42(^) sewmag.co.uk
1
Fold the fabric (skirt back) to
match up the marks at the top
of the darts, then sew to the
point (make two darts). Press to the
centre. Staystitch the top edge of all
the main skirt pieces (see tips, left).
2
Finish all raw edges before you
sew. Sew the front pieces
together at the centre-front
seam up to the zip marker point
(transferred). Reinforce the seam at
the zip end. Press the seam open.
3
Press over an extra 4mm
on the seam allowance at the
zip section to accommodate
the exposed teeth. Pin the zip
on the wrong side of the front
pieces so it’s neat on the right side.
7
Sew each back-waist
facing piece to one short
edge of the front waist
facing piece. Press the seams
open, then finish the outer raw
edge all around.
8
Pin the facings to the skirt
at the top raw edge, leaving a
1.5cm overhang at each end.
Tack, then stitch. Press the facing
up, with the seam allowance
pressed up to the facing.
9
Understitch on the facing
side (see tips, left), then
press the facing to the
reverse of the skirt. Tuck the
overhang under at the far ends,
then hand stitch in place.
To attach seam binding to the edge of
the fabric, unfold one binding edge
and pin it to the right side of the fabric
at the raw edge. Sew with a 1cm seam
allowance. Press the binding and
seam allowance upwards on the
reverse. Fold the binding over to the
reverse to encase the raw edges. Pin
[i], then stitch in the ditch on the right
side, making sure the binding is
secured on the reverse [ii]. Press.
Making the darts and inserting the zip
Fiona Hesford’s
top tips for
STITCHING
& FINISHING
l Go to sewmag.co.uk/
templates to download
and print the pattern, then
transfer the markings (darts
and zip) as indicated.
l You will need a zipper foot
attachment for your machine
and one 18cm metal zip with
a ring pull – I got mine from
Armory Auctions on eBay.
l Finish the raw edges
with a zigzag stitch or
using an overlocker.
l Staystitching is a line
of straight stitching worked
1cm from the edge, which
prevents stretching at the
curved edges.
l Understitching is when you
sew a line of stitching close
(roughly 3mm) from the seam
on the right side to secure the
seam allowance, preventing it
from rolling to the front.
l When hand-stitching the
overhanging parts of the
facings, make sure that the
zip is still able to open.
l You can hem the skirt
as you please, but using
seam binding will reduce
bulk and help maintain the
maximum length.
sew a WINTER SKIRT
4
The teeth and ring should
both be exposed on the right
side. Tack, then attach a
zipper foot to your machine.
5
Sew around the zip as
closely to the edge as
possible. Press, then
remove the tacking stitches.
6
With right sides together,
sew the skirt front to the
back at the sides. Once
joined, press the seam open.
Make a 2cm hem as required at the lower edge or use seam binding
Hemming the skirt to hem your skirt as shown below.
Sewing the facings
[i]
[ii]
Tuck these overhang
sections to the inside
and stitch by hand so the
zip can open (see step 9)