Not sure why my skirt is too large after drafting and sewing

[elizabethtang]

Hi,
I am a new premium member, and really appreciate the videos that you have made. I find your teaching very clear and helpful. I am writing as I encountered a problem when making my very first skirt using your instructions, and wonder if you can help me.

I made my basic skirt pattern by following your video very closely, and then watched the skirt yoke pattern, and assembly videos. I have made the yoke and sewn the bottom part of the skirt to the yoke, and have finally sewn on the zip. However, I have not done the waistband yet.

To my dismay, when I put on the half-finished skirt, I found it too large. I folded the skirt into half and compared it to the basic skirt pattern I had made, and found that it matched the pattern. I am not sure what could have gone wrong. I feel discouraged as I have put in many hours of work up to this point.

Could you perhaps let me know common errors that most beginners make when making skirt patterns?

Many thanks,
Elizabeth

[professorpincushionParticipant]

hmmm…without seeing it, it’s kind of hard for me to judge where it went wrong. If it’s just a touch bigger, I wouldn’t stress until the waistband is sewn on. This is because the top of the waistline has a slight curve to it, giving it some stretch, while the waistband will have less give. You don’t want it to be exactly fitted because then it might be uncomfortable when you bend over which is why we add some ease to the pattern. If it’s a lot bigger, than usually it could be a measurement discrepency, but this is why it’s a good idea to do a muslin after creating the pattern to test the fit (where you baste pieces together enough to try things on). But I wouldn’t throw out what you’ve done so far, as you have gotten the majority of the way there. Instead, I’d increase the size of the size seam allowance, instead of sewing 5/8″, do a new one at 3/4″, you don’t even have to take out the old stitches just to test. When the fit is more to your liking, transfer this change (by decreasing the width of the skirt) to your base pattern and then you’re good to go for any additional patterns you make from it. I wouldn’t be too hard on yourself as none of us usually get it 100% perfect right out of the gate, as there’s always little tweaks to do after trying the muslin.

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