The famous fashion designer Christian Dior has always maintained that any figure can be made attractive with the right skirt style... If the fashion boutique has not met expectations, then you should try to sew the product yourself.
A universal option is a fitted and tapered pencil skirt. The pattern for beginners is so simple that even a girl who does not have a special sewing education can handle sewing.
How to choose the right fabric
It's no secret that a pencil skirt is suitable for both slim and overweight girls. When choosing a fabric, it is necessary to take into account not only the shape of the figure, but also the season in which the thing will be worn, its purpose.
Basic Rules:
- Do not buy bulk materials (eg chiffon, georgette). They do not hold their shape well and require the use of a lining fabric.
- For sewing summer and spring outfits, it is better to use knitwear, viscose, linen, cotton. For winter - gabardine, velvet, tweed, wool.
- On slender hips, hard fabrics look better, on full ones - with a soft texture.
A pencil skirt is considered an office option, so it is recommended to choose either solid colors or a strict cage.
Versatile black and white can be combined with any upper.
but if the product is sewn from bright fabric, supplemented, for example, with an asymmetrical frill, then it can look great in a festive look.
On a note! In summer weekend outfits, it is better to exclude monotony and give preference to interesting colors. For the winter, you can sew a stylish leather skirt, complementing it with a fur vest.
Step-by-step instructions for making a pencil skirt pattern for beginners
First of all, you need to really evaluate your figure and decide on the size: measure the waist (OT) and hips (OB), the length from the waist to the widest point of the hips (D1), the length of the entire model (D2).
To get the correct pencil skirt, the pattern for beginners is made for ¼ of the model.
It will look like this step by step:
- A rectangle в OB + 4 cm wide and D2 + 21 cm long is built on a sheet of Whatman paper.
- From the top point of the rectangle, the length D1 is laid down.
- To determine the waistline, it is necessary to divide the OT data by 4 and add 3 cm to the result.Put the final value from the upper right corner along the line and put a point T, which on the pattern is connected with a smooth line with D1.
- On the lower part, retreat 6 cm from the corner and put point H, which is smoothly connected to D1.
The pattern is ready. It remains to cut it out and put it on the fabric.
Step-by-step instructions for sewing a skirt
According to the pattern, sewing a pencil skirt even for a novice seamstress will become a simple and quick process. First, you should decide on the size of matter: the width should be equal to half the volume of the hips, taking into account the allowances for the seams, and the length of the cut should be equal to two lengths of the skirt with a small margin for the folds.
Then you can do the following:
- Fold the fabric in half (right sides to each other) along its entire length.
- Lay the pattern from one edge of the cut so that the fold of the fabric coincides with the inside of the pattern. Circle it with chalk. Repeat the same for the second edge of the cut.
- Cut out both blanks with tailor's scissors.
- Fold the two halves of the blanks with the right sides, overcast the seams, and then sew on a sewing machine.
- To decorate the belt, the upper part of the skirt should be tucked in twice 3 cm inward and sewn with a zigzag stitch. Do the same with the lower part of the skirt, just bend it 2 cm.
This sewing option is suitable for a simple style of elastic fabric skirt for a slender figure.
When choosing a thicker fabric, it is recommended to sew a zipper into the side seam.
High-waisted pencil skirt
For a woman with full hips to be able to afford this style, she should sew a product with a high waist.
To do this, you will have to make some changes in the instructions described above:
- The upper horizontal waistline should be raised by 5-7 cm and point T2 there.
- Point T must be shifted to the left by 0.5 cm.
- Connect points T2, T and D1 with a rounded line.
Attention for beginners! When cutting fabric for a pencil skirt, it is important to deviate from the 1.5 cm pattern for allowances.
Before finally sewing the skirt, you should make a preliminary fitting and fit the model to your figure... If necessary, you can sew a wide elastic band into the belt or make a zipper on the side. This will allow the skirt to fit better and emphasize even full thighs.
One-seam skirt
You don't have to buy many different styles of clothing to diversify your wardrobe. This can also be done with the help of pencil skirts alone, sewn according to the same pattern for beginners, but in different ways.
A single-seam product is the simplest option.
So, having laid out the correct pattern on the fabric, you can make it easier for yourself to sew a skirt by making it with one seam. To do this, the cut must be chosen in width equal to the length of the skirt (taking into account the folds on the belt and hem), and the pattern itself should be made not for ¼ part, but for half of the model.
