24 Mar Tucked Drape Skirt
Our Saturday’s #PatternPuzzle attracted a few new players and some very interesting answers. Turning the pattern shape upside-down for the puzzle post will always challenge perceptions. By the afternoon Doris had identified the shape as a skirt, then Andra gave us the detail of all the features in the skirt.
These draped skirt styles are a good place to start if you are new to draped patterns. You can use my existing skirt block or you can get the instructions for drafting your own Skirt Block and Pencil Skirt on our website.
To begin the pattern trace out your skirt block, making a full front copy of the skirt for this asymmetric style.
- Taper the side seams of the front and back skirt, at the hem, by 3cm.
- Adjust the front waist fit by eliminating the front darts and shifting the side seam curve by the same amount.
- Mark the main diagonal drape seam from the top left of the skirt towards the front right hem. This seam becomes a large tuck approximately half way down the line.
- Working from this diagonal line, mark in the two left side tucks from the diagonal seam to the side seam. Shape the front hemline to a high point over the left thigh near the knee.
- Divide the lower left section of the pattern into four parts to be opened up for extra hem drape in this area only.
When the patten plan is cut along these style lines it can be opened out to include three large tucks and extra hem drape. The tucks in this pattern will be at least 6-8cm deep to make a strong statement. The most interesting thing I find in this new pattern shape is that the hemline is now running in a straight line. But when we make the skirt, the left part of the hem will rise up in the front and look anything but straight. It would be most effective to try a border print on this style and enjoy the optical illusion.
When marking up your pattern be clear about the direction you want to fold the tucks to maintain the full effect of the original design.
The back skirt pattern is quite straight forward with tapered side seams, back darts and a CB seam for an invisible zipper. Cut a Strap Waistband for this style. When making this elegant draped skirt you may consider lining the skirt.
Email or comment if you have any questions. I am very happy to assist as you draft your draped skirt pattern. If you’d like to buy a copy of these pattern making notes for your own personal use at home you’ll find them here: Tucked Drape Skirt – Pattern Making Instructions.
Enjoy 🙂
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