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Friday, September 2, 2011

Fabulous Free Pattern Friday/The Eight Gore Skirt

Happy Friday Everyone!
Today's pattern is the eight gore skirt, an incredibly easy skirt to draft. There are three measurements that you will need;
1. Your waist measurement
2. Your hip measurement
3. The length that you would like your skirt to be
That's it.
You will want to add one inch to your waist measurement and two inches to your hip measurement. This is for ease. So, if your waist measurement is 31, add one inch which will be 32. Divide this number by eight(the number of panels in your skirt), and the resulting number will be 4. If your hip measurement is 46, add 2 inches, which will be 48. Divide this number by 8 and the result will be 6 inches. We'll use 30 inches for the length. Now you are ready to draft. Begin by drawing a line down your paper that is a little longer than the length that you would like for your skirt to be.This line will become your grainline. 

Draw an intersecting line for your waistline. Nine inches down from this line draw another line for your hipline.


The divided number for our waist measurement was 4 inches and the divided measurement for our hip measurement was 6 inches. Divide both of these numbers in half. From the center line, measure over your divided waist measurement (we're using 2 inches for the example, 4 divided by 2 is 2). Draw a cross mark. Do this on the other side of the line as well. Then do the same on your hip line, (for our example the divided hip measurement divided in half will be 3). Draw in cross marks on the hipline.

Now it's just a matter of connecting the dots or cross marks.


From your wasitline measure down the desired length of your skirt and draw a line.


At this point, add your seam allowances. This skirt does not have to be made from a knit fabric. If you use a woven fabric, you will need to insert a zipper into either the side seam or the center back seam. For my skirt, I was especially lazy. I added 1/4 inch seam allowances to the skirt and I added 1 1/2" to the waistline as this is the size of the elastic that I used. Rather than have to hem the skirt, I drew in an angled line like you see in the picture below.


I first serged the hemline angles, and then I used the serger to sew the seams of the skirt together and I serged it so the sergered edges would be on the outside of the skirt.








Rather than use my waist measurement, I used my high hip measurement as I wanted the skirt to rest below my waistline.


The panel that you drafted will need to be cut eight times so you have the number of panels that you need for your skirt. This skirt can be done with 6 gores, 12 gores, it's your choice, just divide your waist and hip measurement by the number of gores that you wish to have in your skirt.
You'll never have to buy another gored skirt pattern.
Good luck!

18 comments:

  1. How thoughtful and generous of you to post these directions. Here's hoping many people take advantage because the result is a feminine and lovely skirt. I especially like what you did with the hem.

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  2. Splendid! Drafting made simple. Love it. I've already told my DD about this post and encouraged her to try it. I will definitely try it soon. It is so kind of you to post these great tutorials.
    C

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  3. Was introduced to your blog by Cennetta.. I am glad to be following you.. Thanks for the lovely tutorial!

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  4. Great tutorial and very elegant skirt. When you serged hem points did you do each side separately or do you have a tip for serging right angles?
    Sheila C

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    1. I did do each side seperately and I'm sorry, but I do not have any tips for turning a point on the serger.

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  5. Thank you so much for your time, wisdom, and lesson. I love this classic skirt. This pattern has with stood time through several centurys and is a true ladys skirt. I will use this pattern many times, for myself and my sisters. Thank- U so much.

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  6. Thank you - this helps a lot! Very keen to give it a try now.

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  7. Thank you so much for posting this, I can't wait to try it!!!

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  8. I love this style, and your diagrams and directions are so clear!

    I'm very much into hand stitching these days, and I think your design really lends itself to hand-stitched and embellished seams, using the techniques/styles featured by Alabama Chanin.

    What a wonderful resource this is; thank you so much for creating and sharing this!

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    1. Hi Laura, oh my goodness did you ever get my creative juices flowing. Thank you so much for your message. So glad you like the post. Please let me know if you do something with the skirt, sewbussted@yahoo.com

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  9. Perfect! I'm a newbie sewer and picked up two silk skirts at the thrift store a few months ago -- identical except for color. They're both too small for me, but I figured there HAD to be a way to piece them together. This looks simple enough that I am almost certain I can use it for what I had in mind. Thank you!

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  10. I'm really interested in this skirt. I love that it's a DIY pattern, and thank you SO MUCH for posting the tutorial. I have a lucious drapey knit that I want to make into a really full longer skirt. Would this pattern work for that? Or would the number of seams make it too stiff? What do you think?

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    1. My recommendation would be to make the skirt up in a more stable fabric for your first try. It will give you an idea of how the skirt moves and sits on your body. If the knit that you have is extremely drapey, I'm afraid that it might stretch too much once it hangs on the body. If you have any other questions, please let me know. You are welcome to email me at sewbussted@yahoo.com

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  11. Thank you so much for this Tutorial! I finally own a floor length full skirt that fits AND has pockets.
    Made it of heavy denim fabric (650g per meter) and it's gorgeous!

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    1. Oh how exciting! Send pictures, I would love to see your skirt. sewbussted@yahoo.com

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  12. Thank you Rhonda. I am new at sewing and like drafting my own patterns. This has to be the simplest drafting instructions ever. I love the variety that can be had form this skirt. You have given so much inspiration. Love the idea of serging on the rightside, and of changing the hemline. Would definitely be trying all options. Thanks again for drafting made easy

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    1. Glad you found the tutorial to be helpful. The best of luck as you move forward with your sewing!!!

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