Trying out a Free Pattern- Knee Length Tulip Skirt with Feature Pockets

 This is another pattern from Sew Magazine available as a pdf.  It is described on their website as a "Simple Knee Length Skirt" and also, on the pdf pattern piece layout( see picture below), as the Barkside Skirt but I think the title of this blog gives a more accurate description. This is the link

 

 Printing and assembling the pattern  For review I am trying to choose easily available patterns without a hugh number of pages to print out, this one takes 12 pages of A4 for the pattern itself.  The link will take you to a page with the making up instructions.  When you click the download button you will get access to more than one pattern and, for this skirt, you need to scroll to Pages 25 to 37.  Page 25 shows the way that the pdf needs to be assembled.  Pages 26 to 37 are the pages you will need to print for the pattern.

Usually, with pdf patterns, there is a square of 10 centimetres at the beginning of the printout with which to check the accuracy of the printing.  There is none here, though you are advised to set your printer to print to "Actual Size".  My printer does not print right to the edges and it appeared to me that the pattern pages needed to be placed edge to edge.  There is no indication on the pattern which size is which or which pocket position marking relates to which size; you have to work this out for yourself but it is not a taxing task.

Sizes and Alterations  There are only three sizes, these are waist sizes- 68, 72 & 76 centimetres.  However it would be easy to grade the skirt up or down a couple of sizes.  I decreased the size of the waistband by 4 centimetres but left the body of the skirt as is since the skirt is gathered into the waistband and I thought that leaving the skirt pieces as they were would accentuate the tulip shape.  The pocket and flaps are the same for all sizes so do not require alteration.  I added 12.5 centimetres to the length of the skirt so that it fell just below my knee.  To do this I drew a line across the front and back pieces 5 centimetres above the hemline, cut across, inserted the requisite addition and redrew the side seams from below the pocket position to the hemline (see image below of the back piece).

Making up  The process is not difficult.  The pockets are sewn up first.  They are lined, each pocket consists of a pocket bag and a pocket flap and the corresponding linings.

 The flap is made up by laying the flap pieces right sides together and sewing a 5 mm seam around 3 sides leaving the long straight side open.  The flap is then turned right side out and pressed.  The open side of the flap is placed between the marked notches on the straight side of the pocket bag and the pocket lining placed over the flap.

The straight side with the pocket flap and the curved side are then stitched and the pocket turned through one of the two openings so it looks like this:-
 

The pockets are then placed, matching them to the markings at the waist edge, on the front of the skirt.  The concealed zip is  inserted and the front and back skirt pieces joined together.

I was puzzled by the method of adding the waistband to the top of the skirt, which is gathered to fit, so I followed my own method.  I had decided that I would do some quilting on the waistband, backing it with wadding between the main fabric and the lining.  It is quite wide and I thought that the wadding would make it stand up firmly.  It should be cut on the straight grain but I cut on the cross grain to contrast with the vertical design on the skirt.  I ironed the fusible interfacing on to the reverse of the  main fabric (not the lining as instructed), laid on the wadding, placed the lining and waistband fabric right sides together and stitched the top edges together.  I attached the front of the waistband to the skirt, folded the lining on to the wrong side and hand stitched the folded waistband over the attaching stitching.  Then I stitched over some of the black lines of the print in black thread, so subtle that you may not notice it in the photographs of the exterior of the skirt so I am showing a photograph of the inside.

This is how the back of the waistband looks when closed. I think that the quilting does enhance the waistband but remember that the addition of wadding will reduce the inner circumference of the waistband.

The back of the skirt has a simply constructed back pleat for ease of walking, necessary because the skirt narrows from the top to the hem.  This shaping means that it is not possible to exactly pattern match  but, as the fabric has a definite horizontal and vertical  pattern, I did my best to do matching where possible, see photographs of side seam and pocket.

 

 

 

 

 The pattern instructions suggest the sewing of a decorative button to each pocket.  I tried several examples from my button box, both plain and fancy, but none of them looked appropriate and I thought a button would detract from the drama of the fabric print so I left the pocket flap without one.

 

Verdict  I would have liked the sizes to have been indicated on the actual pdf  and a check square to indicate that the print out was the correct size.  The length of fabric is given as 1.1 metre for all sizes using the original length of skirt (63.5 centimetres) but the width of the fabric is not indicated.  If you decide to make it I would suggest working out the amount of fabric that you need by measuring the pdf to find out how much fabric and what width you require in your size.  The construction is not difficult and a beginner, who is happy with invisible zip insertion, could make it with little trouble.

 I liked the shape of the skirt and the design of the pockets, indeed I will probably use this pocket on some other skirt or dress design.  I feel that the design on this African fabric from my stash admirably suits this skirt pattern.  It can be dressed up or look more casual and can be worn Winter or Summer depending upon the other garments worn.  I found the instructions difficult to work out regarding the waistband but I was ignoring these in any case to do my own variation.

The skirt for winter wear with thick tights and a wool polo neck jumper.

 

 For Summer wear, a somewhat more formal outfit.  The top is another free pattern, the Collette Sorbetto, with a hack on the original short sleeves to turn them into long bell-shaped sleeves.

 

This side view gives you an idea of the shaping at the waist.