my basic summer skirt

The skirt I mentioned in my previous post was finished in time to wear last Saturday. I had to get up early that day to put the hem in, but when it was time to get dressed and attend my girls' dance recital, I was ready!



The fabric is from Anna Maria Horner's Loulouthi cotton line - Clippings in Passion. I was drawn to the bright fuchsia flowers on the charcoal background initially, but there are so many lovely colors in all the flowers that I knew it would be a snap to find coordinating tees and summer sweaters.

It's a simple A-line skirt with a back center zipper and no waistband. And since there are no pieces that need to be cut on the bias, you don't need a bunch of yardage. Mine was made with 1.5 yards = inexpensive fabulous new wardrobe piece! This simple silhouette is a great way to showcase those wild, colorful prints that I love!



I've included some details in this post to let you know how I finish my skirts on the inside. Hopefully you'll find them easy to follow and be inspired to make your own collection of summer skirts!

I made a skirt with this pattern in 2008 adjusting the pieces to fit my smaller waist/larger hip ratio (you can see all my notes on the pattern front.) This A-line cut is a good choice if you've got that same body type since the waist is fitted, but the skirt floats over your hips for a slimming illusion :)



There are only four pieces to this pattern - skirt front and back, and facing front and back. Easy-peasy. You can see the inside of the simple back center zipper here, as well as the waist facing (which is backed with lightweight fusible interfacing for a little added stability and structure.)



Four simple darts (two in front and two in back) nip in the waist area without adding the bulk that a drawstring or elastic would create. This way the top of the skirt lays smoothly against you in front and back.



On the inside I serged all my seam allowances and pressed the back seam open. The two side seams were trimmed, serged, and pressed to the skirt back to cut down on bulk in the hip area. Who needs more bulk there, right? A very simple hem - serge the skirt bottom, press under 3/8" to 1/2", and sew close to the serged edge.



You should definitely wash and dry your fabric before cutting into it. This will insure that any shrinkage occurs before you spend all that time fitting and cutting and sewing, so in the end you'll have a skirt made for you - not someone slightly smaller than you - ask me how I know this ;-)

This is the next fabric I've got pre-washed and ready to make into my basic summer skirt... pretty wild!



Have you got a basic skirt pattern that you've made multiple times? I'm always interested in new pattern suggestions!