A Stitching Odyssey: Pattern drafting - finished skirt

When I was pondering which style of skirt to make for my pattern drafting course, one reader's comment really struck a cord with me. Reana Louise said, "DO IT! And make a skirt like something you've never made (and might never make again) while you've got an expert on hand to answer questions". Reana's comment forced me to think outside of my style comfort zone and to actually contemplate designing and wearing a skirt I didn't think would suit my body type. Out of my six inspiration images, it's this skirt on the right that really made my heart sing. But lack of confidence and negative assumptions about my body shape made me initially discard it as an option and settle on a more gathered type of skirt. But Reana's comment kept niggling away at me and I'm so glad it did!

Despite my issues with wearing most types of skirts - outlined here - I do actually love this one! It's not perfect by any means, but it looks and feels better than I could have imagined. And I guess that's all to do with the fact that it was designed to my exact measurements.

I chose darker colours to flatter my curves and a jersey yoke - which you may recognise from here - to accommodate the muffin tops comfortably. The middle part is made of a canvas type cotton and the bottom band is linen. I'm seriously tempted to knock a summer version up in brighter colours and completely in cotton or linen.

I still have issues with lining garments, meaning I don't actually know how to so it properly as I've never fully-lined anything...yet. So I improvised by underlining the bottom two thirds of the skirt, which has worked out absolutely fine for this. Phew!

I wanted to show you this next picture mostly to brag about my neat insides, but also to giggle about my shape. It really is quite funny seeing in 'black and white' just how much larger my butt and hips are compared to my waist...no wonder I have fit issues with skirts!

I'm not going to lie, and you've probably realised it by now, but I'm really proud of this make. A lot of work and re-working goes into designing, drafting and then sewing a garment and I'm so pleased to have an end result that I like. I mean, for one, look at all that stripe matching...

No, really...look at it! The tiny pocket is practically camouflaged, but I assure you it's there...see?

Among many firsts during this make, I also learned a new technique by inserting my first ever exposed zip. It was easy overall, but a tiny bit fiddlier than I originally anticipated. I used a combination of two excellent tutorials to guide me though it - this one by BurdaStyle and a video tutorial featuring Gertie.

So, erm...I kinda like my skirt! I realise that some of you may actually want to know more about the design and drafting process, so I'll do a separate post on that aspect either later this week or early next week.

If you've had a go at pattern drafting, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Do you prefer it to working with ready-made patterns?