knit pencil skirt pattern

In this video sewing tutorial I will show you how to sew a simple pencil skirt from knit fabric and how to make a pencil skirt sewing pattern fast and easy. The skirt is very simple to sew even for a complete beginner. Learn to use your serger and sew with stretchy knit fabric.
Below you can see useful links I mentioned in the video
Blog post "How to sew a simple skirt – a knit pencil skirt pattern and tutorial"
https://www.ageberry.com/knit-pencil-skirt-pattern-tutorial/

My other pencil skirt tutorial (from woven fabric) - https://www.ageberry.com/diy-pencil-skirt-make-skirt-sloper/
Read about taking body measurements here - https://www.ageberry.com/how-to-take-body-measurements-sewing/
Learn to sew with a twin needle - https://www.ageberry.com/twin-needle-sewing-machine/

Of course you can browse the wide variety of patterns to find the one that suits you perfectly. But you can also make a simple pattern yourself - let me show you how to do it.
First, you will need to take 4 measurements - check out my tutorial on taking body measurements for sewing correctly.
Waist
Hips
Waist to hips - just measure the distance from your waist to the hipline
Desired length of the skirt

You can draw the pattern lines right on your fabric but I advise you to do it on paper first, it’s easier to correct if you make a mistake and it’s easier to cut the pattern this way.
So, take a piece of paper (I use vellum paper for my patterns) 1 yard x 1 yard approximately and place in on a table. We are going to make just one pattern piece that will be the front and back of the skirt.
Draw a vertical line in the middle and mark points A and B, the distance AB is equal to your desired skirt length plus 1 inch for a hem. The length for a pencil skirt can vary - below knee, above knee, midi, mini, etc. But this pattern is NOT GOOD for a maxi skirt.
Draw a perpendicular line from the point A and find points C and D. The line CD is your waistline. Distance CA is equal to AD. Calculate the distance CD like this: your waist measurement divided by 2 MINUS 1 3/16 in (or 3 cm). Why do we need to subtract this amount? Because we are making a pencil skirt from KNIT fabric that is stretchable. It’s called “negative ease”. We don’t want a loose-fitting skirt in this case.
Find a point E on the line AB. Distance AE is equal to your waist to hem measurement. Usually it’s between 7 and 9 in, it’s bigger for tall people usually.
Draw a perpendicular line from the point E and find points F and G. The line FG is your hipline. Distance FE is equal to FG. Calculate the distance FG like this: your hips measurement divided by 2 MINUS 1 3/16 in (3 cm).
If you want to finish drawing this simple pattern go to my blog post - you will find the link under this video.

Draw a perpendicular line from the point B and find points H and I. This will be your hemline. The distances HB and BI are equal and HI is equal HIPS divided by 2 MINUS 2 ⅜ in (6 cm).
Now connect points CFH and DGI with smooth curved lines. I am usually using a French curve ruler but you can draw the lines freehand. Just make sure they are completely symmetrical.
Cut your paper pattern. It's the same for the front and back. All seam allowances are included, don’t add any seam allowances to the pattern.
Place the fabric right sides in, draw a line with a fabric marker perpendicular to the selvage and pin your pattern to the fabric. Make sure the line AB is PARALLEL to the selvages. Cut around the pattern using fabric shears. You will have 2 pieces for your skirt - the front and the back. They are equal.
Cut a skirt waistband - it’s just a long narrow rectangle 2 ¾ in (7 cm) by YOUR WAIST MEASUREMENT MINUS 2 ⅜ IN (6 CM).
Now we need to sew a few seams - and we are done.
First, prepare your serger. Use woolly nylon threads (matching colors) for the loopers (it’s better for very stretchable seams). Insert 2 ball point needles. Set the serger for 4 thread 2 needles stitch.
Test how your serger sews the fabric you are using for the skirt. Make necessary adjustments.
The skirt front and back pieces are already on top of each other with right sides together after you cut them, right? Pin side seams of the skirt. You have to stitch from top to bottom, so insert pins like this - parallel to the side edges.
Stitch the sides with the serger. Don't leave any seam allowances. Let your serger knife go only 1 millimeter from the fabric edge. Usually sergers have marks on their presser feet. I am going to use this mark which shows the cutting line. So I align this mark with the fabric edge - well, almost, 1 mm from the edge.
Press the seams on one side.
Next, make the skirt waistband. I prefer to sew a waistband for inserting elastic. I think this way I can adjust the elastic better and I can even change it, in case this becomes necessary.