Sewing Instructions – Models 9 & 67 Pencil Skirt

Model 9 – Pencil Skirt (D) ★★ A pencil skirt with an attached waistband, a single-lapped vent at the center back, an invisible zipper and optional lining. Model 67 uses the same base pattern – see "Pattern variation" at the end. Draft the pattern with the Lutterloh System from your hip measurement, then add seam allowances before cutting.

What you need

Item Amount
Fabric for the skirt (D), Model 9 75 x 150 cm – ⅞ yd of 58/60″ wide fabric
Fabric for the skirt (D), Model 67 65 x 150 cm – ¾ yd of 58/60″ wide fabric
Invisible zipper 8–9″, plus an (invisible) zipper foot
Lining optional, cut from the skirt pattern
Interfacing for the waistband and the slit opening
Button 1 flat button

Fabric recommendation: medium-weight woven fabrics.

  • 6–7.5 oz/yd²: cotton sateen, fine gabardine, lightweight denim.
  • 7.5–9 oz/yd²: woolens (wool sateen, wool crepe, wool gabardine, flannel) and other suiting or trouser fabric.
  • Over 10.5 oz/yd²: coating fabric, loden wool (for a heavy winter skirt).

For added comfort, look for fabrics with a touch of spandex (stretch).

Seam allowances: ⅝″ on the seams, 1½″ at the skirt hem, ⅝″ at the lining hem.

Preparations: Interface the waistband and the zipper extension/slits, steam the zipper tapes (so they don't shrink later), and mark the hemline and the slit markings with tailor's tacks.

Pattern pieces: AD = front skirt, BD = back skirt.

Sewing steps

  1. Darts. Sew the darts on the front skirt (AD) and back skirt (BD). Press the front darts toward the center front and the back darts toward the center back.
  2. Finish the edges. Finish (serge or zigzag) the seam allowances of the side seams, the center back and the hem allowance. Leave the upper waist edge unfinished.
  3. Invisible zipper.
    1. First side: open the zipper. Place the zipper tape face down (teeth down) on the right side of the fabric along the left vent edge, pinned ¼″ from the raw edge. Lightly unroll the coil as you pin. The top pull tab sits exactly at the waist seam line, and the zipper extends about ¾″ past the marked bottom of the zipper opening.
    2. Attach the invisible zipper foot so the coil rides in the right groove next to the needle. Stitch from the top down to the marked stop of the zipper opening.
    3. Second side: close the zipper to check the alignment on the opposite side. Place the second tape face down on the right side of the right vent edge, pinning it from the waist down at exactly the same height.
    4. Open the zipper again. Position the foot so the coil rides in the left groove next to the needle and stitch from top to bottom.
    5. Close the zipper. Baste the center back seam directly below the zipper closed with a long stitch – no backstitching – and cut the threads.
    6. Finish the back seam: stitch the remaining center back seam from the basted area down to the hem (or the vent opening) with a regular stitch length, as close to the zipper end as possible, pulling the lower zipper tapes out of the way. Press the seam allowances open.
  4. Side seams. Place the front skirt (AD) right sides together with the back skirt (BD) and pin the side seams, making sure the marked hem lines match exactly. Stitch with a ⅝″ seam allowance and press open.
  5. Single-lapped vent (the slanted vent extension, topstitched on one side only – see back view). Pull out the basting threads of the vent. Turn the skirt inside out and lay it flat, looking at the center back. On the overlap (right side when worn), fold the extension inward exactly along the pressed center back line. On the underlap (left side when worn), shift the extension ¼″ to the right past the center back line, fold it inward and press the new crease sharply. Unfold the extensions again, fold the skirt hem allowance in by 1½″, press and secure it from the inside with a blind stitch. Fold the vent extensions back in and loosely blind-stitch them all the way around. Turn the skirt right side out and topstitch the vent extension along its slanted line on the right side, starting at the center back and sewing across the width of the extension. Backstitch securely. If the skirt is lined, continue with steps 6 and 7; otherwise go to step 8.
  6. Sew the lining. The lining is cut and sewn like the skirt, with important exceptions at the slit and extensions. Cut the lining along the center back without the vent extensions, but with the regular ⅝″ seam allowance – straight along this edge. So the lining stays invisible and gives freedom of movement, its openings must be slightly larger: at the zipper (top), sew the lining center back seam about ¾″ higher than on the skirt, so it covers the lower zipper stop; at the vent (bottom), end the lining center back seam about ¾″ higher than on the skirt, so the lining doesn't show or pull when you walk. Baste the slits on the lining closed with large stitches, press the seam allowances open, then remove the basting – this gives crisp slit edges. Hem the lining.
  7. Insert the lining. Turn the skirt inside out and slide the lining over it, wrong sides together. Align the side seams and match the slit openings. Baste the lining to the skirt along the upper waist edge within the seam allowance, and treat both as one layer from here on. At the zipper, fold the lining seam allowances in and sew them onto the zipper tapes – best by hand with an elastic prick stitch. At the vent: pin the center back seams of skirt and lining together, pushing the lining slightly upward to create ease. At the underlap, pin the lining along its pre-pressed edge. At the overlap, cut the opposite slit edge horizontally ⅜″ below the end of the slit, stopping ¼″ before the underlap edge, then clip diagonally ¼″ up into this corner. Turn the raw edges of the lining neatly in and slipstitch them all the way around onto the inner vent extensions of the skirt.
  8. Waistband length. Waist circumference / upper skirt edge + 1¼″ for the right underlap + 2 × ⅝″ seam allowance.
  9. Prepare the waistband. Fold the fully interfaced waistband lengthwise, wrong sides together, and press the fold sharply. Turn the seam allowance of one long (inner) edge in by ⅝″ and press. Heavy fabric tip: leave the inner edge flat so it extends slightly past the attachment seam, and finish it with a serger or bias binding instead of folding.
  10. Attach the waistband. Open the zipper completely and unfold the waistband. Underlap side (right side when looking at the flat skirt): pin the raw long edge of the waistband right sides together with the upper skirt edge – here the waistband extends past the zipper edge by the underlap width plus seam allowance (1¾″ in total). Buttonhole side (left side when looking at the flat skirt): pin the waistband along the rest of the waist edge – here it extends past the zipper edge by just the seam allowance (⅝″). Stitch with a ⅝″ seam, grade the seam allowances to ⅜″ and clip the waistband corners diagonally. Turn the waistband right side out and gently shape the corners. At the underlap, fold the open long edges in, align them and topstitch close to the edge.
  11. Secure the inside waistband. Pin the inner waistband with its folded edge slightly covering the attachment seam. (For thick fabrics, place the finished raw edge flat so it extends slightly past the seam.) At the zipper teeth, fold the raw end slightly upward to keep it clear of the zipper. From the right side, stitch in the ditch of the waistband seam – by machine (simpler) or by hand with an elastic prick stitch (finer).
  12. Button and buttonhole. On the left waistband edge (overlap), work a horizontal buttonhole centered ½″ (1.2 cm) from the end of the waistband. Sew a flat button onto the underlap so it lines up with the buttonhole.

Pattern variation (same base)

Model Difference Changed steps
67 ★ No vent Leave out the vent construction on both the skirt and the lining. Sew the center back seam closed down to the hem.