Ruched Front Skirt with Flounce
A fitted women's skirt of about knee length with a centre front seam gathered on a decorative cord, a three-part flounce at the hem and a faced waist with no waistband. Zip in the left side seam.
When To Wear
- In summer, made in thin viscose or silk, with a fitted top or a blouse tucked in.
- For dinners and parties, with heels.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Fitted through the waist and hips, shaped with darts on the front and back.
Front: Right and left front panels joined by a centre front seam. The seam allowances are topstitched 0.7 cm from the seam to form a channel; a cord threaded through it and secured at the top with a 1 cm bar tack gathers the front into ruching, with the cord ends hanging free.
Skirt: The flounce is cut in three parts (back, right front, left front). At the front the flounce seam curves up towards the centre, and the two front flounces part at the centre front; their front edges are turned under and topstitched 0.5 cm from the edge.
Back: One panel with two darts and no centre back seam.
Waist: No waistband: the top edge is finished with an interfaced front and back facing, understitched 0.2 cm from the seam.
Closure: Zip in the left side seam.
Finishing: Flounce seams pressed towards the skirt; hem turned up and topstitched 0.5 cm from the edge.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. A drawstring channel made from seam allowances, a three-part flounce with open front edges, a side zip and a waist facing, all in thin, slippery fabric.
Fabric Recommendations
Thin viscose or silk fabrics.
Additional Supplies
- Fusible interfacing (waist facings)
- Zip for the left side seam
- Decorative cord
Cutter's Must
- From main fabric:
- Back – 1 piece
- Front right – 1 piece
- Front left – 1 piece
- Front skirt half facing – 1 piece
- Back skirt half facing – 1 piece
- Back flounce – 1 piece
- Front right flounce – 1 piece
- Front left flounce – 1 piece
- From fusible interfacing: front and back facings.
Sewing Instructions
- Fuse interfacing to the front and back facings.
- Mark and stitch darts on the front and back panels. Press darts on the back towards the center of the back, and darts on the front towards the center of the front.
- Overlock the front edge of the right and left front flounce. Press the seam allowance of the right and left front flounce to the wrong side and topstitch 0.5 cm from the edge. Attach the right flounce to the right front, and the left flounce to the left front. Overlock the attachment seam and press towards the skirt.
- Attach the back flounce to the back. Overlock the attachment seam and press towards the skirt.
- Overlock the front edge of the right and left front panels. Stitch and press open the front seam of the right and left front panels. Topstitch the seam allowances 0.7 cm from the seam. Insert a cord and secure at the top with a 1 cm horizontal bar tack.
- Overlock the side edges of the front and back panels. Stitch the side seams of the skirt and press open, leaving an opening in the left side seam for the zipper.
- Stitch the right side edge of the facings and press the seam open. Overlock the outer edge of the facings.
- Insert the zipper. Face the upper edge of the front and back skirt halves with the facing. Topstitch the facing allowance to the facing 0.2 cm from the facing seam. Turn under the side edges of the facing and hand stitch.
- Overlock the lower edge of the flounce. Press the allowance to the wrong side and topstitch to the skirt 0.5 cm from the lower edge.
