Straight Skirt with Buttoned Back Vent
A fully lined women's straight skirt ending around the knee, with princess seams at the front and back, multi-piece side panels with angled seams, a horizontal back seam at hip level and a centre back vent closed with three buttons. Concealed zip and a one-button waistband at the centre back.
When To Wear
- Office wear with blouses, fitted knitwear and jackets.
- Autumn, winter and spring, with tights and heeled shoes or ankle boots.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Straight, fitted through the hips, shaped by seams instead of darts.
Length: Around the knee; 3 cm hem, overlocked and sewn by hand with a blind stitch.
Front: One-piece centre front panel between princess seams; the side panels are pieced from upper, middle and lower sections with angled seams at the hip.
Back: Princess seams, angled seams from the side towards the centre, and a horizontal seam joining the upper back to the lower back pieces.
Closure: Concealed zip in the upper centre back seam; straight interfaced waistband with corners turned out, fastened with one button and buttonhole at the centre back.
Skirt: Centre back vent below the horizontal seam, interfaced, with three buttonholes and three buttons.
Lining: Full lining, attached to the zip tape and the waistband, its hem turned up twice by 1 cm, sewn by hand to the vent edges.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. Many seamed panels to match at the notches, a concealed zip, a buttoned vent with the lining cut out and sewn around it, and a hand-finished hem.
Fabric Recommendations
Lightweight woollen fabrics from natural or blended fibres.
Additional Supplies
- Lining fabric
- Fusible interfacing (waistband, vent)
- Concealed zip
- 1 button for the waistband
- 3 buttons for the vent
Cutter's Must
If the patterns have a double contour, seam allowances are included; if the contour is single, seam allowances are not included. Seam allowances: all seams – 1 cm; skirt hem – 3 cm; lining hem (included on the pattern) – 1 cm; vent allowance on the Lower Right Back – 6 cm. First print the paper patterns and lay them out on the fabric width (90–150 cm) to determine how much fabric you need. Match the notches when stitching!
- From main fabric:
- Middle Side 1 – 2 pieces
- Middle Side 2 – 2 pieces
- Lower Side 1 – 2 pieces
- Lower Side 2 – 2 pieces
- Lower Left Back – 1 piece
- Lower Right Back – 1 piece
- Upper Back – 2 pieces
- Upper Side – 2 pieces
- Front Skirt – 1 piece
- Waistband – 1 piece
- From lining:
- Side Back Lining – 2 pieces
- Side Front Lining – 2 pieces
- Front Lining – 1 piece
- Back Lining – 2 pieces
- From fusible interfacing: Waistband – 1 piece; strips for the vent area of the Lower Left Back and Lower Right Back.
Sewing Instructions
- Stitch Middle Side 1 and Middle Side 2. Overlock the seam allowances and press towards part 1. Stitch the joined pieces to the Upper Side. Overlock the seam allowances and press upwards. Stitch Lower Side 1 and Lower Side 2. Overlock the seam allowances and press towards part 1. Stitch the upper and lower side sections together. Overlock the seam allowances and press upwards.
- On the Lower Right Back and Lower Left Back, reinforce the vent area with fusible interfacing on the wrong side. On the right side, mark the center seam line (vent fold line). Press the left piece along the vent fold line; on the right piece, press only the seam allowance of the right side of the vent (6 cm) to the wrong side. Align the parts along the center seam and secure along the upper edge. Stitch the Upper Back pieces from the zipper notch to the lower edge. Press the seam allowances open and overlock. Stitch the upper and lower back sections together. Press the seam allowances upwards and overlock. Insert the concealed zipper, press the seam.
- Stitch the front and back princess seams. Press the seam allowances towards the center of the front and center of the back respectively and overlock.
- Stitch, overlock and press the lining seams. In the center back seam of the lining, stitch only the short section between the notches. Stitch the lining zipper allowances to the zipper tape. Secure the lining to the garment along the upper edge.
- Reinforce the waistband with fusible interfacing. Press the waistband in half lengthwise, wrong sides together. Attach the outer side of the waistband to the upper edge of the skirt, simultaneously finishing the waistband corners. Fold the inner edge of the waistband inwards and topstitch into the waistband attachment seam. Make a buttonhole and sew on a button.
- Overlock the lower edge of the skirt. Fold up, press and sew the hem with a blind stitch. Make buttonholes on the vent. Fold the hem of the lining twice by 1 cm and topstitch.
- Turn the skirt inside out. Tack the shell and the lining together along the center back seam, shifting the lining fabric slightly upwards. On the left side of the lining, cut out a rectangle according to the markings and snip the corner. Fold the lining edges and sew them to the sides of the vent.
- Sew buttons onto the vent.
