[New post] A Fall Skirt in a Weekend: Copying a 1950’s Skirt
harpandsong2 posted: " I was in the mood to make something versatile for fall/winter. I have a few lovely lengths of wool in my fabric stash. Unfortunately, most of them are only about a yard long, which definitely limits what you can make with them. I was hoping for a nice wo" Welcome To The Carriage House
I was in the mood to make something versatile for fall/winter. I have a few lovely lengths of wool in my fabric stash. Unfortunately, most of them are only about a yard long, which definitely limits what you can make with them. I was hoping for a nice wool skirt, in a 1940s style which could be worn in either fall or winter depending on how I styled it. Though I have lots of vintage patterns, I could not find anything like what I was picturing in my head which would also work for such a small length of fabric.
I went to my closet and pulled out a vintage skirt that I knew fit me well. It is probably from the 50's, maybe 60's. It is very lightweight and summery, a sherbet color. The A-line style was right for a 1940s imitation though. I made a pattern out of a bedsheet by tracing around the pieces of my existing skirt. I then laid the pattern pieces on my fabric (and had just enough!).
I had seen an interesting method of making a wool garment more tailored by shrinking the fabric instead of making darts, which can be more bulky. I gave it a try on some scraps. Either I need more practice with this method, my fabric was not as high a percentage of wool as I thought, or this method was meant to stand in for very small darts. I ended up making darts the regular way, using the placement and length of the original skirt as a guide.
As the wool had a plaid pattern (though subtle), I did have to consider the print when cutting the fabric. I was able to get the front panel nicely centered and lined up the back seam nicely. The side seams aren't a good match, but I wasn't as concerned as with the front and back view (and I could only do so much with one yard).
I wish I had paid a little closer attention to the back closure of the original. If I had lined up the waistband like they had, it would have helped me center my button over the zipper. Mine was slightly off centered.
I didn't add a pocket to this skirt...which I might regret later, but I wanted the smooth lines without adding bulk. I also added a lining to the skirt since the wool was itchy, which would have made adding a pocket a little more difficult. I did not add the belt loops from the original either.
This project probably could have been completed in one day, but I did it over two to give the skirt time to hang before hemming, just in case it stretched out (it didn't).
I can't wait to wear this with sweaters and weskits and cozy layers! There was not much fabric left, but I saved even the little scraps for small craft projects or Christmas decorations.
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