Hi! It’s me! Back again with a seasonally inappropriate me-made! While this is not uncommon for me, this time it’s not totally my fault! I’ll tell ya the whole story, but the short of it is that the skirt is a copy, I used the FREE Ana Sofia Pencil Skirt pattern from Fabrics-Store and I’m totally in love with the results!
First, let’s talk about inspiration! I saw this skirt as I was browsing a post from Merrick’s Art and I loved it. Here’s a screen shot:
I don’t know what it was but when I saw this outfit I thought, “That. That is what I want to be wearing.” Not to get all philosophical about time after having a baby, but after a couple of years of wearing what’s convenient, practical and what fits my adjusting body, I finally feel like I have some mental space to get back to wearing things that make me feel like me! And apparently, this skirt fits the bill!
Over the course of some months I searched for fabric and for a pattern. I was ecstatic when I was browsing Hobby Lobby and realized they had the exact fabric I was looking for! This is a striped Essex linen (which is a linen/cotton blend). Hobby Lobby carries a small selection (maybe 4-5 bolts) of Essex linen and it’s a great price. I got a yard and a half and spent only $10 on it. They had another striped linen in stock that had wider stripes which I almost got instead but referring back to my screenshot, I felt like the narrower stripes were more in line with the look of the skirt.
Once I had the fabric in hand, I felt pretty relaxed about actually making the skirt up. I figured I’d get to it eventually! No rush! We got deep enough into the cooler weather that I just assumed I’d hold off on the skirt until spring. But then we had a trip come up where wearing something casual but dressy would be appropriate and I decided to go ahead and make the skirt.
Through many google searches, I hadn’t found any pattern that was giving me exactly what I wanted but I carried out one final search in which I found the Ana Sofia pattern from Fabrics-Store! Not only was the pattern exactly what I was looking for, it was free!
The listing photos of the Ana Sofia skirt are distracting at best (sorry! I just felt the focus was absolutely the model and not the skirt) but I got a good enough idea of the skirt to feel fine moving forward with the project. I always take free patterns with a grain of salt, expecting to have to make some tweaks. With this skirt, though, I felt pretty confident that I could make something wearable on my first try. Pleats and skirt side seams are fit points that generally play nice, and didn’t intimidate in the least (read: I didn’t make a muslin!).
Before I cut out and started sewing, though, I did have to adjust the pattern slightly. The skirt is drafted for a yoked back, which I didn’t want. I wanted the stripes to be seamless. So I made some very technically inaccurate adjustments by:
1) cutting out the yoke pattern piece
2) chopping it in half(ish)
3) taping my yoke pattern pieces to my skirt back at an angle to create darts. Here’s a picture:
This is probably wildly offensive to those with drafting expertise, but my lazy way got me a skirt with pleats which is a way of saying that it worked in a pinch!
The sewing went (mostly) smoothly. Some notes are that one side of the skirt front has a grown on placket and one has a sewn on placket. I do not know the reason for having different means to a placket (maybe aesthetic on one side and ease on the other???) but I do know that I accidentally did the opposite of what it was meant to be (a hazard of having fabric with no right side). But seems like something to not worry too much about(?).
Many of the reviews expressed frustration over the pocket, even saying it was printed incorrectly. I can’t see how their’s were printed but I can say mine printed just fine. It’s the type of pocket that’s folded in half, so you do just need one pocket piece per side. I felt like the pocket was going to be too small for me so I added 1 inch onto the bottom of the pattern before cutting my fabric. I ended up taking in the side which nipped into my pocket so I still ended up with pockets that are too small! Darn! I will make wider-and deeper still-pockets if I make this again in the future.
Like I mentioned, I took in the side seams. I’ve found that I have straighter hips than what is typically drafted for so it’s common for me to take some of the curviness out of the side seams which is no problem at all (just takes a half dozen try ons or so ha).
The fabric was so easy to work with. I felt like I had no excuses for errors with such an easygoing fabric.
I bought buttons for this but then actually ended up using buttons from my stash after comparing a few different styles. These look like wood but up close have a sheen-y sparkle to them that I can’t quite describe. With this fabric, I had a handful for solid button options that looked great so it was hard to choose.
Generally, I do buttons and buttonholes very last-even after hemming-and I got to the point on this skirt where that’s all I had left to do. I decided to save it for the next day but wouldn’t you know that when I went to do it the next day, the buttonhole function on my machine was broken! I was so disappointed (and definitely didn’t have the skirt ready for my trip).
I’ve been considering buying a new sewing machine but saving up for it has been one step forward and two steps back (haha) so I went back and forth on whether to get my old machine fixed or swear off buttonhole projects until I was able to get a new machine. It took me awhile but I finally threw my hands up and repaired the old machine and I’m glad I did. At least 3 things in my immediate sewing queue have several buttons and I didn’t want them kicked out of line. When I finally got my machine back, I immediately got my skirt out and finished it up. I’m hoping someday I’ll have a machine that will measure buttons and make a buttonhole with just the press of a button. But for now I’m very grateful that my machine will make imperfect buttonholes with its six-step dial (sure beats making them by hand! I can’t even imagine!!!).
Anyway, what a treat! I ended up with a skirt that fits well, feels very much like me(!), and didn’t cost much at all! I’m pleased on all counts, except for maybe the small pockets. Oh, and the fact that I won’t be wearing this much over the next few months as the weather gets colder. As per usual, I’m wishing the snow was gone before it even gets here. Otherwise, I’m very happy with how this turned out!
Pattern: Ana Sofia Pencil Skirt from Fabrics-Store
Size: 12/14
Adjustments: lengthened the pocket by 1 inch (will do more in the future) and took in side seams
Fabric: Essex linen from Hobby Lobby
Cost: Pattern: free; fabric: $10; Buttons, thread, interfacing from stash
Would I make this pattern again?: I would! I thought the pattern worked well. It’s probably best for advanced beginners and up.
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