Hi Everyone!  I know I shared in a previous post that I was participating in a 3rd tester call so far this year.  So here it is!  This time it was for Pier Avenue Patterns and I tested their NEW Pencil Skirt.  This was another new to me pdf pattern brand.  This slim pencil skirt is a quick sew with just the right amount of peg for this to be a super flattering skirt style.  I have some good news about this pattern to share too.  The price is only $5.00 for the pattern or it’s FREE when you sign up for the Piers Avenue Patterns Newsletter.  It’s also rated as a beginner pattern.  How great is that??

There are only 3 pattern pieces to this skirt pattern, so it’s a SUPER quick make.  I had to make only one adjustment to this pattern which was to take 2 1/2″ off the length.  This alteration was made in the skirt portion of the pattern to keep the peg at the bottom.  It’s the perfect pattern for a substantial weight knit with a good amount of stretch and recovery.  They suggest using a stable knit with at least 50% 4-way stretch, Liverpool, Scuba, Bullet, Ponte,.  I wasn’t able to find any of the right weight knit’s that I liked, so I found a knit that was pretty and underlined it with a lightweight stretch knit.  If you’re not familiar with underlining or flatlining, it’s when there are 2 identical pattern pieces cut from the self and lining and then treated as one layer.  It’s a great way to give a lighter weight fabrication a little more body and as a bonus it’s also a lining.  I could have added this layer as a regular lining, but I didn’t want the lining to shift which can happen with knit fabrics.  I stay stitched my front and back pattern pieces together on the side seams and waistline seam within the seam allowance.  Then I joined the side seams on my conventional sewing machine. I didn’t use my serger to join the side seams because they would have ended up very bulky.  

(left photo)  The next step was to join the center back waistband seam.  I always like to top stitch that seam in the ditch to keep the waistband from twisting.  (center photo)  I used my 4 thread serger to join the waistband to the skirt by quartering the band and stretching it to fit the skirt section. (right photo)  I ran the bottom edge through my serger to give it a nice finished edge before hemming.  Underlining also makes it so easy to put a stretchable hand hem in the bottom of this garment.  I didn’t have to worry about it showing on the right side of my skirt since I only caught the lining fabric with my stitches.  I could have just hemmed it on my coverstitch machine, but I wanted a more finished look.  I never mind handwork since I find it very relaxing.

I was very happy with the way this skirt turned out.  It just slips on and is so comfortable.  I had Valentine’s Day in mind when selecting this fabric.  Just loved the black and red abstract print.  I made the 2″ wide waistband option, but the pattern also includes a 4″ high waisted version which is super trendy right now.  If you’re looking for a quick skirt to make, consider this pencil skirt pattern.  This pattern comes in waist sizes from 25″ to 58 1/2″ which makes it very size inclusive.  Don’t forget it’s FREE when you sign up for the Pier Avenue Newsletter.  I’m sure I will be making more of this skirt and I consider this one another “Victory Sew”!!