The Gardenia Skirt – Free Sewing Pattern

The pencil skirt is a staple business basic and every powerful woman’s best friend. From pinstripes to solids, this skirt has been redone in a variety of ways. I’m often a fan of the pin-up style, and I wanted to put a retro spin on this classic silhouette. So, I threw in a flounce, some florals, and a few buttons for a fantastic retro-chic pencil skirt! Mood’s new exclusive line, the Gaia Collection, has some absolutely stunning, Greek inspired prints, so I decided to use one of those for the newest pattern, The Gardenia Skirt.

Fabrics & materials used:

• 3 panels Mood Exclusive Persephone’s Bouquet Black Stretch Cotton Sateen
• 2 pkg Dritz Size 45 Half Ball Covered Buttons
• 9″ Navy Invisible Zipper
• MDF022 – The Gardenia Skirt Sewing Pattern (free download below!)

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NOTE: This pattern is now available up through a size 22!

All seam allowances are 1/2″ unless otherwise stated.

The front of your skirt is made up of two panels that will be connected on the wearer’s left side by a faux button-up seam. Essentially they’ll just be layered on top of one another, stitched down, and the skirt will really open on the side with an invisible zipper.

Start by taking the two edges that will be overlapping and pressing the seam allowance inward 1/2″ like you see above. Place the larger skirt panel over the smaller one, overlapping them about 1.75″ and matching up the markings on your pattern. Stitch along the edge of the top panel, securing it into place.

Do the same with the edge of the other panel so you end up with two parallel lines about 1.5″ from each other.

Sew the darts in the front and back panels of your skirt, and then attach your panels along the right side. Attach one edge of your waistband along the top of the skirt, like you see below.

Place your zipper about halfway down your waistband and insert it using an invisible zipper foot. If you’re unfamiliar with how to use one, here’s a handy tutorial! Sew up the rest of the right side of your skirt and use this opportunity to check the fit.

Next, fold your waistband in half toward the inside of your garment and tuck any raw edges inward. Slip-stitch around the inside of the waistband to secure into place.

The flounce is the easy part. You should have two panels which you’ll need to attach at the sides to form a full circular shape. You can attach this directly to the bottom of your skirt and finish it off with a simple rolled hem, or you can line it and turn it right side out to press the hem like I did with this one!

Once you’ve attached your flounce, all that’s left is sewing on your buttons! I chose to go with 5 buttons covered with the same sateen of the skirt. If you’ve never used a kit before, they’re very simple and come with instructions on the back of each package. Typically you can punch them into place by hand or with a spool of thread.

So which direction will you be taking your skirt in – another stunning floral from Mood’s newest exclusive collection, or a more classic suiting?