Adventures in Drafting: 7 gore skirt
Gorgeous Italian deadstock fabric
I have had this Italian dead stock fabric from Blackbird Fabrics for around 4 years. It’s absurd that I let something so beautiful sit so long in my stash, but also it felt so precious that I didn’t want to waste it either. Because it was somewhat expensive I only bought 1.5 meters, since I didn’t have a specific project in mind. I was then left with the conundrum, that most tops didn’t feel special enough to use with the fabric, but I didn’t have enough for a dress. So I waited. Luckily inspiration did strike, but it took me a few years to finish! I knew I wanted to create a skirt design I had in my mind and I wanted to do it right, so that meant drafting.
Although I’ve shared the trousers I recently drafted, I did start with this skirt design. While sewing indie patterns I never saw a pattern just like it, and although there were ones I could probably hack to make my own, I decided I really wanted to draft and design the whole thing. Making this skirt was actually one of my motivators for taking a drafting class. Wanting to fully realize the design ideas in my head! Although this skirt idea was exciting for me, I’ve started and stopped multiple times as other projects came and went. Ah the life of a sewist! But here we are, I did it!
As I mentioned above I did take a flat pattern drafting class in a fashion design program about 2 years ago, so I’m coming at this with some knowledge and skills I’ve learned through that process. The book I use is Patternmaking for Fashion Design, 5th edition. I really like this book overall. The most important step I found was finding a sewing friend to help you take all your measurements first. I was lucky that right before the pandemic I did this with a group from my class so I have all those and just make some changes as needed.
I started with drafting my skirt block, which is the foundation from which all skirt designs can then be created from. I made sure I was happy with the fit and then from there I used drafting methods from books, my own ideas, and some trial and error to create the look I was going for.
If you’re wanting to dip a toe in drafting your own patterns I think the skirt block is the best way to start. This is the way we started in my flat pattern drafting class and it makes a lot of sense. With a bodice you have to account for chest measurements, darts, armholes, sleeves etc etc. Pants require so much fitting in the crotch and fitting around each leg. The Skirt block on the other hand just starts with a front and a back and some darts. From there you can design any type of skirt you want. As far as fitting challenges go I would say the skirt is the easiest to work around. Generally there’s going to be a good amount of ease built in to add volume and you are really just focusing on your waist and hip measurements and everything else is just personal design.
The above video shows my first version of the skirt that I created.
The overall design is a high waisted, 7 gore, flared Mini skirt. The hemline also has a fun high low element where the higher hems are at the side seams. It was really great to wear the skirt in a fashion fabric for a bit, I actually took it on vacation, to asses if I needed any changes. My original design had a invisible zip in the back, but I decided I really liked the detail of the button front so I switched to that. Luckily that was really the only change. I love the skirt. The vibe of this skirt is flirty and fun, easy to move in, and can be dressed up or more casual. I’m loving how it turned out. The process of drafting your own patterns can feel long at times, but I think I’m in a rhythm now and it really just suits where I’m at in my sewing journey. What have you been making lately? Trying self drafting? Let me know what you think of the skirt design!