So for the last few weeks on the blog, it’s been all about sewing skirts. Today’s little mid-week bonus blog post is a round up of the series, together with a mini-guide  to just a few of the great indie skirt patterns out there.

Why a skirt series?

I love those few weeks of the year, around Spring and Autumn, when it’s actually feasible that both Northern and Southern hemisphere sewists (speaking in purely geographical terms here) can be sewing the same kind of garments. Skirts are wonderfully versatile like that, with great potential to be styled for warm and cooler weather.

But, despite being an avid fan of skirts, I realised I didn’t have enough that I liked in my wardrobe.

I had too many skirts with unflattering gathers around the waist. Like this one:

And I had plenty of no-pattern self-drafted type skirts:

But I really hadn’t paid enough attention to the potential of the indie pattern world when it comes to skirts.

There was just this big part of my brain that thought, but a skirt pattern, that’s only half a dress. Why would I pay the same amount of cash for only half a pattern…

So I set out to sew myself through some skirt patterns and see if my skirt-bias was at all justified.

So….

Well, I’m a convert. A well-drafted skirt pattern with interesting details is definitely worth paying for! My new mantra is “I shall no longer sneer at skirt patterns, I shall no longer sneer at skirt patterns”.

This series has given me a chance to test out different lengths and styles of skirts. I’ve ended up with a (for me) short skirt, a midi-skirt and a crazy high-low skirt. I’ve also had the chance to delve into some great takes on classic skirts, like the pencil skirt and wrap skirt.

Skirt Series Round Up

In case you missed the posts, the skirt series started off with the Deer and Doe Azara skirt. This midi skirt is likely to be a firm favourite for me for years to come.

Next up, was the YoYo Skirt by Papercut Patterns. This one is a little shorter and different from what I would normally wear. But I feel very cute in it.

Next up, it was off-to-work in the Agnes Skirt by new indie pattern company Pearson and Pope. I’ve sewn a few pencil skirts in my time and this one is hands-down the best pencil skirt pattern I’ve sewn.

Finally, for a bit of over-the-top girlie drama, I rounded things off with my Megan Nielsen Cascade Skirt. This one is also a great skirt pattern for a beginner sewist. I would have been so ridiculously proud to have made this for my first sewing project!

But, strike of the sewjo…

Now, I have a confession to make here.

I actually still have at least two more skirts which were supposed to be part of the skirt series. Waiting at home, I have the lovely Madeleine Skirt by Victory Patterns (speaking of which, have you seen how great Dolly Clackett looks in her version?).

The other skirt which is waiting patiently on my pattern pile is the oh-so-chic but not very creatively named “Skirt with godets and Seam Detail” from DP Studio. I have been eyeing off this pattern for almost two years now. It is a “love-at-first-sight” but need to find the perfect fabric kind of love affair.

Whilst I’m still very much looking forward to sewing these, I decided to stop sewing skirts for right now.

Why?

Because I realise that I am a totally fickle sewist. I derive pleasure from this hobby when I am free to sew whatever it is that strikes my fancy at any given moment. When I sew a garment because I feel that I have to sew the garment, some of the pleasure is sucked out. It starts to feel like work…

And don’t we all get enough of that in real life? There’s no need to import it into our sewing life too!

So, to ensure that I have the enthusiasm and pleasure that the above-mentioned beautiful patterns deserve, I’ve decided I need to take a little break from skirt sewing and come back to it when the sewjo says so.

Cuz right now, the sewjo wants to sew coats. And knit tops…

And now for the lollipop…

But, the main purpose of today’s little roundup isn’t just to tell you that I have the same attention span as my three year old when it comes to sticking to things. What the hell, his attention span is actually vastly superior to mine. After all, he asks without fail, if he can eat a lollipop for breakfast, every single morning. It requires stamina and staying power, that kind of persistence…

The main point of today’s post is that, in the course of deciding what skirts to sew for this series, I realised that there are all kinds of lovely skirt patterns out there in the indie sewing pattern world. So, just like I did with my knit dress post, I just wanted to put together a link party with a few of my favourite skirt sewing patterns. Since, you know, recent convert to the genre, and all.

The #sewfrosting challenge is having a bit of a moment on instagram right now and for a bit of a statement, frosting-style, skirt, I think this asymmetric ruffle skirt from DP Studio is just amazing. If I thought I could pull this style off, I would sew it up in a heartbeat!

Now, for a FREE PATTERN, I think it’s pretty tough to go past this beautiful Vintage-Style Skirt from Pepermint Magazine. This one very nearly made it into the skirt series and I have no doubt it will make its way onto my sewing queue at some point in the future.

Seriously, all skirts should have pockets! That’s actually my one beef with most of the skirts I’ve sewn in this series. Except for the Agnes Skirt, which has lovely pockets, none of the other skirts above came with pockets! I added them for the Azara Skirt. I didn’t add them for the Yoyo Skirt because I just plain forgot until it was too late. And then with the Cascade Skirt, I wanted to add them but got confused as to whether it was possible to still sew a french seam for the side seam if there were pockets. And I was too lazy to google an answer to that question so I just forged ahead without them.

But, since sewists like me may tend to shy away from skirt patterns because of a false belief that they’re not as much bang-for-your-buck, they should definitely include those little details that can help sway us! Am I right? Pockets, please!

So, speaking of skirts with pockets, the Gypsum Skirt by Sew Liberated is one which seems very popular and I’ve seen some lovely versions of it (like this one from @ritapetal). I’m also a big fan of the Hollyburn Skirt by Sewaholic.

If an A-line (mini) skirt is more you’re style, then the Delphine Skirt from Love at First Stitch is also extremely popular! I can definitely see this looking lovely in a plaid wool. Also on shorter skirts, I just love the look of the Wonder Mini by Vanessa Pouzet. I think that one’s only available in French, but, if you need, google translate is your friend…

Also, a category that I didn’t have a chance to explore in this series is the great potential of knit skirts! But I have my eyes on a Bibi Skirt from Tilly’s Stretch book for the future!

So, over to you, what are your favourite skirt patterns? Or, like I used to be, do you tend to go “I can make that myself, or just hack it from a dress pattern”? What’s your skirt story??

Oh and, finally, a little P.S! If you like to get your blog hits through Bloglovin’, feel free to follow me over there: you can find me here. And you can find me on Instagram here.