Sew What! Skirts: 16 Simple Styles You Can Make with Fabulous Fabrics

I am not a seamstress; and those few items I've sewn in the past have been spur-of-the-moment things I stitched together by hand. One weekend, when I was a teenager, I got this idea to make my friend a purse. I sat up in my room and sewed together that purse from Saturday to Sunday--and it was great! My friend used it for at least a year. I made it from paisley-print denim and NO PATTERN. It just came out of my head.But sewing clothes...? Erm, that idea wasn't as appealing. Wouldn't I mess them up? I still won't use a sewing machine (the one we have is my husband's and I know I'll break it if I even touch it!) so I decided to approach this book "Sew What! Skirts: 16 Simple Styles You Can Make With Fabulous Fabrics" from the angle of hand-sewing.My hubby was thrilled at my interest in sewing and so he took me to the fabric store on Saturday morning. I didn't work on my sewing project every day; but the following Sunday, I wore my modest skirt out for worship, the first skirt I've ever made! It's a darling pencil skirt with two little side slits and a side zipper. Is it perfect? No. Is it wearable? Oh, yes, and I've received a few compliments on it already. I had some trouble putting in the zipper without the fabric bubbling 'funny' and so covered that spot with a big button; then I put some rick-rack and buttons elsewhere to make the skirt seem 'cuter' and less professional. (Because, of course, a professional skirt will invite more critical reviews of my less-than-professional sewing skills!) Still, it's a great skirt, and I'm very pleased with it. I'm going to start in on an A-line skirt soon!The book itself is very easy to read, and fun to look at. Some of the more technical aspects of things I find confusing to read about, but I figure that's just because I'm still new to all this. There are plenty of videos online to help a newbie like me actually SEE what it's like to put an elastic in. So, all in all, I have to say that this is a great, little book. It has me making my own clothes! How cool is that?!

I bought this book on a whim. I had just started sewing after thinking about doing so for years. I need to mull things over. Of course, once I was ready to start sewing, I bought the fabric first (a wool boucle) and then the pattern. Bass akwards. Because I was so excited to sew a skirt from the fabric I bought, I downloaded a pattern from Butterick and printed it. What the hey!? I felt like I was wrestling a pattern Gorilla who saw me as nothing more than human toy. Regular printer paper was too thick and bulky but all I had! It cost me hours of time and I was unsure of the resulting paper pattern. It didn't seem right. So I bought another pattern from a not-so-local store. Needless to say, the sizing was way off and again, the pattern Gorilla showed who was boss. To my credit, I didn't give up. Had to take the side seams apart three times in an effort to get the fit I was looking for. Geez. The good news is, the skirt is now done and I love it. Enter fabric love # 2. A red and black houndstooth with threads of sliver. Had me at hello. No way was I going to wrestle the pattern Gorilla again though! Bad Gorilla. Had to be a better way and viola, this book gave clear instructions on how to make a better filling skirt, from the get go. It also describes how to create a paper pattern pattern for future skirts if I so desired. Smart! So, I read the book (e-read), filled in the measurement table with my measurements, choose my skirt type, laid out my fabric love #2, and followed the instructions. Of course, I had to do a little extra work to ensure the houndstooth pattern matched up across the skirt pieces but 2 hours later after laying out the fabric, I was able to verify the fit. No pattern Gorilla and a great fitting skirt. I even ventured so far as to make a waist band for the straight skirt using the instructions outlined. In a nutshell, the turned out beautiful and the fit is awesome. No more pattern Gorilla wresting for me! At least for skirts. How about a book on trousers???

