Fixing a Standing Only Skirt

I like a slim skirt, and I like wrap skirts, and I like Connie Crawford patterns.  So, when I saw a pattern for a slim wrap skirt by Connie Crawford in the most recent Butterick release, I was out the door to buy it.  This is Butterick 6605.  It also has a top, which I have yet to make, but I wanted to review this skirt as soon as I made it, in case I can help anyone else avoid ending up with a Standing Only Skirt.

So,  what do I mean by a Standing Only Skirt?  Well, if you want to sit down in this skirt as originally designed, you will be giving quite the show!  I sewed the side seams together, overlapped it where the center fronts matched, and then sat down in it.  Oh boy- I would not want to show you a photo of that!  It pretty much was open all the way to the crotch.  But I will try to show you on the dress form.

So, here are the center fronts lining up.  Looks good right?
Now, imagine that you are sitting and the skirt fronts spread apart.  This is approximately where they would spread to:

There's just not enough overlap and underlap!  I almost gave up at this point, because I had no more fabric left to play with.  But, I did have the facing pieces, which were each about 4 inches wide.  So, I just let the facings become bands, and turned them under 5/8", instead of turning them under the entire width.  So, subtracting seam allowances and hem allowance, I ended up adding about 3 inches to each side. My print is busy, so it's hard to see, but here it is up close.  I did the same thing on the under layer, then overlapped them to each notch.

Then, this would make my already cut waistband too short for it to be a wrap, so I instead turned it into an elastic waistband, with the wrap permanently in place.   I was able to do that, because I don't have a lot of difference between my waist and hip measurements.  This fix wouldn't work for everyone.  If your hips are substantially larger than your waist, you'll want to find a different fix.

So, if you are making this pattern, and have just started, what I would recommend is first of all pinning the tissue to the clothes that you are wearing, and seeing what happens when you sit down.  Maybe this won't be an issue for all sizes, so it's best to see what it looks like for you.  For reference, I made the size Large, and I clearly selected the right size because the center fronts and sides were at the appropriate places. 

 If you are like me and find that the overlap and underlap are not working for you, try adding 3-4" to each front piece.  Then add the same amount to each side of the waistband.   If you are finding this post after you have already cut out the pattern and are wondering what to do- just sew on the facing as a band.  If you have enough fabric, you could cut two of each facing piece, so you are able to still have a facing, but the facing will face the band.   You'll need to cut some extra pieces to lengthen the waistband piece, or do like I did, and make it an elastic waist- but only if you can get it over your hips.

This was a muslin for me, as I am testing out some patterns for some fall skirts.  If you like this look, there are a few other patterns out there that may be worth trying out too.  I found Burda 6506 which looks close, but is probably not a true wrap, but it does have pockets. It's interesting that the Butterick number is 6605, just a transposition away.

I myself will definitely still be making this one again, as I like the fit now, and I can sit down without showing more than I want.  Iam even happy with the change to the elastic waistband, as I won't have to worry about ties loosening up, which from my experience, they always do.

And again, I want to emphasize, that I can't say that everyone will need to make this fix, but I wanted to give you a heads up, just in case!  Always better to know than to not know!    I'd love to hear from you if you make this skirt, and let me know how it worked for you and what size you made.

Happy Sewing!

Ann