A Line Skirt With 2" Flare and Pockets

If you know me, you'll know I dislike drafting my own patterns for garments. I'd much rather someone else do the hard work. That is why I bought this book Beginner's Guide to skirts by Wendy Ward. After buying it, I didn't open it for at least 6 months until last year in September or so. I wanted a simple A line skirt with pockets and after looking for one in shops without much success, I realised that if I wanted one, I've got to make it myself! And the book has the pattern for something similar. So lucky or so I thought.

Then I tried to trace the pattern. OMG. Is it just me or do all the lines look the same? It is so unfortunate that the pattern I wanted was printed in some sort of purple which is so similar to another purple.  And I cannot tell the difference between the two. I might be purple colour blind! I made a few attempts to trace the pattern but finally I gave up because I didn't want to die before my time. Why couldn't the patterns be printed in black and white? It's so frustrating. $29.95 down the drain.

I didn't want to give up on the skirt so I decided to draft one myself which is an indication of how much I want the skirt. Fortunately I still have my basic skirt pattern which I made in 2018. Using that pattern as a base, I used a cut and slash method to give the skirt a 2" flare.

And this beautiful skirt was the result. I wanted a waistband and I wore this skirt at waist level. It is surprisingly comfy despite my having a bit of a tummy. Oh, why can't I have a flat tummy!

When I drafted the pockets, I was a bit greedy and drafted them too big. Next time I'll be sure to go narrower and less deep. Also, I wonder if you can spot something?

Yup, silly me. I have a dart in the pocket. After the cut and slash, I didn't manage to remove the dart entirely and I chose to keep it instead of widening the skirt flare. Or I could have removed the dart entirely since it is so small! Having a dart in the pocket instead of the skirt front created so many little things you have to take care of to ensure the skirt matches up with the pocket and still stays within the correct width. Needless to say, I'll never put a dart in a pocket again.

I don't know why I chose to go with center zipper installation. I think a lapped zipper might be better.

I made the skirt in January because I suddenly wanted to wear it for Chinese New Year. To make sure I don't abandon the project, I did not buy any new bottoms which means if I don't finish the skirt...

In case you find the fabric for the skirt familiar, I used the leftover fabric from my Crescent Bag. The fabric is comfortable and only cost me $5 per yard!

I love, love this skirt so much. My daughter says she likes the skirt so it's on my to-do list.

Specs:
Finished  skirt is 21.5" long including waistband
Finished waistband is 1.25" wide