A Classic Silhouette in Wool Flannel

I was recently contacted by Longan Craft about another collaboration.  And while it may not be the most showy choice of textile, I decided that a wool flannel was the perfect fabric for a classic brown skirt that I have been meaning to make for years.

I have a bunch of sweaters that pair wonderfully with a brown shade, but I never come across the right fabric.

This wool blend has enough body that it makes an excellent choice for a skirt.

I did decide to line the skirt in a rayon for a couple of reasons.  First, a lining helps hold the shape of a garment.  It adds a bit of weight, which is great for a skirt.  And perhaps most importantly, I anticipate wearing the skirt with a a pair of tights, and I just hate when material sticks to my tights - this eliminates that issue.

Because I was fully lining the skirt, I decided to only pink the raw edges.

A standard zipper was installed by hand (pretty standard for me these days).

This pattern is not drafted with a lining.  But adding one is probably the easiest alteration to make to a project.  I simply made a duplicate skirt out of my rayon lining and then dropped it into the skirt, wrong sides together.  Those layers get basted together at the waistline before installing the waistband.

To secure the layers together along the zipper, I hand stitch the lining to the zipper tape.

I also like to add loops at the waistline so that I don't have to use a hanger with clips that will leave marks on the waistline.  Adding a couple of pieces of ribbon in the waist seam is easy enough.  

My biggest issue is remembering to grab a piece of ribbon before I have completed by waistband.  It's rather embarrassing how many times I have had to seam rip the waistband at the side seams to add my ribbons!

I did remember this time around, thankfully.

Everything went together smoothly for this project.  I would say that the pattern is a great option for someone with minimal sewing experience.  The directions are not as detailed as some contemporary pattern, but as long as you keep track of which piece is which, there are just a bunch of vertical seamlines and a waistband to contend with.

The pattern is technically a 1970s pattern, but a classic gored skirt is pretty timeless, in my opinion.

I did have to even out my lining hem, but the flannel is very stable, so it didn't need any trimming.

This is, without a doubt, my least favorite part of the process.

But now that the garment is finished, I can forget about sitting on the floor with a ruler and a bunch of pins . . . until the next project with a shaped skirt and a drapey fabric.

And I guess that's about it.

I would definitely be up for making another version of the skirt should the right fabric come along.  Because you can never have enough fit and flare skirts in the wardrobe!