485 Pencil Skirt Fully Lined

Featuring a Centre Back Vent

Sewing Pattern by Angela Kane

eBook
PDF
The Ultimate Pencil Skirt
Guide

All Rights Reserved © 2018 Angela Kane

 ************************************************************
PIN THEN BASTE BEFORE STITCHING
RECOMMENDED
If you decide to sew over pins - Wear eye protection
Pin at right angles - Sew slowly - Always use a sharp needle
Sewing rule - Start each garment with a new machine needle
************************************************************
An updated verions of the basic Pencil
Skirt pattern. These instructions will guide
About this Sewing Pattern Waistband
you through all the stages. This garment
incorporates a lining, a concealed zip
opening and shows you how to construct
the centre back vent along with a
waistband and hem finishing.
Team this garment with many items in
your wardrobe. For casual wear with Concealed
shirts and sweaters and for more formal zip insertion
wear, coordinated with my coat and jacket
patterns.
Make it up in medium to light weight
woven wool, wool crepe, suitings, denim,
corduroy, leather, silks and more.
I hope you enjoy making up this pattern.
Make a pencil skirt for every day of the
Learn how to
week!
incorporate a
centre back vent

Page 2 All Rights Reserved © 2018 Angela Kane

THE PATTERN
Check your PDF Pattern for Fabric requirements depending on Size.
You will also need a concealed zip, standard or lightweight that is at least 10"/25cm in length, a
waistband fastening hook and bar or hooks and eyes, all purpose machine thread to match.

MAIN LINING
FABRIC INTERFACING
FABRIC
Use the same pieces as Main Fabric

Back Lining
Back
Back Vent
Interfacing

Lining
Front
Front

Waistband
Waistband Interfacing

Page 3 All Rights Reserved © 2018 Angela Kane

 CUTTING OUT AND MARKING UP

Before cutting out, if your fabric has been folded, carefully K E Y TO FA B RIC
press. Don’t press over the fold. A pressed in crease may be
hard to remove later on. Press woollens with a light steam Right Side Main
RS
setting, through a press cloth. Fabric
If you are planning to wash this garment rather than dry clean
Wrong Side Main
then prewash the length and press. WS
Fabric

Right Side Lining RS

Cut out all your pieces according to the layouts included with
this pattern in your size.
Note - waistband cut from a single layer, right side facing up.
The inside of folded yardage is usully the right side.
Interfacing is cut sticky side, facing up. The two back vent
pieces are identical (i.e. not mirrored) and both cut sticky side
up.
Use the Main Fabric Back and Front to cut the lining. See
below for instructions to cut away the vent extension from the
Left Back Lining.
Cut off ½" from the lining at the hemline edge.
Mark balancing notches by snipping half way into the seam
allowance. Use sharp scissors.
Mark all s with tailor’s tacks to mark darts, vent construction
and for aligning the waistband with skirt construction points.
Fabric
Wrong Side WS
Lining Fabric
Interfacing
Fabric
A note about neatening seams. When a garment is lined, it is
not so important to neaten seams. If you choose to neaten
your seams, zigzag or overlock your edges as you go. Another
school of thought, for speedy results, is to overlock around
every piece before you start - very much a mass-production
method and I learnt this when I was studying fashion design
and pattern cutting many years ago.
Trimming seams with pinking shears is also a useful option.

Page 4 All Rights Reserved © 2018 Angela Kane

 IRON ON THE INTERFACING
Iron Vent Interfacing to wrong side of Skirt Back as shown
below.
Iron Waistband Interfacing to wrong side of Waistband as
shown.

Note where the

Interfacing is
placed

Iron Interfacing to
notched side of
Waistband
Back
Back

Waistband

Page 5 Vent Underlap Vent Overlap side All Rights Reserved © 2018 Angela Kane
side
 PREPARE LINING

Cut away the Left Vent

Extension from the Left
Lining Back as shown.
Note: The seam allowance Cut away
is retained - use the pattern left vent as shown
piece as marked, as a
template. Left Left Tailor tack all ’s Right
Lining Lining Lining
Back Back Back
lining
Left Lining will wrong lining
look like this side wrong
side

STAY STITCHING
Lining
Stay-stitch a fraction inside the Back
seam allowance to reinforce Back Back
corners at the top of the back
vent of the Backs and the Lining
Backs.

