I have always wanted a perfect black pencil skirt. These are so hard to find if you’re shaped like me, with a small(ish) waist and a, ahem, rounder backend. So I knew making a pencil skirt would be near the top of my sewing list this year. I tried one last year, but the pattern wasn’t quite right, and I didn’t finish my seams, so it it eventually started falling apart. Wah wah.

Anyway, when I got Gertie’s awesome book, I was pleased to see a pencil skirt that looked like just what I wanted: a nice high waist, and a great taper down to the knees. It had to happen, and I had a few yards of a nice black ponte knit that would be just right.

I made my first muslin with this pattern. Here is the muslin (and a cute top from Ruche) on Bessie, my new sewing assistant (heh):

The muslin process was really time consuming, and I’m not entirely sure I did my fitting correctly, but I was awfully pleased with how the final skirt turned out. And now I have a muslin I can use for a pattern for all of the pencil skirts I’m going to make in the future. Yay! (I will write more about Bessie soon, and the fun of fitting).

This skirt pattern includes a lapped zipper, which I haven’t done before. I kind of effed it up, but whatever, it still zips. I intend to practice this in the future, a lot, because I do love the look of a lapped zipper.

Sean took these pictures of me in the skirt (and my sorbetto blouse), and while this one is kind of funny, I think it shows the skirt nicely. It also shows how much my tights were bunching up around my knees, which I didn’t notice the whole day. Nice.

I am not super good at posing for pictures. Hopefully, I’ll get better at this too.

The facts:

Fabric: Ponte knit, I think it cost around $15

Pattern: Gertie’s Pencil Skirt

Notions: A zipper, a button from my collection, interfacing

Year: Contemporary vintage styling

Time to complete: Not including the muslin, this still took a long time: about 10 hours? But I’m a newbie.

First worn: This past Monday, 1/14/2013.

Wear again: Heck yes, I want to wear it every day.

Total cost: About $20, I believe.