Pattern: Pencil Skirt

One thing I like about making my own pencil skirt is that I can make it without darts, however long I want, and so that it will fit my body. I tend to have a harder time finding skirts, pants, shorts, etc. that will fit my hind end as well as my waist. I never could find exactly what I was looking for so I decided to make my own pattern. And it's super easy to do!

There are just a handful of measurements that I take which are easily done. Let's start with the front of the skirt.

**In the patterns below, I did not mark the seam allowance. I added that as I cut around the pattern pieces.**

The first measurement I take it the length of the skirt. I place one end of the measuring tape where I would like the waistband to be and go to my knee or just past. You'll need two of these: one for the front and one for the back.

The next few measurements focus on the waist/hip area and are all from side seam to side seam across the front. I measure at the natural waist, the hips, and then my thighs. Be mindful of the vertical distance between each measurement so you have a copy of your body's curves. With those three measurements, I divide them in HALF and mark them on a piece of paper (photo below). The next measurement I take is the width I want around my knees. I also divide this in half. I divide everything in half because I make my pattern so that the middle of the skirt will be the fold of the material and will make a more symmetrical pattern. In the picture below, the fold is on the left. You'll just cut 1 front piece when making the skirt.

 For the back pieces, I repeat the same process for the front. I measure from side seam to side seam across the back. For the back pieces I only measure at the waist, the biggest part of my bum, and the knee width. In the picture below, the left side of the pattern will be the seam in the middle of my back where the zipper will be placed. I add 1-2" to the middle seam (left side of pattern) to allow for the hemming of the slit and zipper. OR you can copy the outside curve from the front piece and extend the middle seam to the widest measurement. The first way is best with smaller tushes. You'll cut 2 back pieces.

 The last piece to the pattern is the waistband. This part is totally dependent on how tall you want the waistband. I make mine at about 2 inches tall and the length of my waist plus 4 inches. But, then I multiply the height of the waistband by 4. So, I'll have a strip that is 8" x my waist + 4". I multiply it by 4 because I fold the waistband in half and then fold in the edges to the middle. It strengthens the waistband and also eliminates the appearance of folded edges. A cleaner look.

For putting the whole skirt together, you'll find that in the tutorial for a True to Size Pencil Skirt.

For clarification or help shoot me an email: sewmuchpotential (at) gmail (dot) com.