Pattern Review – Magic Pencil Skirt [Pamela’s Patterns]

Pattern: The Magic Pencil Skirt from Pamela’s Patterns
Fabric: Yellow doubleknit from Gorgeous Fabrics
Size: XSmall

Top: H&M (really old)
Shoes: Tommy Hilfiger
Lipstick: Nars Niagra

I had the craving for a yellow pencil skirt last winter when Sunny posted a photo of a button-down shirt she made paired with a yellow wool pencil skirt from J Crew.  I love me some J Crew, but sadly, my paycheck doesn’t always allow me to indulge on items that aren’t on the sales rack.  Luckily, I had some yardage of a beefy yellow doubleknit that felt like it would make a great, wearable skirt.

But to find a pattern for a knit pencil skirt…hmmm.  I tried some tutorials that I found online to make a knit pencil skirt pattern (trace an existing skirt, measure your hips and draw a rectangle), but they ended up making me feel like I was wearing a tube skirt or a sausage casing.  I didn’t want it to be painted on, but the shaping just wasn’t quite right in the hips and thighs.  Enter Pamela’s Patterns Magic Pencil Skirt.

This pattern was a no-brainer and I made it in about two hours from cutting out to sewing the hem, plus I did some fitting in that time-frame as well.  Instead of being just a simple tube, the pattern has front and back waist darts to provide some shaping, and the silhouette of the skirt is pegged perfectly – definitely worth the $10 for the pattern.  The only change I needed to make was taking in each side seam 1/4″, making the total side seam allowance 6/8″ for the XSmall.  I turned the hem up the recommended 1 1/2″ and used a twin stretch needle to sew it – my favorite non-serger way to hem knits.

The elastic waistband isn’t like what you’d think of for the typical bunchy elastic waistband, it’s actually pretty smooth and flat.  I got some Fantastic Elastic for free with my pattern because of a shipping error (Thanks, Pamela, for the elastic!) and it was a dream to use.  Basically, it’s a type of elastic used in the fashion industry and can be cut down to whatever width you need.  I’m convinced that the waistband wouldn’t have been as nice and smooth with other elastic, this stuff is high quality.  It makes it totally possible to tuck in a shirt if you want to.

This skirt has “cake” written all over it – this is a pattern that I’ll be making over and over again, it’s easy to pair up with a lot of different tops in my closet, and it’s super comfy and easy to wear.  I can’t wait to wear this skirt in the fall with a sweater and boots! If you’ve never tried Pamela’s Patterns before, this is a great pattern to start with.