Knee-Length Draped Pencil Skirt
A knee-length women's pencil skirt without a waistband, with front pleats, a flounce set into an off-centre front seam and a separate drape panel gathered by a fabric loop. The back has darts, an invisible zipper and a slit.
When To Wear
- At the office with a fitted blouse or jacket.
- For daytime events and dinners with a plain top, in any season.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Narrow pencil shape, tapering slightly to the hem.
Length: Knee length.
Front: Right and left front panels with pleats at the top; a folded flounce with its own pleat is set into the seam between them and falls to the hem.
Waist: No waistband; the top edge is finished with interfaced facings, understitched 0.2 cm. A double-layer drape panel lies 1 cm below the top edge, joined at the centre by a loop and held in the side seams.
Back: Two darts on each back panel, centre back seam with an invisible zipper and a slit at the hem, topstitched 0.1 cm from the edge.
Finishing: Hem turned up 3 cm and sewn with blind stitches.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. A flounce set into a seam, a bagged drape panel with a loop, faced waist edge with an invisible zipper, and a back slit.
Fabric Recommendations
Fine suiting fabrics in natural or blended fibres.
Additional Supplies
- Fusible interfacing (waist facings)
- 1 invisible zipper
Cutter's Must
If the patterns have a double contour, they include seam allowances. If the contour is single, the patterns do not include seam allowances. Seam allowances: all seams 1 cm. Seam allowance for the center back seam - 1.5 cm. Hem allowance – 3 cm. Attention! First, print out the paper patterns and lay them out on the fabric width (fabric width can be from 90cm to 150cm) to determine how much material you will need. Markings on the patterns are on the right side of the fabric.
- From main fabric:
- Back – 2 pieces
- Right front – 1 piece
- Left front – 1 piece
- Right flying – 2 pieces
- Left flying – 2 pieces
- Flounce – 1 piece
- Back facing – 2 pieces
- Front facing – 1 piece
- Bridge – 1 piece
- From fusible interfacing:
- Back facing – 2 pieces
- Front facing – 1 piece
Sewing Instructions
When stitching pieces, pay attention to the notches - they must match!
- Reinforce the facings of the upper edge with fusible interfacing.
- Stitch the darts on the back pieces, press the dart allowances towards the center.
- Overlock the center back edges of the back. Stitch the center back seam of the back from the zipper mark to the slit mark. Press the seam allowances open, pressing the zipper slit and the lower slit. Insert the zipper.
- Fold the flounce piece in half lengthwise, right sides together, and stitch the edge from the fold to the mark "o". Trim the seam allowances at the corners, clip at the mark, turn the flounce right side out, straighten, and press.
- Form and secure the pleats on the front pieces. Stitch the left and right front pieces, inserting the flounce between them. Press the seam allowances towards the left side seam and overlock. Form a pleat on the flounce and attach it to the front along the upper edge.
- Stitch the right flying to the left, press the seam allowances open. Fold the flying pieces right sides together and stitch the upper and lower edges. Clip the seam allowances at the curves, turn the piece right side out, straighten, and press.
- Fold the bridge in half lengthwise, right sides together, and stitch the longitudinal edges. Turn right side out, press, positioning the seam in the middle of the piece. Overlock the short edges. Wrap the bridge around the seam of the flying panels and stitch the bridge into a loop. Place the flying on the front, 1 cm from the upper edge, and secure at the side edges.
- Stitch the side seams, press the seam allowances towards the back and overlock.
- Stitch the side seams of the facings. Overlock the lower edge. Fold the facing with the skirt right sides together and stitch the upper edge. Topstitch the seam allowances to the facing at a distance of 0.2 cm from the stitching line. Fold the facings to the wrong side and press. Fold under the center edges of the facing and sew to the zipper tape.
- Overlock the lower edge of the skirt, press to the wrong side, and hem with blind stitches. Topstitch the lower slit 0.1 cm from the edge.
