Lekala S3087

I stumbled onto this pattern looking for other patterns on the Lekala site.  I wanted something easy to sew and I figured this seemed pretty easy.  This is a Beta pattern and you get it for free right now.  With beta patterns they give them away for some predetermined amount of time then afterwards a price is added.

Lekala S3087

I went to download the pattern and noticed there were no sewing instructions and initially I hesitated about getting it.  Then I reassured myself that it was simple enough and I had enough sewing experience to figure it out.

How I Did It

I downloaded and assembled the pattern using a quick method shown on the Itch to Stitch site.  This particular method has really sped up my pattern assembly.

I used a piece of stretch twill/denim from my stash leftover from another project.  Since I knew this skirt was a "tight" fit I decided to cut the skirt on the crosswise grain because it had the most stretch - so I thought.  Some how I got it mixed up and the crosswise grain had no stretch (I was working on this in the wee hours of the morning with little sleep).

After I cut the pieces I realized my skirt front would be boring and a little too plain.  I decided to add a bit of embroidery.  Since I was working with stretch I needed a design that was not dense.  Honestly it took more time to select a design than it did to sew the skirt (I have a lot of embroidery designs to search through).

Skirt Front

I stitched the darts on the front and back before the embroidery to ensure the stitch out of the embroidery didn't stitch over the darts.

Skirt Back

Skirt Front

I drew the purple line on the fabric to mark the center front so I could properly place my embroidery.  I stitched my design at a 45 degree angle to the center front line.

Skirt Front

On the left side of the skirt I interfaced the zipper area by cutting a 1 1/4 X 10 inch piece of interfacing.  My zipper was 9 inches and I cut the interfacing 1 inch longer than the zipper.  Then I serged the left side edges.  

Left Side of  Skirt Front and Back

Next I serged the bottom edge of the skirt front hemline facing and then pinned it to the skirt front and stitched the pieces together.  I should have also serged the left side of the front hemline facing (zipper side).

 Next I added seam sealant to the point and snipped right up to the stitching but not thru it.

Seam Sealant at Point

A couple notes about the front hemline facing.

1. The facing is about 1/8 inch shorter than the skirt on each end.  This wasn't a huge issue because of the 5/8 inch seam allowance. 
2. When you cut the front hemline facing be sure to cut it on the opposite side of the front skirt.  I cut the skirt with the pattern laying on the right side of the fabric.  What I should have done was cut the front hemline facing laying the pattern on the wrong side of the fabric.

I did not do that so my front hemline facing is showing the wrong side.  Since I knew no one would see it and the front and wrong side of my fabric was very close in color I chose to flip it on the wrong side.

Next I hand pressed (as I sewed) the seam to the front hemline facing and stitched it in place to keep the facing from rolling to the outside.

I marked my zipper placement and stitched the left side of the skirt up to the bottom stop mark of my zipper placement.  I pressed the edges on the wrong side about 1/2 inch and inserted my zipper.

I serged the right side of the front and back skirt together and applied interfacing to the front and back waist facings.  I stitched the right side of of the front and back waist facing together and then serged the bottom edge trimming 1/4 inch (the seam allowance for the bottom edge).  Next I pinned it to the skirt.

Right Side of Skirt

I finger pressed the seam towards the waist facing and stitched it in place to keep it from rolling to the outside.

I am a lazy sewer so to tack the waist facing down I stitched in the ditch of the right side seam and the darts for about 1 inch.  I folded under the raw edges the waist facing and hand stitched them in place 

I used the front hemline facing as my guide and turned it up with the back hem and hand stitched the hem.

The Dimple at the Point Tells me I Did Not Clipped Up Far Enough 

Before I did all this I basted the side seams to check the fit and it fit perfectly. My weight tends to fluctuate so instead of using the 5/8 inch seam allowance called for by the pattern, I used a 1/2" seam allowance (actually I started at the top with 5/8 inch and graded to 1/2 inch).

I normally use my dress form to take pictures.  In this case the skirt looked really bad on the dress form because it doesn't have all the bumps and curves I have.  One day I will pad out my dress form so it really represents my shape.

I am horrible at selfies so below is the best I could do.  The skirt really does look much better when I am not twisting my body trying to take a photo.  I should have put on the right shoes but I was too lazy.

Conclusion

I love this skirt and adore the front hemline.  Even without instructions it was so simple to put together.  The best part it was a FREE pattern.

WARNING - This skirt is really really really short.  I accidentally left my height as 5'6" when I ordered the pattern.  I am 5'3" and I imagine my unmentionables would have been exposed (or close to it) had I put in my correct height.  Also take into consideration when you sit down in this skirt.

That said this skirt can be lengthened to your liking.

What's Next

I am going to get to the Rosy Pena Sofia Flares done this week but I am hoping to get another skirt and top done first.