Creating Mary's Skirt

Musically talented Mary attends an arts school - lucky girl!! She needs a black skirt to wear to vocal performances and concerts. Because she lives in Canada where the winters can be chilly, the fabric needs to provide some warmth, too. We're using uncut corduroy - it's warm and super soft and washable, too!

Mary's Momma and I have collaborated on the design: a 4" yoke sans waistband, hidden zipper in the back, and an a-line cut. Here's the measurements we'll use to draft our pattern:

This inspiration skirt is from my closet - it's a little straighter than Mary's finished skirt will be, but it's a good visual starting point. My skirt sits about an inch or so below my belly button, but Mary's skirt can have the top of the yoke at a higher or lower point. We'll also need a measurement for the bottom of the yoke.

The pink yard stick below shows the hem circumference - the inspiration skirt is about 45 inches around. It works fine for an adult attending meetings, parties, church, or concerts. For a young girl who may want to skip, run, or move more freely, a bit larger hem circumference may be needed.

Our finished skirt could be any length. This one is about 39 inches long.