Mint Green Linen A-line Skirt

Here are some photos of the skirt I sewed whose pattern I drafted according to the "Metric Pattern Cutting" book.



I really enjoyed using the book - there are more pattern variations in it than the "Patternmaking Simplified" book, though it is harder to dive into. But once you roll up your sleeves and get to work, it is very clear and gives lots and lots of easy-to-use information, as well as a deeper understanding of the basics of drafting patterns. I am definitely going to use it more.



At first I made the skirt without the waistband, and finished the waist using a bias strip (on the inside). Then I washed the dress and since the lower part of the bias strip was not attached properly, it frayed. So I had to detach it and then I decided to make a waistband, in order to practice and learn and in order to improve the skirt. I think it looks better with a band compared to without.



Lessons Learned

• I think the waistline would have looked better if I had cut out its pattern from the dress itself, so that it would continue the curve of the skirt. Instead I drafted it on its own (as instructed in the book) and it is too straight, I think.
  
  
  
  
• I made a mistake with the button - the flap should be on the inside, and the button should be on the front skirt side. I only realized that's how it should be after I was finished, and it's OK, sort of, so I just left it that way...
  
  
• As for the topstitching thread - so much fun but also tricky. The machine does not like to backstich this thread! It gets stuck. It is best not to backstitch at all but to leave a bit of thread and to tie the loose ends on the inside of the garment. I think it's a very pretty effect and fun to do!
  
  
• I'm not so sure making a double-turned hem is such a great idea. On one hand, it looks pretty on the inside and gives more weight to the hem, but on the other hand, it's more of a hassle and it leaves a bevel mark when you iron above it. I think I'll stick to overlocking the hem and then hemstitching by hand. Unless I change my mind next time...
  
  

Well, I did make this dress in order to learn! And I have learned a lot.

What project will I do next? I'm not sure. Maybe a straight (pencil) skirt, perhaps with a yoke or a pocket. I wanted to draft one but I don't want to get disappointed if the design is off. So I might take one from my Burda magazines and use my drafted skirt block to make sure the measurements are correct. Maybe culottes. So many things I want to make... We'll see.

I'm still trying to find the balance between using ready-made patterns (Burda) and drafting from scratch. On one hand, drafting gets a better fit. Even if I try to tweak a ready-made pattern from a Burda magazine as best as I can, I am always surprised at how it eventually fits - either so small or huge. And at this stage, making adjustments is a lot of extra work (sometimes double the work) and sometimes it's just too late to fix it. On the other hand, drafting a pattern from scratch that has more than basic features is tricky - getting the pocket to sit at the right height and be at the right depth and angle... I wouldn't want to go to all that trouble and then find out that my design is off.

Well, that's it for now. Tell me what you think!!