BIAS CUT SKIRTS
They are everywhere on the high street, a chic, timeless and swishy skirt, it fits well into so many wardrobes. Make it in a pattern or plain fabric, dress it up or down, it really is a versatile classic piece, so we thought we would kick off our Just Sew blog with a Bias Cut Skirt Sew-Along.
Follow us over here for the next three weeks as we go through the process of sewing up a bias cut skirt whilst sharing our hints and tips for when you sew your own, or even better, why not sew along with us!
This week we are talking patterns and fabrics!
Week 2 – Cutting and Construction Part 1
Before we get started, what exactly is a bias cut skirt?
Essentially it is a skirt where the fabric is cut at a 45 degree angle to the fabric grain/cross grain. This type of cut is what creates the classic slinky silhouette. Fabric that is cut on the bias has a lot more stretch compared to cutting on the grain, so you need to take care handling and sewing up your skirt! We will be sharing lots of hints and tips to help you with that.
PICKING OUT YOUR BIAS CUT SKIRT PATTERN
Bias cut skirts are a simple construction, and there is only one decision you really need to make, which is how you want the waist to be finished. Pick between an elasticated waist, or one that is finished with a zip and facings. There are lots of patterns out there that you can pick from, some of the ones that we have in stock include: Butterick B6799, McCalls M7931, New Look N6623 and Simplicity 2184.
We have decided to use McCalls M7931, which has a zip closure – we personally prefer the clean finish on the waist, plus we found it easier to get on and off! If you wanted an elasticated waist, you can use any of the three listed above or you can swap the zip for elastic on M7931.
WHAT SIZE TO SEW?
Like with any other dressmaking project, you want to pick out the size that fits your own body measurements, comparing your measurements to the measurements provided on your pattern – don’t forget to also check the finished garment measurements so you can make sure that there is enough ease in the finished skirt which is comfortable for you. For commercial patterns you will find these printed on the tissue paper pattern pieces.
Tip: As a bias cut skirt hangs to the curves of the body, you may find that you might want to size up on the hips down through to the hem. If you are a size 10, sew a size 10 waist, but grade out to a size 12 from the hips down. This will gives your skirt extra swishability and a little more ease to move and sit!
Our measurements for McCalls M7931, put us at a straight size 12, so we are sewing a size 12 waist, graded to a size 14 at the hips, through to the hem.
FABRIC PICKS
On to the fun part, picking out your fabrics!
A bias cut skirt needs a lightweight drapey fabric, so think satins, silks, polyesters and rayons/viscoses.
Tip: As the fabric will be cut at a 45 degree angle, you don’t want to pick out a directional pattern, as the pattern will become wonky! You don’t want any flowers/motifs lying on their side!
These are some of our favourite fabrics that we currently have in stock which would be perfect for your bias skirt:
Top;“Sienna Vintage Satin” Left: “Abstract Leaf Sienna Satin” Right: “Charcoal Flowers Polyester”
Top: “Abstract Leopard Cornflower Blue Viscose”, Left: “Flower Scatter Purple Viscose Poplin”, Right: “Confetti Flowers Khaki Viscose”
For ours, we are using our “Autumn Flowers Satin Jacquard”
GATHER UP THE REST OF YOUR NOTIONS
Fabric picked out, all you need to do now is gather the rest of your notions.
For M7931 (or a zipped bias skirt) you want to also get a 7 – 8″ invisible/concealed zip, interfacing (we used H180) and of course a matching thread!
For an elasticated waist, your pattern will guide you on the width of your elastic, or you can pick a width that is comfortable for you! As the elastic is turned in and lies against your skin, you may want to try our Prym Soft Touch elastic, it’s available as either 15mm or 38mm widths.
Tip: When it comes to sewing with your lightweight fabric, you want to make sure that you are using a fine needle, use either a size 70/10 universal needle or a microtex needle (a specialist needle that has been designed with a sharp point to create straight, clean stitches on delicate fabrics)
And that’s it for this week, come back next week where we will cut out our fabric and start constructing the skirt. For now though, our fabric is heading straight for the washing machine for a pre-wash.
If you are sewing along with us why not share your progress with us over on our social media channels, simply tag us in your posts and use the hash tag #JustSewPenrithSewALong
Thank you; a great read