Mood Style: African Print Detachable Skirt

African prints have been taking the fashion world by storm the last couple of years and once you lay eyes on their beautiful shapes, vibrant colors, and gorgeously bold patterns, it’s not difficult to see why. For today’s DIY I decided to hop on this trend with a skirt that can easily transition from every wear to a glamorous, couture look.

• McCall’s Skirt Pattern 3830
• 6 yards Jasmine Green and Antique Moss Geometric Waxed Cotton African Print
• 4 yards Black Polyester Lining
• Size 1 Black Sew On Snaps
• 9″ Black Invisible Zipper

First I wanted to make a simple, chic pencil skirt. They’re so versatile and can be worn anywhere – out to dinner or simply out shopping, depending on how it’s styled. I followed view C of McCall’s pattern 3830.

Pockets were a necessary alteration. How can you have a skirt with no pockets? Below is a template of the shape I used. I placed the diagonal line of the pocket’s opening along one of the diagonals of the skirt ‘s print in order to make the pockets fairly unnoticeable.

The fun part of this project was a detachable skirt! A pencil skirt can be worn everywhere, but this part of the ensemble can be worn a million different ways. Throw it over your bathing suit for an adorable cover up, pair it with some denim shorts for a casual summer look, or keep it with the matching pencil skirt to take it from cute to couture.

To create the shape of the skirt, I began much like I would be making a basic circle skirt. However, I added 5″ to my waist measurements to account for the two pleats I knew I’d be placing toward the front of the skirt.

Instead of making an even circle all the way around, I created more of an oval shape to create the hi-low silhouette. The back of my skirt is about 45″, while the sides are 22″. I connected the points with a freehand curve, like you see in the above diagram.

The fabric was just a few inches too short along the width to make the skirt all one piece, so I cut two sides and gave the skirt a seam down the back. The skirt was lined with a simple poly lining, and the waistband was a 3″ wide rectangle of the same fabric. A couple of sew-on snaps completed the garment and it was ready to wear!

Are you going to be trying this project on your own? Which print will you be using?