Sunday, November 24, 2013

Wool Skirt #3


So, I've finally finished the third skirt in my Wool Skirt Trilogy, the other two of which are here and here, with pictures of one of them actually worn here. These two photos were taken after I'd worn this skirt all morning, sitting scrunched up in church and the car, hence the multitude of creases. 

At the end of that last post, I asked if anyone would be interested in another of my interminable drafting lessons, this time on skirt blocks and panels and seam shaping and darts. And some of you politely said "yeah, okay" so as not to hurt my feelings (awwww...) and other people instead talked about my boots (which I didn't sew, so I can't offer you a tutorial for that). I took you all seriously and -look!

Another pair of boots, yes, 

but also the panel skirt you asked for.

Do you see the slight flare in the side seams?

And in the front and back

(which is easier to see here when Fleur is wearing the skirt because she isn't twisting like a pretzel to take photos of herself in the mirror)?

Here's a twisty shot to show more shaping - this time in that blue back panel seam. Shaping emphasizes the subtle flare of the hem; if the entire skirt is baggy, nobody will notice any flare anywhere unless it is very pronounced. Which defeats the purpose of shaping! 

There's so much I want to share with you about getting your skirts to sit just right on your behind

and drape that hollow at the small of your back, which is possibly your most flattering skirt area, regardless of the shape of your other regions.

I wanted to get some photos before the snow came so I dragged out our only full-length mirror in the house and propped it up on our deck on probably the coldest day we've had here in a while. Sorry about the funny angles and whatnot - it's really hard to take photos of oneself in a mirror, especially when one is trying to capture fitting issues rather than just fashion shots. I get the husband to do those instead- like the first two photos of this post - just so you can see my face. 

I love this skirt. People say A-line skirts are the most universally flattering design, but I beg to differ. Try the slightly-flared panel skirt, People: drapes the hip and flares just the very tinest below the thigh, so there are curves in all the places you want. You might never wear a shapeless A-line again (that coming from the person whose most-recently-sewn other 2 wool skirts were shapeless A-lines).

I'll deconstruct it for you in the next post.; this one is already so photo-heavy. I'll just finish by showing you random angled shots of Fleur modeling the skirt. 

Back view - concealed zipper and those two back panel seams, into which the waist darts are integrated. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Side view showing the slight flare of the hem. Note that the side seams of properly-drafted (and fitted) skirts must fall vertically and lie exactly between the front and back halves of the body. This can only happen if the waist and hip measurements are measured separately for the front and back of the body. If any skirt-block-drafting tutorial or book teaches you to measure the waist and hip circumferences and divide those by two and then add random numbers (e.g. 1/2") to them to draft the front and back patterns, um... it might be best to get a second opinion. 

Check back tomorrow for the deconstruction drafting tutorial!



17 comments:

  1. yes please! I want to make this skirt!

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  2. Another very lovely skirt! So perfectly fitted, and I do like that little bit of flare! The blue lines are a nice touch. Hard to see what they are... just a zigzag, with heavier thread, perhaps?

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    1. Yes, just a zigzag with topstitching thread. Very unfancy. There is actually a blue thread running through the entire weave pattern that I wanted to bring out with the blue seams but you can only see it if you go really close and stare. Which nobody other than me will do to my own clothes.

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  3. I'm so not sophisticated around knowing where I want (need) more info...I couldn't tell I wanted to have you share all this knowledge...but I DO, I DO!!! I love how you explained this. So incredibly helpful. Can't wait for the next installment! (largely because my oldest daughter wants me to make her skirts but so far I've never gotten the fit quite satisfactory...now I know!)

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  4. yeah :) I love your drafting series. After sewing lots of kids stuff, I am just getting into sewing and drafting clothes for myself so this is great. And yes, your boots are nice, but show me the skirt! :)

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  5. Actually I have found these skirt posts to be fascinating and while i probably will not draft myself a pattern, I might use your tutorials to alters some existing ones.

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  6. I am 40 years old this year and the only thing I ever buttons and that is like once or twice a year! Been putting off learning to sew/embroidery and using sweaty palms as excuse. Stumbled upon your blog and been reading and reading and you make me wanna pick up a needle and sew right now!!

    From: SM (Singapore)

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  7. St. Paul was 19'. How are you not shivering?
    I was there for the Elton John concert. Thank God for butt warming seats in the car.
    Back in the balmy 50' Oregon weather.

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  8. Great skirt! Your whole outfit looks nice too.

    I really appreciate how you constantly share your technical expertise with us. You explain things so thoroughly and beautifully. I'm not amazing at maths but you have made me a bit less scared of pattern drafting, which believe me, is a massive achievement! I love to make things, but I get lost in the creativity and don't always push for smart construction. I know that this would make me prouder of what I create.

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  9. Yay!!! I'm trying to draft a skirt from a book right now, and struggling a bit. Still need to finish it (it's a wrap skirt for a book review, which I agreed to review to force myself to attempt the skirt and am now very much overdue on reviewing), but I LOVE this skirt and am excited to learn from you!

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  10. Thank you! Could you also talk about what fabrics will work well for this? Because I hate being cold so I never wear skirts in winter, and wearing wool in the summer in DC is not really on the table, either. I'm thinking that probably heavier fabrics like maybe twill and denim could have similar draping properties. Can you talk about that a bit in your detail post? Thank you!!!

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  11. I can't wait, I absolutely love your drafting tutorials! Will you perhaps also share some tips about working with wool, and lining a skirt also? I have some nice grey wool I've been wanting to use to make a skirt for my 9-year old.

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  12. Hi Lier,
    I don't think i have commented before but wanted you to know that I will definitely be looking forward to your post on drafting the panel skirt. I've tried drafting from several books which say to measure the hips and waist and just divide by two. You are so right! It never works! Particularly if you have a bit of a tummy or a protruding butt and I have both. I'm looking forward to working through this panel skirt and I am in the process of drafting my own "Fleur". Thanks for your blog posts!

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  13. I noticed that your skirts don't have any pockets. Do you dislike them? Or not need them? Just curious. :-) BTW, your blog is fabulous. Sooooo much helpful information! Thank you for taking the time to share it with us!

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    1. Carrauntoohil: I don't dislike pockets. See the blog sidebar for an entire tutorial series on different kinds of pockets! However, when I tailor skirts, the more formal ones tend to be pocketless. The more casual ones, like my denim skirts, all have pockets.

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  14. I admit that when I first read the drafting tutorials my eyes cross a little, but I always end up rereading them and finding them so helpful when working on a project!
    Not much of a skirt person usually, but this one is quite lovely!

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  15. I don't often comment but I love your drafting tutorials. I learn so much and appreciate your methods which result in a much more refined shape than the typical 'divide the waist by 2 and add a SA' methods. In fact, I consider you to be one of the top sewists of the internet. Your projects are not fancy, you don't focus on building a bustier or anything like that, but your projects DO reflect your lifestyle which is similar to mine and to many, many women with families. Thank you!

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