Page 6 All Rights Reserved © 2018 Angela Kane

 STITCH THE DARTS
Stitch in reverse at the
Stitch the darts in the Front, the Backs,
begining, to secure
Lining Front and Lining Backs.
Press darts in main fabric towards the Pin, baste and stitch
centre line. each dart
For thick main fabrics, press darts in Reduce the length of stitches a
the lining in the opposite direction to little before the end and run
reduce bulk at the waist. your stitching off the edge

Press darts towards

the centre
Knot the threads

Page 7 All Rights Reserved © 2018 Angela Kane

SEW IN THE CONCEALED ZIP

The secret to sewing in a concealed zip is to buy a zip that is at least 2”/5cm longer than the opening.
Measure the length of the back opening from the raw edge at the waistline to the . Mark this length on the zip
tape, from the tape raw edge down the zip.
When sewing in a concealed zip, you sew the zip to the right side of the back pieces before the centre back
seam is stitched. The zip is face down..
Attach a standard zip foot to your sewing machine.
Start with the Left Back. Open the zip all the way down.
1st Run
Set your needle to the right.
Lay the zip tape, with the zip teeth, right side facing down, on the seam allowance, 1/8”/3mm from the raw edge.
Align the top of the zip tape exactly with the raw edge at the waist. You are sewing the LEFT HAND TAPE to the
LEFT BACK.
Using a long stitch, machine a row of stitching near the tape edge. You don’t have to pin or baste. This line of
stitching just secures the tape in place. Try to keep the tape edge an exact distance from the raw edge. Start the
stitching with a couple of stitches in reverse to secure. Don’t stretch either the zip tape of the fabric underneath.
2nd Run
Set your needle to the left.
This time position the zip foot as close as you can to the zip teeth to the left. Again take a couple of stitches in
reverse then stitch to the , rolling open the teeth as much as you can and at the same time aiming the foot a
little towards the teeth. At the , take a couple of stitches in reverse.
3rd Run
With the needle still set to the left, do exactly the same with the right side of the zip to attach the tape to the right
side of the Skirt Back.
4th Run
Set the needle to the right to do the second run, uncurling the teeth as you go.

Page 8 All Rights Reserved © 2018 Angela Kane

 CONCEALED ZIP - METHOD

Roll the teeth 2nd Run 3rd Run 4th Run Roll the teeth out
1st Run out of the way of the way as
as you stitch you stitch

Left Skirt
Back

Garment
Right Side

Left Skirt Right Skirt Right Skirt

Back Back Back

Garment Garment Garment

Right Side Right Side Right Side
STOP STITCHING
EXACTLY AT
YOUR MARK

As before STOP As before STOP As before STOP

STITCHING STITCHING STITCHING
EXACTLY AT EXACTLY AT EXACTLY AT
YOUR MARK YOUR MARK YOUR MARK

Page 9
FINISH SEAM BELOW ZIP

Next we stitch the seam below the zip.

Don’t worry if the Skirt Backs and the zip have Close the zip
become twisted. Untwist and lay the backs flat, right
sides together.
Pin and baste the seam below the zip and stitch up
from the  at the top of the back vent, towards the
bottom of the zip. Stitch, from
Be sure you are stitching a very accurate ⅝"/1.5cm
Back the dot, up
towards the
seam allowance and stop before the zip starts to get
zip.
in the way. Hand sew
Complete the seam with hand back-stitching or the last 1/2”
or so. Cut away
slip-stitching, finishing where the zip stitching starts. surplus zip
If you have been accurate with your stitching, the then stitch
zip tape to
edges will roll at exactly on the seam line, as the
seam
teeth have rolled back into position. allowance
Press the seam gentley from the right side using a
pressing cloth. Press seam
open below
This will give a very neat finish with an almost zip
undetactable transition between the stitched seam
and the zip.
If your zip extends more than 2” below the back
opening, cut off the surplus.
Using the zip foot again stitch the tape to the seam
allowance below the opening.

Page 10 All Rights Reserved © 2018 Angela Kane

 THE BACK VENT

Press
seam open
On the Skirt Back, clip the
angle of the underlap side of Clip
vent to the .
Join the Lining Backs, pin baste Clip
and stitch between the .
Press open between the .
Fold in, pin and baste the
lining back opening above the
 up to the waist.
Fold in and
baste seam
allowance
above dot

Lining Stitch Clip

Backs between s.

Clip

Page 11 All Rights Reserved © 2018 Angela Kane

 CONSTRUCT THE BACK VENT
This is easy to do but difficult to illustrate! WATCH
Turn up and baste
THE VIDEO
the Lining seam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Nv_f0DgvSc
allowance at the hem
Turn up and baste the seam allowance at the
hemline of the Lining Back. Stop basting short of
the side seams so that the Lining side seams can be
stitched later.
Lay the Lining Back
Lay the Lining Back over the Back, wrong sides
on the Back, WRONG
together.
sides together
Looking at the diagram, both Lefts have the vent
extension. On the right we have the vent extension
on the Main Fabric and the extension is cut away on
the Lining. Fold lining over to
Fold lining over to opposite side to
To stitch along the vent edges, the lining pieces are opposite side to Clip to dots where stitch vent
folded over so that you are able to place lining and stitch vent necessary
main, right sides together for stitching.
Firstly fold the left lining to the opposite side. Then
position the main and lining edges, right sides Left side as seen from wrong side Right side as seen from wrong sid
Stitch
together. Pin, baste and machine from the dot to the Stitch
from the
hem. from the
dot to
Return the Lining to position. Press the edge along hem dot to
the seam line. This will form the under-lap of the hem
vent.
Then fold the right lining to the opposite side. Main Main
Position the Main and Lining edges, right sides Wrong Wrong
Lining Lining
together. The Lining edge will be the cutaway edge. Side Side
Wrong Wrong
Pin, baste and machine from the dot to the hem . Side
Side
Return the Lining to position.

Page 12 All Rights Reserved © 2018 Angela Kane

 CONSTRUCT THE BACK VENT continued

The overlap vent will fall into place. Press the folded edge
which will line up with the centre back. Stitch from  to 
Push all seam allowances along the diagonal top seam of the
vent upwards.
Reach between the layers from the right to access all the
seam allowances, folding the lining back on itself, and stitch All four seam
Back allowances
along the seam line from  to , so joining the seam
allowances together.
Reach between
layers to access
top of vent seam

centre back line

allowances

Folded and
pressed along
seam line Lining
Back
ap
r-l
de
Un

Centre fold of the Overlap

Page 13 All Rights Reserved © 2018 Angela Kane

 SEW THE SIDE SEAMS
Arrange the skirt Front
and Back right sides
together. Pin and baste
the side seams. Stitch.
Press open.
NOTE Before stitching
the side seams, you
may like to try the skirt
on in case you want a
tighter fit.
Turn the skirt right side
out with the lining on
the inside.
Pin and baste the Skirt
and the Lining together
at the waist lining up
seams and darts.
Baste skirt and
Lining together
Page 14
Arrange the Lining
Front and Back right
sides together. Pin and
baste the Lining side
seams. Stitch. Press
open.
Turn up the
After pressing open the
remainder of the
Lining side seams, turn
Lining seam
up and baste the
allowance
remainder of the Lining
seam allowance at the
hem.
Hand stitch the lining to the
zip tape at the back opeing.
All Rights Reserved © 2018 Angela Kane
ATTACH THE WAISTBAND

Pin, baste and stitch the

waistband to the skirt,
matching s to seams
and darts. Press the
waistband up.

Trim, grading the

seam allowance

Press the waistband

up

Page 15 All Rights Reserved © 2018 Angela Kane

Waistband Underlap.
Fold waistband along
length as shown. Stitch Stitch end of
the end and part way waistband Stitch end of
along lower edge. waistband
Waistband
Overlap.Stitch the end.

Mitre corner and

grade end seam
allowance

Before turning the waistband

through, trim grading the Mitre corner and Before turning the waistband
seam allowance grade end seam through, trim grading the
allowance seam allowance

Page 16 All Rights Reserved © 2018 Angela Kane

Turn the waistband
through.
For finer fabrics, turn in
the seam allowance on
the inside and
slip-stitch in place.
For thicker fabrics, don’t
turn in the seam
allowance. Instead,
bastein place and
stitch-in-the-ditch from
the right side.

Stitch-in-the-ditch
from the right
side.

Baste and then

stitch-in-the-ditch from the
right side.

Page 17 All Rights Reserved © 2018 Angela Kane

SEW THE HEM

Measuring up 2", trim away the seam

allowance at the side seams to reduce bulk.
Neaten the raw edge. The lining raw edge is
already folded and basted.
Hem line
Pin up and baste a 2" hem and stitch a blind
hem. Machine using a blind hem stitch or
catch stitch by hand.
Pin and baste a 1½" hem along the lining. This
Trim away seam
will taper to meet the hem edge of the main Neaten
allowance to
garment at the back vent. raw edge
reduce bulk at
side seams

Centre back
Fold up lining and Sew hem using the Lining hem tapers to
machine stitch a 1 1/2” blind heming stitch or meet main fabric hem
hem tapering to the catch stitch by hand at the vent opening
back vent

Page 18 All Rights Reserved © 2018 Angela Kane

TO FINISH

Line up hook and bar

carefully and hand
stitch in place

Attach a waistband hook and bar.

Check that you have removed all basting and
tailor tacks.
Press carefully.

Page 19 All Rights Reserved © 2018 Angela Kane