A Line Skirt: You Sew Girl! Pattern Review

You Sew Girl! patterns by Nicole Mallalieu are all about teaching you skills while you make something you can be proud of. Although the bulk of You Sew Girl! patterns are for handbags they do offer a few garment patterns and it’s their A-Line Skirt pattern I’m currently in love with.

Style details: This A-line skirt has a yoke, no darts and a center back invisible zipper. The yoke is faced but the skirt in not lined. Both the front skirt and the front yoke are cut in one piece. The back skirt and back yoke are made of two pieces.

The pattern can be easily shortened or lengthened and has an option with an off center panel you could do in a second fabric. Suggested fabrics are simply summer to winter weights. I’ve made this skirt three times now; twice in quilting cotton and once in wool.

This skirt is truly a basic style for any wardrobe. It is flattering and comfortable. The pattern could be sewn up in a variety of ways which I list some ideas further on.

The Process:  I don’t believe I’ve ever had a pattern instruction sheet with so many photos and graphics. The writing is clear and detailed. I know how to sew, but I loved, loved, these instructions.

The pattern is only four pieces (skirt front and back and yoke front and back) so any fitting alterations you need to make for your body are simple to do.

The actual sewing process is very straight forward. The steps are in a logical order. There are no shortcuts taken in the construction and yet the skirt sews up quickly. If you follow all of the steps you will have a very well made skirt.

The pattern states that the instructions include, “..the BEST way to insert an invisible zipper.” And I think that was the clincher when I decided to fork over my money for yet another a line skirt pattern (at least my third). No false advertising here, folks. The zipper, should you read and trust and follow the instructions, is easy and truly invisible. (I know because I didn’t read carefully or trust the instructions the first time sewing the skirt). Also you really do want an invisible or concealed zipper foot for your machine for this method.

Here’s a tip; notch where the pattern has notches. And when laying the zipper down to sew it onto the skirt, the notch for CB on the yoke has nothing to do with where the zipper lays. Do not line up your zipper teeth to the notch. If you do you will still get and invisible zipper but you will get a much better and smoother at the top, zipper if you line the zipper tape to the edge of your fabric just like the instructions say to do.

What I did differently:  Besides not trusting the pattern instructions about the zipper the first time around I pretty much followed the instructions. I did only two things differently on all three of my skirts.

First: The instructions call for applying interfacing to the yoke and the yoke facing. I only used one layer of interfacing which I applied to the yoke facing on the cotton skirts. On the wool skirt I used sew in interfacing and applied it to the yoke. If I make this skirt out of a lighter weight fabric I will use two layers of interfacing.

Second: The instructions say to press the side seam allowances toward the back of the skirt. I just couldn’t. Too many years and lessons of pressing my side seams open. I didn’t see that pressing them open would make any difference in the construction or the finished skirt so I did what I’ve been trained to do and pressed them open. Which is a more positive way to phrase it; I am sticking to tradition or I’m rebelling against the instructions?

On my wool skirt I have a center front seam on the skirt front but not the yoke front. This could have been for a design detail but it was actually because I was using an abandoned and unfinished project (a cape) and could only fit the skirt front’s center front along the cape’s center back seam. I liked the look and so went with it. On the wool skirt I also faced the yoke with lining material (also from cape project), not with the wool fabric and lined the skirt fully.

On the third skirt (the olive and orange William Morris type floral) I faced the yoke with a large scrap from my stash. I wanted what was left of the floral fabric for another project so saved what I could by using less of it on the skirt.

What I would do differently: The skirt pattern comes very long. I keep shortening my skirt three inches it seems (more the first time). If the pattern was new to me I would measure down from the low hip to my desired length and shorten the paper pattern from the get go. Which, the instructions do tell you to do on page one. I “knew what I was doing” the first time through so I didn’t even see this page.

Would I make this again:  Yes, most certainly. A-line skirts are my summer uniform (plus it’s a good style for my shape). This a-line is easy and quick to make with beautiful, professional results. I plan to make it in a pinwale corduroy for fall and a natural color linen for summer.

Because the instructions for this pattern are so excellent I would recommend this pattern for any beginner sewer. And because the details of the construction are so thought out I would recommend this pattern to any sewer. And because the skirt is so basic …it’s a great pattern.

You Sew Girl! is an Australian company and doesn’t sell their patterns online however they do list where you can buy their patterns. I bought my A-Line skirt pattern through Pattern Review. The cost is a little high but now that I have made this skirt three times I’m down to $6 per use of pattern. I have bought patterns for more than $6 that I haven’t used. If I make this skirt two more times (my plan) it will cost me less than $3 per use. And the invisible zipper application instructions may alone be worth the price of the pattern.

Different ways you could make this:

• Add patch pockets or side seam pockets
• Add top stitching
• Make a center front seam in the skirt front and add contrasting top stitching along the seam and throw on some front patch pockets with more top stitching
• Add a band of fabric along the bottom A solid skirt with a print band or vice versa
• The yoke could be done in a different fabric
• Put a bright color piping in the yoke seam (especially if done up in traditional menswear fabric)
• Make a party skirt by adding a gathered tulle over skirt in the yoke seam. Taper in and shorten the fabric under skirt so the tulle over skirt is fuller and longer
• Make it in velvet with or without sparkly trim

Have you made this pattern? What was your experience with it? Or maybe you can recommend a different A-line skirt pattern that you love.

Special thanks goes to Basso for staying out of most of the pictures. What a good boy.

You Sew Girl! has a nice blog should you wish to explore.