Tuesday 6 February 2007

Skirt Body Construction

How to Put The Skirt Together

You should have a centre front panel (one if you cut it on the fold, 2 if you want a centre front seam), 2 centre back panels, 4 side panels, (optional 4 pocket pieces), waist band and interfacing.

VERY IMPORTANT!
Stay stitch all of the panel pieces around the waist curve just inside your seam allowance. My seam allowance was 1.5cm therefore my stay stitching line was at 1.3cm. This stops the waist curve from stretching out of shape and allows you to clip the curve so it will lay in a straight line when you attach the waist band.


Insert pockets in side seams if desired and sew side panels together. Make sure the pockets face forward on each side panel.



Sew centre front panel to side front panels, taking care not to stretch the fabric as you sew.


The skirt should look like this now. Both pockets face forwards and if you look at the larger image you should be able to see the stay stitching around the waist.



Insert a zip in the centre back seam. My preference is an invisible zip,, but put in any fastening system you like. Sew the centre back seam.

It is much easier to inset the zip in the back panels before you attach it to the skirt as there is a lot less material to deal with.


Sew the back panel to the side back panels, again taking care not to stretch the fabric as you sew. The skirt should now be a complete circle when laid flat on the floor.

Now very carefully clip the waist curve to the stay stitching, DO NOT CUT THE STITCHING, all the way around the waist.
Now very carefully try the skirt on for fit. If it is too small run another line of stay stitching all the way round the waist below the first line, clip to this point and retry the fit. If it is too big you can try taking it in at the side seams a little or ease fit/gather it onto the waist band.

When you are happy with the fit, attach the waist band. (I'll do this as a separate chapter, coming soon!)

This is essentially how to make any paneled skirt. More panels means more seams, fewer panels means fewer seams. It is generally easier to put pockets and zips in before the entire skirt is constructed so think about putting these in first.

Have fun playing with the concept and construction.

2 comments:

She Fights Like a Girl said...

Hey, where's the next chapter? Don't leave us hangin'! I'd especially like to see how you attach the waistband.

Elanor said...

Hi, I found your blog through somewhere or other while I was googling for circle skirt patterns for larger sizes. Your skirt looks fab (and I LOVE the red dress you made - I may have to ask you about that later). I have a question though - how do you make the pattern for cutting out the circle skirt? How do you decide the amount of curve and how wide the top and bottom of each section should be, and how do you get it into a perfect circle?