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”!!
Wonderful make! I really enjoyed your special touches and skills added to it. Thanks for a fun read!
Thanks Wendy! I appreciate being selected to participate in this pattern test for this great new skirt pattern.