Black Linen Skirt

 Voila! What do you think?

**Warning: This is a Very Long post!**

It will not hurt my feelings at all if you skip reading it and go straight to the end. ;)

Here's the back story: I had this wonderful length of black linen that I picked up last year. It is so beautiful and soft and simply delicious! 

black linen & printed cotton

It just asked and asked to be an amazing, high-waisted, pencil skirt. Perhaps New Look 6912 would prove to be the one?

New Look 6912

A quick look at the reverse of the envelope told me that this was not the pattern for this fabric. The back of the skirt is made of four pieces and the front is made of three. There was no way that I was going to cut this beautiful, buttery, linen into strips and then sew it all up again. Nope! So, into my pattern stash I went and came out with this one:

Butterick B5917 Ruffle Dress

Yes, yes, I know. It's another dress pattern and I'm trying to make a skirt.... but it has that beautiful high-waisted and form fitting look that I'm going for. The only major drawback is that I would have to figure out what to do for a waistband, when I got that far.

Finding the size was a bit tricky. While the envelope states that the finished garment measurements are on the tissue, and they are, they were not at all what I had expected. You have to look on each pattern piece to find them and then you have to try and guess what they mean. For example, on the front skirt piece there are two sets of numbers (a size and a measurement, but measurement of what?). I took a guess that the numbers were for the waist measure and the hip measure. I ended up going with a straight size 14.

Usually I omit any front darts but since these are for contouring in at the waistline, I figured that they were important and kept them. Also, I was going to move the zipper from the center back to the side but changed my mind.

The first change that I did make was to add two inches to the hem length. I did this because I like a longer hem and because this lovely linen deserves more than a skimpy finish. Secondly, I omitted the slit in the back. At first I sewed it up by mistake but during the first fitting, I decided to just finish the hem without it. So, my only real sewing issue was, "what to do with the waistband"? Turns out, it wasn't tricky at all. I took an inch off the top and gave it a self-fabric facing. I used some interfacing to help with stability and keep it from scrunching up too much when I move or sit.

I was able to stave off my OCD about hand sewing and did both the darts and flat felled the side seams on the machine. Later I indulged myself by hand tacking the fabric around the zipper, the waistband facing and bottom hemline. Even with this it was a nice quick project. I started after supper on Monday, skipped this project on Tuesday and finished up Wednesday evening. After looking at the original image used for this post, I decided to take in the side seams 5/8 inch on each side. So on Friday I sized it down and posted a new picture.

My favorite part about this skirt is that it gives me... a Waist!!! Yeah!!! Wow, I love it! I actually have a waist... and hips! Look, look, I'm Not a rectangle, I have curves....

Ok, I'm done with the happy dance. :) I'll be making the full version of this dress very soon... in a size 12 at most.