My new calf length skirt

Recently I have been lusting after calf length skirts a lot.  The problem with just going out and buying one is firstly, we are meant to be saving up for our upcoming trip to North America (wahoo!) and secondly, since I’m a long legged creature, calf length skirts tend to hit me just on the knee.

Fortunately when I started cutting out this skirt a while ago (and by a while ago I mean this has been in my work in progress pile for over a year) I had left plenty of length to play with.  Do you remember this pretty fabric?

It’s a very simply constructed skirt.  The front is a giant gathered rectangle and the back is two gathered rectangles.  This meant I could add pockets and then put a zip in the back.

I made a pattern for the waistband based on a skirt I already own but rarely wear.  (It’s a funny shade of not quite grey-brown-black which means all colours somehow look not quite right with it.  Maybe I will dye it.)  I just drew around the shape onto some paper and cut it out, checking my existing waist measurement against it and adjusting.  I added facing to the inside of the waistband stabilise it – it’s a curve so it kept the edges from stretching too.  I love the deep waist band – I think it makes tummies look flatter!

Enjoying the evening sunshine in my new pretty and comfy skirt :)

So, having sewn the pockets, side seams, back seam, gathered the top of the skirt and sewn in the waistband and zip, I suddenly realised that hemming the top was going to be a bit if an issue.  I hadn’t thought about the fact that the waistband is tapered and therefore if I just folded it over it would be narrower on the inside than the outside.  Whoops.

Fortunately, I remembered this great tutorial from Renegade Seamstress on how to cut bias binding and so I gave it a go.  The cutting was surprisingly easy, the ironing was a little tricky due to the absence of a bias tape maker.  I improvised by cutting a 2.5cm width of card and folded the edges over whilst ironing.  It worked fine but I’ll be picking up a bias tape maker next time I’m in a craft store!

Bias tape made, I sewed this around the top edge and sewed on a hook and eye because of course, when I put the zip in I left room to hem the top.  Thinking about it now I could have trimmed the waistband before adding the bias binding.  Oh well. You live and learn!

Wide Waist Band Skirt – Front and back, pocket, back zip, bias tape top edge

So, there’s one less project in the work in progress pile.  And I am learning about sewing.  I think I may actually have to try a professional pattern at some point so see how things are meant to be done instead of just diving straight in!

Wide Waist Band Skirt – with pockets!

What projects do you have on the go?  Have you had to improvise part way through a project?