I recently had the chance to review the book Flirt Skirts by Patti Gilstrap and Seryn Potter. I'm not normally a fan of sewing clothes, but if I were to sew anything for me, chances are it would be a skirt.
I loved this book! It has instructions for 3 basic skirt types: A-line, Pencil and Flare, in sizes 2-14. It takes you through how to determine your size & fit, it shows you how to draft a pattern in your size and how to alter it, if needed. It also shows you how to make each of those three basic skirts, step by step. Then, it shows you how to use those basic skirt skills and kick it up a notch. It has 20 different patterns for customized skirts. It also has a section at the back of the book about how to putting your look together. That was a neat addition, I thought.
The authors made it look easy enough, but I wanted to see if I could do actually do it! I'm a simple girl, so I tried sewing a basic A-Line skirt pattern. Overall, things went very well! I did a bit of seam ripping, but that's to be expected.
The fabric I used is Flora and Fauna by Patty Young for Michael Miller. I bought it with the sole intention of making a skirt. (7 months ago) :) I LOVE the border with the 2 toned dots. Anyway, back to the skirt construction. I made this skirt from start to finish today! I pre-washed and ironed my fabric. I drafted my pattern (not a big fan of the process, but it wasn't too bad), I sewed an invisible zipper for the first time ever in a garment (feeling pretty great about that one!), and also used single fold bias tape for the first time. The instructions were easy to follow and very accurate. I LOVE my new skirt. It fits very, very well and I'm sure I'll wear it a ton. I give the book 2 thumbs up!
Happy Monday to you!