Three Seam Straight Skirt
A lined women's straight skirt with only three seams: two side seams and a centre back seam with a zip and a slit at the hem. Waist darts at the front and back and a straight waistband with a button.
When To Wear
- For office and business wear with shirts, blouses and jackets.
- As part of a skirt suit in autumn, winter and spring.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Straight and close-fitting through the hips, narrowing slightly towards the hem, shaped by darts: one on each side of the front, two on each back panel in the drawing.
Length: Knee length.
Waist: Straight interfaced waistband, topstitched in the ditch of the joining seam from the right side.
Closure: Zip in the centre back seam, set under the pressed edges so the teeth are hidden; buttonhole on the left end of the waistband, button on the right-end extension.
Back: Centre back seam with an open slit at the hem; the slit edges are pressed to the wrong side and sewn to the hem allowance.
Lining: Full lining with darts, hemmed 2 cm shorter than the skirt and slipstitched to the slit allowances and zip tapes.
Level Of Difficulty
Beginner. Darts, a zip under folded edges, a straight waistband, a hem slit and a simple lining.
Fabric Recommendations
Wool, wool-blend or mixed-fibre suiting fabrics.
Additional Supplies
- Lining fabric in a matching colour
- Fusible interfacing (waistband)
- 1 zip
- 1 button
Cutter's Must
- From main fabric:
- Front Skirt – 1 piece (cut on fold)
- Back Skirt – 2 pieces
- Waistband – 1 piece
- From lining fabric:
- Front Skirt – 1 piece (cut on fold)
- Back Skirt – 2 pieces
- From fusible interfacing: Waistband – 1 piece.
Sewing Instructions
- Fuse interfacing to the Waistband (Fusible interfacings are ironed onto the wrong side of the piece with a strongly heated iron).
- Stitch the center back seam between the zipper-opening mark and the slit mark. Press the edges of the zipper opening and the slit to the wrong side.
- Stitch the zipper under the pressed edges of the upper (zipper) opening so that the teeth are not visible.
- Stitch the darts and the side seams.
- On the lining, stitch the darts and seams. Place the lining into the skirt, wrong side to wrong side, and baste to the upper edge of the skirt. Turn under the lining allowances at the zipper opening and slipstitch them to the zipper tapes.
- Place the Waistband right sides together with the upper edge of the skirt and stitch, leaving the waistband extending beyond the right back edge as an underlap for the closure. Stitch the Waistband ends and turn them right side out. Turn under the inner edge of the Waistband and topstitch from the right side, stitching in the ditch of the attachment seam. Make a buttonhole on the left end of the Waistband and sew a button on the right end.
- Hem the skirt. Sew the slit allowances to the hem allowance. Hem the lining so that it is 2 cm shorter than the skirt. Turn under the lining edges at the slit and slipstitch them to the slit allowances.
