to create a stylish pencil skirt. To sew it without a pattern, you need to measure the volume of the hips and decide on the desired length of the future skirt.

• Next, cut out from the fabric two rectangles of the desired length and width, equal to the hip circumference / 2 + 2 cm.
• Fold the resulting rectangles right sides to each other and join them with seams along the side cuts.
• Then put this blank on yourself and fix the desired silhouette with pins - so that the fabric fits snugly around your figure. Remove, draw lines according to the marks outlined with pins and, adding 2 cm seam allowances, cut out.
• Sew the details along the marked line, leaving room for the zipper on one side.

Sew on the fastener as shown in the picture.

Next, we make a belt. To do this, cut out a rectangle equal in length to the waist circumference, and twice the width of the desired belt width of the future skirt. We process it as shown in the picture. Sew to the upper edge of the skirt from the wrong side.

The bottom edge does not require complex processing. It just needs to be tucked up and sewn.

That's all, the skirt is ready! An excellent alternative to complex patterns, sewn on patterns. If you wish, you can supplement it with pockets, a peplum, play with the color of the lines or the belt.