Self Drafted A-Line Skirt

I've recently joined my first sew-a-long! I ordered Design It Yourself Clothes, Patternmaking Simplified by Cal Patch recently. I had just finished reading the book when Justine at Sew Country Chick announced she was doing a sew-a-long to draft patterns based on the projects in this book. I don't know how she read my mind but it was perfect timing!

 

The book is well written and takes you step by step through the drafting process. You start by making a library of patterns for basic garments. Once you have fine tuned and perfected your basic patterns, you can use these to add design elements to make a wardrobe of unique garments.

 

First up is the A-line Skirt! I can't tell you how easy this was to draft. It gave me a lot more confidence in drafting than I originally had. It actually has darts and a side zipper- not just your basic elastic waistband jobby!

 

I intended this version to be a muslin but I was very satisfied with the fit and ended up liking the fabric I used so finished it into a wearable garment. There are a few minor tweaks I will make to the next version but overall this turned out great.

 

I had drafted this to sit just above my navel. The skirt ended up being a bit wider in the waist than I intended so it sits just below my navel. So I will be nipping the waist in slightly next time. Also (for those of you in the sew-a-long who know what I'm talking about) Cal has you draft the waistband and hem so that it angles up at the side seams to account for your curves. I felt that the one inch additional angels were a bit much and unnecessary for my figure and I lopped them off.

 

Next up is a basic tee. We have just begun so if you are interested in joining it's not too late to start!

 

 

 

 

~Jenny