Ann's Raised Waist Skirt With a Back Flounce

A few days ago I did a post to showcase the lovely skirts that Ruth and Cennetta made using the instructions I posted for drafting the skirt below .

I was heartbroken to find out that I had somehow missed the post that Ann of http://didyoureallysewthat.blogspot.com/ did on the skirt that she made. Hopefully late is better than never. Her skirt is impeccable and I think you will truly enjoy seeing it.

Like Cennetta, Ann decided to eliminate the high waist. but other than that, she followed the drafting instructions. Take note of the invisible zipper in the off set back seam.

 The back panel was cut on the fold which is great since there is less matching of the plaid.

Ann is an incredible sewist and makes the loveliest garments. You can see the post she did on this skirt HERE. But please don't stop with her post on the skirt as you will find lots of inspiration as you scroll through.

If by chance you have made something following a Fabulous Free Pattern Friday post, a Sleeves On Saturdays post, or any other drafting tutorial I've posted, I would love for you to link up to this post and show me what you made. It can be a daunting task to try and see everything that everyone does, so a little help is very appreciated and besides that I would love to brag on you too! So just click on the InLinkz tab and link up!
 

An InLinkz Link-up

Showcasing The Plaid Raised Waist Skirt With a Back Flounce

Back in November I posted this skirt as part of a Monday Morning Inspiration post on plaid fabrics. So many of you loved the skirt, so I did a post on how to draft the skirt. You can find that post HERE, just in case you missed it. It really is a very pretty skirt.

Ruth of https://corecouture.wordpress.com made a lovely version, but she decided to add the flounce to center back. You can find her post on the skirt HERE.

The lovely Cennetta of http://themahoganystylist.blogspot.com loved the plaid and she always enjoys trying out a new drafting project, so she decided to give it a go. She kept both of the flounces, but dropped the raised waist. You can find her post HERE.

Check out how cute her skirt is!

 I love the shorter version and I think she looks absolutely adorable in the skirt.

 Hmmm, I think I need to get mine finished!!!!
Thanks to Ruth and Cennetta for giving the skirt a try. I think you both look amazing in your versions.
If by chance you give this skirt or any other drafting project I've posted a try, please shoot me an email and let me know, sewbussted@yahoo.com. I love seeing what you've done and even more, I love to share your work.

Drafting the Raised Waist Skirt with a Back Flounce

The skirt pictured above was posted on Monday as part of the plaid inspiration. I have been pleasantly bombarded with "how to draft" requests, I obviously like the skirt too and wouldn't mind having one, so I thought I would go ahead and get the instructions out to all of you.
The first step in copying a design is to take a close look. The front of the skirt is nothing more than a pencil skirt with a raised waistline. Look closely and you will see that there is no side seam. Next, take notice that the zipper is not at center back. The back darts of the skirt have been turned into seams. This allows for adding the beautiful drape. Since the zipper is in the dart area, this tells me that there probably isn't a center back seam. Seams in a plaid fabric can be lovely when matched well, but then again, whenever we can get away with not having seams, all the better.
You will need a straight skirt pattern that fits well. If you are using a new pattern, PLEASE do a muslin and make sure that the skirt fits well before you begin doing any drafting. It would be a pity to draft out the skirt, make it up and then not have it fit. Learn from me....I have made that mistake!!!!
I like to remove the seams from a pattern prior to drafting and then add back once I have finished drafting. I won't be confused about where I left seams and where I will need to add them to the final pattern.
So, beginning with a simple straight skirt, lay the front and back skirt together matching at the side seams. There will no longer be a side seam, just a dart at the waistline.

The next step will be to create the raised waistline. Simple to do, just flip the pattern up. 3" to 4" will be plenty for the raised portion of the waistline. Typically, we increase about the same amount in our rib cage as we do just below the waist. I did say typically.

Now we want to turn our back darts into seams. Square a line down the back of the skirt to the hemline beginning at the apex point of the dart.

Take another look at the plaid skirt and you will see that the flounce is coming only off of the center back panel of the skirt. To create the flounce, determine where you would like the flounce to begin. Zippers are typically 7" long. Looking at the picture, we see that the flounce begins below the end of the zipper, so I would suggest beginning the flounce at approximately 9" below the  natural waistline, or 2" below the end of the zipper. Place a notch at this point.

Separate the back panel from the front panel

To create the flounce, simply draw a line out from the seamline as I have shown in the diagram above. The horizontal line should be the same length as the seam length on the front skirt from the notch to the hemline.
If you would like a full flounce, follow the black lines in the diagram. If you would like the flounce to not be so pronounced, follow the red line.
The final pattern for the front skirt is below. You will have a dart in the front and along the side seam. Be sure to add the grainline. Always important, but even more so if you are working with plaid!!!

Add seam allowances and make the skirt up in muslin to tweak the fit. Remember, the center back of the skirt will be on the fold and the center front will also be on the fold.
In my next post, I will have my skirt cut and sewn together for fitting.