In this case, the fabric does not have to be folded in half. It is enough to spread it out on the table in one layer, face down. On the inside of the fabric, apply twice and circle the pattern with chalk, while one side line should be common.
It remains to cut the workpiece and the groove formed at the junction of the patterns, indicated by the line T-D1 (or T2-T-D1). This will be the side dart. Tightening the connecting seam, you should sew a zipper into it.
This style has its own variations: you can move the seam back from the side part, and so that the dart does not come out in the center in front, it can be distributed on both sides, reducing the depth of each of the darts by half.
Skirt with a yoke
The product looks elegant with a yoke. It is not so difficult to execute: a simple pencil skirt is taken as a basis (pattern for beginners, described above).
If the element is planned on the front of the model, then the pattern should be duplicated again on paper, and already on this copy draw the required option. Only then can the material be cut into the desired parts.
The yoke can be different in configuration (simple or curly) and in size, but darts will necessarily fall into its area (at least partially)... Having cut the pattern, the dart solutions are closed on the yoke.
If part of the dart remains on the main blade, then it is not necessary to remove it.
A model with a yoke will look great in a high-waisted version. However, in this case, it is not worth making turns on the belt; it is recommended to use interlining on the inside.
Also, the yoke can be supplemented with loops that will securely fix the belt on the belt. Their length should be equal to the width of the belt + 2 cm at the seams.
If you make a model with a frill (flounce), then the junction of the yoke with the main fabric of the skirt is perfect for inserting such an addition. This will help give the product a special charm and hide such a flaw in the figure as the same width of the hips and waist.
Also with the help of a frill, you can lengthen a product even from a dense winter fabric, thereby protecting your knees from the cold.
How to sew a skirt without a pattern
Not only real masters can sew an outfit "by eye", that is, without using patterns, patterns. A pencil skirt is an option when even a novice seamstress can easily cope with the task.
The simplest action algorithm is as follows:
- First you need to measure your hips and determine the length of the model. Standard length is knee-length or just below the knee.
- Having spread the fabric on the table in one layer, cut out 2 rectangles, where the base should be equal to half the volume of the hips + 2 cm, and the height - the length of the skirt + 3 cm.
- Sweep both canvases and put on for a test fitting.
- It is best to use pins to determine the curve from waist to hip. They are usually used for stabbing excess tissue.
- Having removed the workpiece, use a chalk to mark the line (along the pins) and then cut off the excess, leaving 1.5 cm for the seams.
- Now you can trim the canvases and sew a zipper on the side.
- A rectangle is cut out of the fabric with a length equal to the waist circumference and a width of 4 cm. It should be sewn on the upper part from the inside of the skirt - in this way the belt will be designated.
- It is enough to slightly tuck and stitch the lower part of the skirt.
The whole procedure will take no more than 2 hours, taking into account the lack of skills of a novice seamstress.
A professional, of course, will do it faster.
Pencil skirt with wrap
Without a pattern, you can make another interesting version of a pencil skirt - a wrap model.
To do this, you need to take a piece of fabric equal to 1.5 waist circumference and width along the length of the future skirt.
Then proceed as follows:
- Sew the bottom and sides of the fabric rectangle.
- Wrap yourself with a piece of fabric so that one upper corner of the rectangle falls on the right side of the waist, and the second corner lies on the left side. Thus, we get the desired shape of the skirt. You can use pins to secure the edges of the canvas.
- Having determined its middle on the back of the skirt, make a cut to the length of the zipper, which is then sewn.
- Separately cut out a rectangle (obliquely) from the fabric with a length of the waist circumference and a width of 3 cm. It must be swept to the skirt (from zipper to zipper), folding the parts with the front side inward.
- Fold and sew the second edge of the belt, and turn the belt itself onto the inner side of the skirt and fix it there.
Any of the styles described above will be a great addition to a woman's wardrobe. You can combine a pencil skirt with various blouses (both tight-fitting and slouchy options), smart or business jackets and vests.
Also, the product can be supplemented with patch or sewn-in pockets, trimmed with decorative buttons. The main thing is that even the simplest model can make a woman elegant.
Useful videos with instructions for sewing a pencil skirt
Pencil skirt. Pattern for beginners - in this video:
How to sew a pencil skirt yourself:
A great option for beginners) a pencil skirt is quite easy to sew, and you don't even need to talk about what kind of necessary thing it is in a women's wardrobe)) thanks for the instructions)
Explain what does "HIGH-waisted skirt" mean ??)) I haven't seen a single high-waisted model here. All models have a waist exactly IN THEIR PLACE)))))