Everyday Skirt by Liesl + Co: A Pattern Review

Liesl + Co just released four new women's patterns this week as digital downloads, and of course, I just could not resist the overwhelming temptation to at least try one of them....well, I ended up getting two!  How weak is that?  Anyway, at first glance I liked the Weekend Getaway Blouse the best, but the more I looked at the Everyday Skirt pattern the more I fell in love with it.  Perhaps it was the combination of the yellow skirt and grey v-neck (probably an all-time favorite), I don't know, but I decided I had to have both.  Oh, and did I mention the skirt has pockets....awesome!  

While looking through my stash I "discovered" my peachy pink, super soft wool fabric I got ages ago and decided it was perfect.....and of course couldn't wait to try it out using this new pattern.

However, I could not decide what size to make.  I cut out the larger of the two, thinking I could just down-size it if I needed to, but couldn't bare to cut my wool fabric until I was sure.  So, I checked my stash once again and found a neat linen/cotton blend fabric that I got super cheap a few months ago that I could use to make a test skirt.  Long story, somewhat short, I have lots of pictures to show you of my first Everyday Skirt (but please excuse my pasty legs they don't often see the light of day...yikes).  Hopefully you can get a good idea of what to expect from the pattern, then again Liesl + Co/Oliver + S haven't let me down yet.


Everyday Skirt by Liesl + Co Pattern Review

The Everyday Skirt pattern is a digital download that you can print out on your home printer, including the instructions and the pattern pieces, which you then tape together and cut out.  What I love about digital downloads is that you can print it out as many times as you want and cut your size directly out instead of using tracing paper.  The downside is that it does take quite a bit of paper, but you always have the back up just in case something gets lost or messed up or you need a different size.  Plus, I like the instant gratification of have the pattern immediately...sometimes I can be so impatient.  As far as taping the pages together to make the pattern pieces, it is super easy, because each piece has a number and letter combination that matches with its corresponding piece.  You do need to make sure that you print your pattern on actual size, by going into the printer properties and selection the "actual size" option and not the "fit to page" option for example.  Then double check that the sizing is correct by measuring the one inch reference on the pattern print out.  I did notice that some of my lines were ever so slightly off even when I lined up one of the other sides of the piece, but the difference is negligible and did not cause any problems with constructing the skirt.

The pattern has six pattern pieces:  a front panel, back panel, side panels, a waist band, pocket lining, and pocket I actually don't have the pocket lining piece in the photo above).  You need two of the side panel, pocket lining, and pocket and the rest you only need one.  The pattern provides yardage for both 44" wide and 60" wide fabric.  The yardage for the 44" wide is right on, but I think that with the 60" wide you could get away with using less if you use a different fabric to line your pockets.  I am going to try this on my next version of the skirt using my wool fabric, and I will let you know how it turns out.

The skirt goes together really easily and relatively quickly.  I was able to finish in a few hours once my pieces were cut out.  I did have to pause several times to tend to my two year old, so it would probably not even take that long if your were uninterrupted.  As far as everything lining up, I only had one issue.  The way I interpreted the pattern was that the flat front waistband should have lined up with the back waistband, so that the stitching would look continuous around the entire waistband when you were finished.  On my skirt however my back waistband was about a 1/4" or more shorter that my front waistband (and my length at the bottom of the skirt lined up perfectly).  It did not seem to cause any issues as far as construction and it does not look too bad that the front and back waistbands are different heights.  I am curious, however, to figure out why this might have happened.  I went back to make sure that my pattern pieces were correct and they seemed to be and then I double checked how I constructed the waistband and I am pretty sure I constructed everything properly.  With that said it could very well still be a user error, so I will pay very close attention on my next skirt to see if I run into the same problem or not.

Another note about the waistband is that the back half has elastic, which is great because it makes it easy customize it to fit you, plus would doesn't love a stretchy waist band?  In addition, I love that is uses two bands of 1/2" elastic instead of one wide once, because it seems to conform to your body well and doesn't make it too stiff and uncomfortable.

For the skirt hem, I feel that they gave a decent amount of length on the pattern to play with.  I think I am around 5'6" and I cut 2" off the bottom and then used the suggested 2" hem and in hits at the top of my knees.  I think on the model on the front of the pattern it is even shorted than that, but either way they give you quite a bit of length to play with.

Overall this pattern is great.  It is quick, easy, cleverly constructed and most of all the end result is comfy and versatile.  I highly recommend it to anyone from beginners to pros.  Also, please let me know if I left anything out or messed anything up.  Thanks for stopping by and I hope you found this helpful!

Update:
Here is my second Everyday Skirt made with the pink wool I mentioned previously.  I did modify the fold on the top of the back waistband/piece, by only folding it over 1/4" instead of the suggested 1/2" in the pattern instructions.  It lined up nicely with the front waistband when I did that.  I also received an email from Oliver + S suggesting to modify the back piece (#6) by adding 1/4" to the length, either way your waistband would line up!   

In the photos I am wearing the skirt with the silk blouse I made using Simplicity 1690, a Leanne Marshall pattern.  As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, I only had one yard of each, the silk and the wool, so I had to find a pattern that I liked but would also work with the amount of fabric I had.  The only bad thing is that it turns out that the wool for the skirt is a bit sheer...you can see the blouse tucked in underneath.  It actually makes it look like I am wearing black underwear!  Oops, I will have to figure out how to fix that one later.

Lastly, you might have noticed that this second skirt is a bit longer than the first one I made.  With this one, I did not shorten it at all, so it is the original length of the pattern.

This post is link up with Finish It Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts.