Another Lekala #5088 pencil skirt < with my hands

The free Lekala #5088 was such a great pattern that I made two in one go. (If you have not seen the previous one, click here). This time I used a completely different fabric and added an exposed zipper at the back.

I found this fabric as a short bolt end at Eurokangas and I had to buy it. It is striped boucle with some metallic threads woven in. The fabric had just enough length for me to cut the skirt and the waistband with only small scraps left over. The boucle was fraying like crazy, so I quickly serged all the edges.

I have never made an exposed zipper before so I tried to figure out the way to do it. I sewed the lining at the centre back to the main fabric and attached the waistband. Then I slip stitched the zipper in it’s place from the wrong side. Finally I turned the skirt the right side up and machine stitched the zipper edges to the skirt.

I think this ended up looking quite nice. This time I did not remove the slit but stitched the lining to the seam allowances all the way down from the sides of the zipper.

I took a lot of time to hem the skirt. At first I interfaced the hem fold. After that I slip stitched the fold of the boucle fabric in place. Then I folded and pinned the hem of the lining over the main fabric hem and slip stitched the lining to the hem. The end result is very neat and the hem drapes nicely.

I like this skirt version very much. In the pictures I wear it with a linen t-shirt but it would be perfect with a nice blazer or a cardigan in the winter.

The fit is perfect and the stripes are matched carefully at the sides and at the darts so that they practically disappear.

The most striking detail is certainly the back zipper. I am not a particular fan of exposed zippers since sometimes they just make the garment look cheap. With this expensive looking fabric the exposed back zipper adds just a perfect touch of edginess.

I think that this is not going to be my last Lekala #5088. Now that I have made two, I realise how much there is potential to modify this pattern to make skirts out of very different fabrics with different styles.

Thank you for visiting my blog and see you soon! Happy sewing!