Deb Carpenter’s Scarlett Skirt Review

On a mission to sew wardrobe staples, Simple Sew blogger, Deb has made a stylish Scarlett Skirt in a black denim from Minerva. A true every season wear! Read her full review below!

Hi and welcome to my second post for the Simple Sew Blog!

I mentioned in my first blog post that one of the aims of sewing for myself is to produce garments that will fit into my everyday capsule wardrobe. So, when I was asked to write a second blog post, I again looked for something that would ‘fit in’ with my existing clothes.

Scarlett Skirt Pattern

I’ve looked at the The Scarlett Dress pattern several times before. I noticed that along with the pattern for the peplum dress, there is also a line drawing of a separate top and a skirt shown on the pattern envelope. I’m not particularly a ‘dress’ person and prefer separates that I can mix and match. So, I had the idea to make the Scarlett skirt. I haven’t seen many examples of the skirt on social media either, so decided that here was a chance to give it a whirl!

The Fabric

The pattern suggests using fabrics such as light to medium weight cotton, silk and crepe back satin. I didn’t really want a dressy skirt. I wanted one that I could wear whilst working at home. And with the autumn days drawing ever nearer, I decided that the skirt in sleek denim would be wonderful for cooler days in the office! I looked online and chose this beautiful stretch denim from Minerva which I thought would be a perfect addition to my wardrobe.

Adjustments

I’ve mentioned before that I like to conserve my patterns by tracing. So, after laundering the fabric, I traced my pattern pieces off from the Simple Sew pattern using dressmaking tissue paper. I used the size guide from the Simple Sew website to determine the size I needed. Body measurements are not given on the back of the envelope itself. Going by both the body measurements chart and the finished measurements chart on the pattern, I decided to make a skirt with a size 18 waist graded to a size 16 hip. Also, I decided to shorten the skirt by two inches.

It’s a good idea to make size adjustments before you cut into your fabric as the construction of the skirt makes it difficult to fit as you stitch. For my skirt, I graded the side seams in from size 18 to 16 by drawing a smooth line from the waist to a point just below the hip line as shown in the photo:

I shortened the skirt by two inches by drawing a horizontal line across both front and back pattern pieces below the hip line. Then, I drew a second line two inches below the top line. Afterwards, I folded the second line up to the top line and held it in place with tape to achieve the shortened pattern pieces. As my side seams on the tissue didn’t match up exactly after folding, I ‘trued’ the tissue by adding a separate piece of paper underneath the tissue to ensure a smooth curve.

I made the skirt up as per the instructions. I used a stretch interfacing for the waistband as I was using stretch denim. I’m glad that I remembered to do this as I often forget and end up with a waistband with no give. Not so good when you want a bit of stretch…!!

Pattern tip!

One thing to note is that the pattern instructions don’t mention the need to neaten the seams. The side seams should be neatened after you’ve stitched them. The centre back seam should be neatened before inserting the invisible zipper. Similarly, the folded down edge of the waistband should be neatened before being stitched down in Step 18ii of the instructions. Also, the hem should be neatened prior to stitching it in place too.

Final thoughts on the pattern

The skirt didn’t take too long to make and came together really easily. Even the invisible zipper was a breeze to install. The black denim behaved incredibly well under the sewing machine and pressed beautifully too. The skirt is a little looser than I’d like on the waist. So, maybe next time I’ll go for a size 16 waist, but I’m perfectly happy with the way it fits. I can see this skirt being worn endlessly all through the cooler months with thick tights and boots. I’m so glad that I made it up in a fabric that wasn’t suggested on the pattern envelope. It’s definitely another wardrobe staple!

Sewing patterns to fit into your existing wardrobe as Deb has done, means you ensure you’ll get plenty of wear from your garment and we love the stylish simplicity of her Scarlett Skirt. Scroll down to see the back of the pattern envelope for more information on fabric requirements and sizing. Taking inspiration from Deb’s choice of stretch denim see our picks from Minerva Crafts below.