I still hardly believe that after all these years I finally found a book that was simple enough to follow, that provides a no pattern-method for skirt sewing, and contains every style that I've been longing to sew!!I am ecstatic that I found this book and wonder why I didn't give it a chance sooner - could have saved a truck load of money on all the other sewing books that I purchased throughout the years.I've just completed my first skirt from this book and it fits like a dream, and it was a dream to sew! I have some sewing knowledge but I am not terribly experienced and it's been a while that I made anything sewing related, but I did not have any difficulties following the instructions; they were all very clear. I wholeheartedly recommend this book for people with all skill levels and body shapes, you'll end up with beautiful, well fitting skirts to wear.Some people mentioned that the skirts pictured in the book are very dated, but I think the silhouettes are classic and therefore timeless. However, I do see how the fabrics used make them look dated. There are so many cute and beautiful fabrics available today, using any of those will make the skirts look current.One more thought..I was so happy with the book because it incorporated designs that are flattering for everyone especially for those of us who are pear shaped, therefore, like to use more simply cut clothing on our bottom halves to minimize it. Skirt and dresses that feature lots of pockets, belts, gathers, etc. are not looking so hot on a bigger bottom and simply cut clothes unfortunately are so hard to find, and when one does they are expensive. I guess one has to pay for a well cut piece, but not anymore, this book will save money.I am also itching to make more skirts out of this book which hasn't happened to me in a long time when it comes to craft books. Sew what skirts is that good! I just wish the author produced another book expanding on the content of this one (how to line skirts), or delved into the subject of sewing pants and tops.

I was a little sceptical about a book which didn't come with a pattern, but this is soooooo much better. It tells you how to use your own body measurements to create, very easily, a pattern which fits you exactly. I was amazed how easy it was to draw a pattern and use it. There are lots of ideas for A line, wraparound, gathered and circlular skirts with a variety of waist finishes and facings/linings to suit your own capabilites, although the instructions are so clear, I feel I could make any of them.You can follow the designs they suggest or use them to inspire you to design your own. I've made one A line skirt so far, but am planning to make the wraparound for summer hols and maybe a layered satin/lace skirt for winter parties. I'm a very out of practice (20 years since I did any dressmaking) competent amateur, and I found this book very easy to use and inspirational for designs.Some reviews mention the fact it is spiral bound, but I had no problems with that; it makes it much easier to have it open on the page you need (the spirals are inside the cover, so it looks like a normal hardback from the outside). I would recommend this book to beginners and to young sewers wishing to create their own designs, but needing a little helping hand with the technicalities.

Bought the spiral bound version of this as it makes working from the book so much easier. It will be great to have a pattern that fits me!! Not some generic shaped pattern that always needs tweeking. It may be easier to get someone to help measure the length of the skirt you require, but they don't need to know any other measurements if you don't want them too. Once you've made your pattern you can sew skirts for any occasion. I've bought one of those large sheets of thick coloured paper you can buy at stationers to use as my pattern as tissue can be easily torn. My daughter recently bought a vogue paper pattern for £12.75 so this book is well worth the money.

Excellent guide to making your own simple skirts. Take your measurements and follow the drafting guide for the type of skirt you want to make. There are some helpful guides to using types of seams,hems, fastenings, zips etc everything is explained clearly and with good pictures and diagrams. Anyone could use this book to design and make their own skirts. Have made an elastic gathered waist skirt already and am halfway though an A line fitted waist with zip one. Good buy and well worth the cost - not much more than one standard pattern. Recommended.

Excellent book. No actual patterns but explains how to draft your own skirt patterns to fit you perfectly. I'm a reasonable home sewer but had never drafted patterns myself before. Having read this I created my own bespoke pattern and made up my skirt I an afternoon. It also gave me a good understand of how to alter skirts to fit me. Would definately recommend.

A great book about sewing your own skirts. The styles shown in the book are all easy to sew and most importantly flattering for all shapes. The instructions are very clear and cover some basic information about sewing so even beginners can feel confident they will be able to sew one if not all of the skirts. The easiest one is the wrap skirt where you only need fabric and thread. The author advises you to either draw directly on the fabric or if you prefer you can use a large sheet of paper to easily make a pattern. The advantage of using this book instead of shop bought patterns is that you will sew a skirt with a perfect fit, shop bought patterns usually require you to make amendements to them in order to give you a good fit. And, even with designer fabrics such as Amy Butler fabrics, it is quite affordable to sew your own skirts and certainly cheaper than buying a ready to wear one from the shops, plus you will have the pleasure of wearing a unique or personalised design.