Desert Island Patterns #3

Although I wear jeans (usually from a charity shop) at the weekend and at home I don’t make trousers and never wear them to work.   Not only am I short but I have VERY short legs and I think I look more in proportion when I wear skirts and dresses.

I have a number of favourite skirt patterns but my most used is probably the Annie A-Line Skirt pattern from Sew This Pattern and is #3 in my Desert Island Patterns list.  I don’t really have the patience for complicated pdfs but this one is very quick to assemble and has the added bonus of being FREE!  Thank you Annie.

The instructions are excellent with lots of clear photographs and this would be the perfect pattern for a beginner.   One of my main reasons for liking it – and using it so much – is that it’s a great vehicle for a bold fabric!  I also really like the bias bound finish on the waistband facing which gives a lovely neat edge.  Unless a waistband is wide I find skirts with facings far more comfortable if I’m sitting at my desk all day.

I’m not sure there’s much more I can say about this pattern as it’s such a simple one but it’s well worth a try if you’re looking for a straightforward and very useful A-Line Skirt pattern which doesn’t use much fabric.  It doesn’t require much sewing time either so it’s a great opportunity to focus on a neat finish.

Annie has some other lovely patterns to try.   The Daphne Day Dress would make a nice party frock.  I wasn’t keen on the open back version but she has now added a pattern extension to fill in the gap.

Here’s a selection of the A-line skirt versions I’ve made so far.  I usually add a lining, although the stripe is the reverse of a denim from Cloth Kits.  The yellow and blue floral was a length of African print fabric I bought from Tinsmiths.  These are worth looking at as they work out at around £5 a metre.  I shared mine with two other people as I really didn’t need 5 metres!  The rest of the fabrics are curtain remnants from C & H Fabrics.

I currently have one more Annie lined up to make with some fine needlecord but there will definitely be more.  It was going to have a yellow cotton lining but as it’s now going to be worn in the cooler weather I will line it with something more slippery so it doesn’t catch on my tights.  Talking of tights … I succumbed to wearing them yesterday and I’ll be heading over to Gypsy Tights soon to order a new supply.  This is not a sponsored post – I just think they have a great selection!  I’m very tempted by some of the colours – especially Fig, Cyclamen and Gunmetal.  I also want the Warm Mustard ones but last time I bought Mustard tights I felt they made my legs look a bit like they were recovering from a bad bruise!

Stay tuned for further Desert Island Patterns!