Pattern Cutting: Drafting Your Perfect Skirt (5 Weeks)

February 27th - March 27th  

Friday Mornings - 10am - 12pm - 

This 5-week course is ideal for confident beginners and experienced home sewers who want to master skirt pattern making. You’ll learn how to draft a custom skirt block to your measurements, make a toile, refine the fit and explore a range of creative design details. With small class sizes (max 8 learners), you’ll receive plenty of individual support and feedback throughout the process 

By the end of the course, you’ll have your own personalised skirt pattern and a deeper understanding of how to adjust and adapt patterns for a professional fit

 Across the 5 weeks you’ll gain hands-on experience with:

• Taking accurate body measurements and understanding body balance for skirts.
• Drafting a basic skirt block to fit your unique measurements.
• Making a toile (calico mock-up) and assessing fit.
• Making fitting adjustments and transferring changes back to your pattern.
• Exploring a variety of design details and skirt styles (pleats, panels, waistbands, pockets, style lines, etc.).

 Week 1: Measurement & Block Drafting

• Learn accurate measurement techniques for skirts.
• Draft your basic skirt block using traditional pattern cutting methods.
• Mark and true key lines and balance points.
   

Week 2: Toile Cutting & Construction

• Cut your skirt toile in calico.
• Sew the toile and check initial proportions.
• Begin to assess fit issues.
   

Week 3: Fit & Pattern Adjustments

• Conduct fit assessment on yourself or a partner.
• Pin and mark required adjustments on the toile.
• Transfer fitting changes back to your paper pattern.
   

Week 4: Design Exploration

• Learn how to adapt your skirt block into different styles.
• Try variations such as:
  • A-line, flared and circle skirt shapes
  • Pleats, panels, yoke
  • Waistbands and facings
  • Functional or decorative pockets (optional)
     

Week 5: Finalise Pattern & Next Steps

• Preparation for future sewing.
• Finalise your working pattern and create a personal style sheet.
• Discuss ideas for your next sew or how to use your pattern in further projects.

(Lessons may vary slightly depending on class progress and individual goals — flexibility is encouraged to suit each learner which is a benefit of a small class size.)

• Notebook, pencil, eraser, sharpener, and fine marker pens.
• Calico fabric (you will be advised when needed).
• Basic sewing kit: fabric scissors, pins, tape measure, unpicker, and chalk.
•  Pattern master (recommended).
   

Sewing machines and specialist tools are provided for classroom use

• A personal skirt block drafted to your own measurements.
• A fitted toile to reference for future projects. 
• A working pattern ready to develop into new styles.
• Confidence and insight into how pattern cutting brings creativity and fit together