How to Make Pencil Skirts

Pencil skirts are sleek and business-like.

A fashionable woman’s wardrobe staple for office wear and winter wear, pencil skirts are a type of long and tailored skirt often made of wool or wool blend fabrics. Wool is used in tailored clothing, like suits and pencil skirts, for its durability, warmth and ability to keep its shape, but wool clothing usually needs to be dry cleaned. Pencil skirts can be smartly combined with a blazer and underblouse to create a feminine suit or a sleek sweater or turtleneck to create an elegant, professional winter ensemble. Those with intermediate sewing skills can make fashionable pencil skirts at home for a fraction of the cost of designer clothing.

Things You'll Need

• Fabric measuring tape
• Pencil skirt pattern
• Scissors
• Wool fabric
• Pins
• Iron
• Sewing machine
• Thread
• Invisible zipper
• Invisible zipper foot

Instructions

1. Measure your waist and hips with the fabric measuring tape. Find your size on the envelope of the pencil skirt pattern based on your measurements.

2. Take the pattern sheets out of the pattern envelope. Unfold them and lay them on a flat surface. Cut them out.

3. Place the wool fabric on a flat surface. Place the pattern pieces on top of the fabric and then pin them into place. Cut out the fabric pieces and remove the pins.

4. Place the pieces with right sides together and pin. Sew in place with the sewing machine using a 5/8 inch seam allowance or as otherwise indicated on the pattern envelope. However, make sure that you do not sew the seam where the zipper will be inserted. Remove the pins.

5. Press the inside seams down with an iron. Clip the excess fabric from the inside seams if you wish. Turn the skirt right side out.

6. Remove the standard sewing machine foot and replace it with the invisible zipper foot. Unzip the invisible zipper and lay it with right sides together on top of the zipper opening. Adjust to line up the open zipper with the opening and pin in place.

7. Carefully sew the zipper to the skirt with the sewing machine. Remove the pins. Remove the invisible zipper foot and put the standard sewing machine foot back on.

8. Turn the skirt inside out. Fold the inside edge over at the waistband and pin in place. Do the same with the hem. Sew the waistband and hem edges down and remove pins. Turn right side out.

Tips & Warnings

• Pinstripe fabric is a good option for pencil skirts. Make sure that the stripes are facing the correct way before you cut out each piece and again before you sew the pieces together.

References

• Polo, The Ralph Lauren Style Guide: An A-Z Guide to Fashion; P
• Sewing and Craft Alliance; Invisible Zipper; July 2009