Circle Skirt
Sewing For Your Life
This month I had the opportunity to test Sewing For Your Life’s newest pattern. (Click here to see theNina DressI made back in December). This skirt has 8 different waistband options and 3 different options for straps (like suspenders). Sandra also released a double circle skirt and half circle skirt pattern with the same waistband and strap options.
When I saw the sample of the skirt pattern, I knew that I had the perfect fabric for it in my stash. I purchased this fabric from my local fabric store (Tania Textiles), but I only had 2.2 metres of it. (I know that 2.2 metres seems like an odd length to buy if you’re just going to put it in your stash, but I bought what was left on the bolt). The skirt pattern calls for 2 metres if you are using a fabric that is 150 cm wide, but just over 3 metres if you have a fabric of 140 cm wide. Of course, this fabric was 147 cm, and I was not able to fit the front piece on the fold. Note:If your fabric is narrower than 150 cm, you have to fold the fabric so that the fold is perpendicular to the selvedge edges.
In the end, I decided that my fabric choice was more important to me than the length of the skirt, so I trimmed the hemline of the skirt just enough for the pattern piece to fit perfectly across the width of my fabric. I’m happy with the way it turned out. Being only 5 feet tall, trimming an inch of the length didn’t end up making much of a difference to the overall look of the skirt.
The circle skirt was easy to put together. It only required 3 pattern pieces (the skirt, the pocket and the waistband).
The only tricky part is that seam allowances are not already added to the pattern, so you have to cut the front on the fold, and then add a seam allowance to the fold line and cut 2 of the same piece for the back. It’s not difficult to do, but could easily be forgotten if you aren’t paying attention.
Finishing Touches
The only other change I made to the pattern was to exchange the pocket pieces for larger pockets.
To hem my circle skirt, I used bias tape all the way around on the inside to give it a nice clean finish. Using bias tape helps you to have an even curved hem, and it gives it a fun contrast on the inside. For this project I needed to use just short of 5 metres to complete the hem.
FinalThoughts
This is a skirt that I can see myself making multiple times. The silhouette is classic and it’s nice to have the different waistband options. I didn’t need to make any major changes to the pattern and was able to construct it in no time at all.
The only downside is that you need to let the skirt hang for 2 days before hemming it. (Circle skirts are cut with part of the skirt on the bias. This causes that part of the skirt to relax or stretch out a little more than other parts. By letting it hang for a couple of days, you will be able to cut your hem evenly and not have any surprises later). Even though the construction is fast, it will be a few days before you can wear it.
You can purchase this skirt pattern (and Sandra’s other patterns) here.