Draped Front Pencil Skirt
A knee-length women's pencil skirt on a shaped yoke, with an asymmetric draped front: downward pleats fanning out from the hip, a diagonal seam with a pleat folded over it, and a hidden pocket under the pleats. The back has darts, a concealed zip and a centre back vent.
When To Wear
- For the office with a fitted blouse or a jacket.
- With a top and heels for daytime events and dinners.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Pencil skirt, close to the body, narrowing slightly towards the hem.
Length: Knee length.
Waist: Sits on an interfaced yoke, front and back, faced with an inner yoke; no waistband.
Front: One-piece front panel with a side piece. Several pleats, pressed downwards and topstitched, fan from the side towards the centre; a diagonal seam runs down the front, covered by a pleat.
Pockets: One pocket set under the pleats at the hip, with its bag stitched to the side piece.
Back: Two back panels with darts, a centre back seam with a concealed zip and a vent at the hem.
Finishing: Hem finished with interfaced shaped facings, front and back, attached around the vent and hand-hemmed with blind stitches.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. Pleats placed and topstitched to a drawing, a pocket set into a pleated panel, a lined yoke, a concealed zip, a vent and a faced hem.
Fabric Recommendations
Suiting fabrics of natural or blended fibres that drape well.
Additional Supplies
- Fusible interfacing (yokes, hem facings)
- Concealed zip
Cutter's Must
- From main fabric:
- Back yoke – 4 pieces
- Back skirt half – 2 pieces
- Front yoke - 2 pieces
- Front skirt half – 1 piece
- Side - 1 piece
- Pocket lining - 1 piece
- Right back hem facing – 1 piece
- Left back hem facing – 1 piece
- Front hem facing – 1 piece
- From fusible interfacing:
- Back yoke – 2 pieces
- Front yoke - 1 piece
- Right back hem facing – 1 piece
- Left back hem facing – 1 piece
- Front hem facing – 1 piece
Sewing Instructions
- Fuse fusible interfacing to the corresponding pieces.
- Stitch darts on the back skirt halves. Press seam allowances towards the center. Attach the outer back yokes to the back skirt halves, press seam allowances upwards.
- Finish the center edges of the back skirt half separately on each piece, simultaneously finishing the vent. Stitch the center edge from the zipper mark to the edge of the vent. Press the seam allowances open, pressing the opening for the fastener, press the vent seam allowances towards the left side edge. Press the right side of the vent by 1 cm. Secure the vent seam allowances with machine stitching. Insert the zipper.
- On the front skirt half, create pleats below the pocket opening (depths directed downwards). Place the pocket bag on the front skirt half and stitch around the pocket opening. Fold the pocket bag to the wrong side, straighten, and press.
- Place the front skirt half on the side, secure the pocket opening and side edges. Stitch the bottom and vertical edges of the pocket bag, finish the seam allowances.
- Stitch the slit of the front skirt half, finish the seam allowances. Create a pleat above the slit, secure it.
- On the front skirt half, create the remaining pleats (depths directed downwards). Topstitch them onto the front skirt half according to the technical drawing. Attach the outer front yoke to the front skirt half.
- Stitch the side edges, press seam allowances towards the back and finish them.
- Stitch the side edges of the inner yokes. Finish the bottom edge. Fold the yoke with the skirt right sides together and stitch the upper edge. Topstitch the seam allowances onto the inner yoke at a distance of 0.2 cm from the stitching line. Fold the facings to the wrong side, press. Fold the center edges of the inner yoke and sew to the zipper tape. Topstitch the inner yoke into the seam of the outer yoke attachment.
- Stitch the side edges of the lower facings, press seam allowances open. Finish the upper edge. Attach the facings to the vent seam allowances, press seam allowances towards the facing, stitch the lower edge. Clip the seam allowances, turn the facing to the wrong side, straighten the corners, press. Hem with blind stitches.
