Lately I’ve felt that there’s a gap in my wardrobe: a durable skirt that works for biking as well as out-and-about, something durable with scissor-sized pockets for work, and in a versatile color and fabric for year-round wear. I’m really happy with the design of this skirt, which I feel is vaguely utili-kilt-y, but in a good way.
I used a grayish-lavender stretch denim twill from Fabric Planet. As is my habit when working with denim, I used the “wrong” side of the fabric so that the tell-tale diagonal weave is on the inside of the skirt.
The skirt is made out of four panels, with a waistband that dips down to a button placket in the front and two lined back pockets. I’m really happy with the stretchiness of the fabric in the waistband–it is so comfortable! I used an elastic lace as hem tape, which work surprisingly well. I stretched the elastic slightly as I was sewing it to the cut bottom, which pulled in the flair of the skirt when I flipped the hem up. There was no bunching or gathering.
I sewed the buttonholes by hand because I usually don’t like the way buttonholes turn out on stretch fabric when I use my machine. All the stitching is done in a fuchsia thread that gives the skirt a bit of a kick.
The only drawback I’ve discovered is that this fabric is a lint magnet. I can’t just brush off the inevitable threads and clippings that I generate on a constant basis–instead I have to get out a strip of packing tape. This isn’t really a big deal, but it’s something for me to consider in the future.
