My work wardrobe is in need of a re-fresh and I have been brainstorming the patterns I can use to refresh it! I shared on Instagram this weekend that I am planning on a work wardrobe inspiration post so keep your eyes peeled for that in the coming weeks! Until then, I couldn’t wait to sew up another Alberta Street Pencil Skirt – and mostly because I am going to be sharing my first tutorial on Wednesday about how to install a super easy exposed zipper!
The Pattern
The Alberta Street Pencil Skirt from Sew House Seven is one of my favorite sewing patterns. I gushed about the pattern a bit during my stop on the Style Maker Fabrics Fall Blog Tour and making that one just made me want to make another! Similar to the one I made for that tour, I left off the pockets, added an exposed zipper and took 4″ off the length.
For those of us on the other end of Maddie’s #sewingtall – aka #sewingshort – I would recommend taking some length off if you prefer your skirt to hit above the knee. When I tried to make an Alberta shortly after starting sewing, I tried to take 4″ off the skirt by using the lengthen/shorten line but it is above the vent, causing the vent to then be um….way too high. Now to take length off the pattern, I just draw a line in the middle of the vent and take the length out of there.
The Skirt
I love the lines on this skirt. I think when I was younger I had a million skirts from JCrew with a similar line but hated how long they were. This skirt allows me to have that traditional pencil skirt look but have an appropriate length for my short legs.
I love the way the exposed zipper looks on this skirt. It adds an edge to the skirt and I think it’s such a fun detail! Plus depending on how you want the zipper to look you can use a coordinating or an accent color. I chose to use a navy zipper to coordinate as I plan on wearing this to more dressy work functions. In the midst of getting so excited about putting together my exposed zipper tutorial, I didn’t realize I used a 5″ zipper instead of a 7″ zipper. So…it’s a little hard to get on and off. Pro Tip: use a 7″ zipper…. I’ll be talking all about the zipper installation on Wednesday – so make sure you come back!
The skirt comes together really quickly. The most tedious part is the hem (or maybe I just really dislike hems…). I also used my edge stitch foot in so many places on this skirt – to install the zipper, to under stitch the facing, to edge stitch the facing down and then on the hem. It’s my most used foot other than the standard presser foot.
The Fabric
I’ve made this skirt in a variety of different fabrics and I think it looks good in all of them! It’s the perfect skirt for any stretch bottom weight fabric. I picked up this fabric from Stitch Sew Shop probably 6 months ago and it’s been sitting in my stash tagged as an Alberta since then. Cali Fabrics has some in stock too (just 1 yard when I am writing this!)
This skirt as I make it is perfect for exactly one yard of fabric. I think if you made the full length you’d need more or if you added the pockets. But, for my 4″ shorter no pockets version I can squeeze it out of just a yard. I was left with just scraps!
I used a fat quarter I had in my stash for all the waistband facings which I think is a fun accent on the inside.
Alberta Street Pencil Skirt SUMMARY
Size Made: 8
View: Only 1 view – removed pockets, shortened by 4″ and used an exposed zipper
Fabric Used: Navy and Plum Stretch Twill from Stitch Sew Shop – Also in stock at Cali Fabrics here
Notions Used: Wonder Tape, Jeans Zipper (I should have used a 7″!)
Ease of Construction: Easy – a great first woven skirt project for new sewists!
Fit: Good!
Repeatable? Yes!
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