Making a Lined Plaid Skirt (PRTW008)

Ref.: PRTW008

Title: Lined Plaid/Tartan Skirt

Skills Involved: Pattern-matching; lining; lapped zip (bagged); blind-hem; narrow rolled hem (lining)

Special Equipment Needed: Zipper foot (Bernina #4v); Blind-hem foot (Bernina #5v); Rolled-hem foot (Bernina  #63v)

Pattern: Own, based on Simplicity Project Runway 2698 (Out of print)

The Story:

Books make good pattern weights

My favourite skirt is threadbare. It was the first skirt I made from scratch 13.5 years ago and a good wardrobe staple. It's a joy to wear and repels stains like a wizard. As it's now all but relegated to the position of underskirt, I thought it would be an interesting exercise to see how far my skills and quality of work have progressed in that time by making a new one.

The original was made from Simplicity Project Runway Pattern 2698, which is now out of print, and my copy escaped to the bin years ago. Besides, I've learned to draft patterns since then, so I drafted my own.

The first trip-up was the result of ordering fabric online that looked like the original fabric, but when it arrived was several shades lighter, so with all my light, neutral tops, I'll have to be careful not to look like a bowl of porridge. Regardless, I proceeded to cut.

The new fabric vs. the old

Overcomplicating things

I don't know about you, but I have a talent for over-complicating things. For some reason I got it into my head that the lining had to be attached at the pockets. Heaven knows why. Fortunately, Christmas came so the skirt had to lie on my ironing board for a few days, and it dawned on me that the lining would go behind the pockets (like it does on every other lined skirt ever). That would be much easier to sew and would mean I wouldn't have a lining-less patch at the hips. Now I just had to cut the hip bits out of the lining and attach them to the front lining pieces.

Moving on.

The Zip

This is one of the main skills to upgrade in this project. I remember when I was first learning to sew that I had a bit of trouble with a lapped zip. The seam allowances didn't seem to allow the application method that was in my Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Sewing. So I turned to the Internet and found Kathleen Fasenella's amazing website, Fashion-Incubator.com. That website changed my whole approach to sewing and is one of the main reasons you and I are here now. It's also one of the main reason I got a first at uni. Thanks, Kathleen!

On that website there are specs and construction methods for lapped, centred, and invisible zips, with no hand-sewing involved, that give a professional finish, because they're the professional methods. That said, it still takes a couple of goes to get good at them.

A montage... (play this tune)

At this point I decided to start using interfacing...

Much better ☺️

I finger pressed the folds before top-stitching and it made the final result so much better, and easier to achieve. The top-stitching is 1/2" wide (12mm).

The specs, for reference, are:-

• Front/Overlap side Shell: 2cm
• Front/Overlap side Lining-Facing: 0cm (taper towards main seam allowance from about 3cm above the bottom of the zip).
• Back/Underlap side Shell: 1.2cm
• Back/Underlap side Lining-Facing: 1.2cm

Not quite perfect, but leaving the bottom 2.5cm (1") or so of lining unattached to the zip makes a better, easier finish.

The final zip:

I'm not sure how the facings got that unlevel, but it's inside so it's not a big issue.

VS the zip on the 13-year old-skirt:

I know the zip should be inside the facing; was trying to follow the instructions in the pattern...

Issues that Arose...

Most of these were drafting issues.

1. The flare angles on the skirt don't match. This is a biggish issue, because it means that it's impossible to get the plaid to match up on the side seams.
2. I accidentally sewed the side seam too wide on the side without a zip, which means that the lining didn't quite fit the facing until I adjusted it. Solution: keep notes about atypical seam allowances on hand.
3. Cutting out on the carpeted floor of my bedroom does not aid accuracy of pattern-matching.

So Have I Improved?

My zip is better, I've learned to line a skirt, and I drafted my own pattern. I also matched the CF and CB seams' plaid perfectly on the first try! 🙌🏻 So in those ways, yes. I'll do a separate post about the narrow rolled hem on the lining, just to keep things organised.

On the other hand, during this project I've also learned more regarding pattern-matching and using atypical seam allowances. I shall consider this a prototype. You're supposed to find hiccups in prototypes; that's what they're for. I'm thinking of making another PRTW008 skirt, in blue I think, after I amend/redraft the pattern to actually match the plaid. Actually, I might make a lined dress...

All in all I'm happy with this skirt. It's so nice to wear! And warm when I go for a walk! And apart from the hook-and-eye it's entirely machine sewn.

Also, let's just admire how good the Bernina blind-hem is:

🥰

Hand-stitched blind-hem on the original