Scuba Staple Skirt - Butterick 6464

(This was actually made in 2018.)

Pattern: Butterick 6464 (2017)

Pattern Description: Close-fitting, pull-on skirt with side panels and thin elastic channel inside a wide waistband.

Pattern Sizing: Size E5 (14-16-18-20-22), I cut a size 18 and adjusted on my body accordingly.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing it?  Sorta, the actual skirt's waistband appeared more gathered than in the drawing.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Extremely easy. Great pattern for a beginner and it has more style than a basic pencil skirt.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? Having made this before I knew that the fit would be excellent.

Fabric Used: Black/light gray double faced neoprene (polyester/Lycra) from Mood (a gift from Allie J. as part of a giveaway*), Stretchrite 1/2" polyester braided elastic, Gutermann 100% polyester thread in #592 Black, Dritz size #16 (100) ball point machine needle (for heavyweight knits)

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: The design ease for this skirt of 43.5" for a 42" hip is too much positive ease for a knit skirt. I decided to cut my skirt halfway between size 16 and 18.

I love the way the waistband is constructed. It consists of a wide waistband/yoke with the elastic channel hidden inside so it's not evident from the outside. The yoke sections are stitched together on the sides first, then a casing is formed at the top edge where the elastic is inserted, and once secured the entire yoke is turned inside out; essentially hiding the elastic.

The only difficulties in construction were due to the fabric choice. Cutting it out was easy with a rotary cutter but the heft of the fabric required me to trace the cut-on-the-fold pattern piece for the center front and back as complete pieces so that I could cut them out flat.

Because this was my first time using scuba I began by testing out different sewing and pressing techniques on scraps. This resulted in me choosing to use a ball point needle made for heavyweight knits and my walking foot. Stitching over multiple layers of this fabric was still difficult and I admit I had to reinforce some areas when I noticed some skipped stitches.

All of the seams were pressed first, on the wrong side and then the right with a "pressing cloth" (scrap of random lightweight fabric) which I then weighed down with whatever I had on hand until it was cool. (I just keep putting off buying a wood clapper because this still works!) This was very important for the top of the waistband, which really didn't want to behave. Even though it would have elastic inside and be gathered, I still wanted to avoid as much bulk in that area as possible. This pressing-and-resting method took over an hour to treat all of the seams and to tame the waistband.

The rest of the skirt was incredibly simple, consisting of center and side panels on both the front and back. I top stitched the panel seams and the waistband to add dimension to the scuba.

I have no idea how a folded hem will affect the look of the skirt so I'm wearing it without a hem right now. This works because scuba does not ravel.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?  Yes, This is a definite TNT pattern and I will definitely make more of these. I highly recommend this skirt pattern.

Conclusion: This was a successful make, a slim skirt with an ingenious waistband treatment and visual interest provided by the topstitched side panels.

* She actually questions in the comments here what to do with the leftover yard from her own skirt project...well, she sent it to me!