Introduction to the Sabina Skirt: A free sewing pattern for beginners

If you’ve been following me on my Instagram, you might already know that I’ve been working on something behind the scenes as a big thank you to my blog subscribers. In December I will have been blogging for 10 years. Can you believe it? Started as a crochet blog and here we are! Crafting and sewing has been a such a life-line for me: from being my creative release (and relief) from the stressors of life and work, it has developed into so much more. I wanted a way to say thank you and give back to this lovely community- so I thought, why not a free pattern!

Back when I started sewing, not wanting to commit too much money to a hobby I wasn’t sure I was going to stick with, I started sewing with free patterns. So, it only feels right to come back and contribute to the library of free patterns and hopefully encourage a newbie into this wonderful hobby.

But before I hit the ‘send’ button, here are some details about my free sewing pattern that you might enjoy!

Sabina Skirt

Shall we start with the basics? The Sabina skirt is a gathered skirt which sits on your waist. It’s a firm favourite in my wardrobe and I just know you’ll love it too.

What makes it different from a regular rectangle skirt? Well, I’ve designed it for easy fitting with an elasticated waistband, gentle shaping at the hips, roomy pockets and a ruffle hem. The shaping from the hips to the waist means that there is less fabric gathering around the waist area and makes it less bulky (one of my pet peeves with rectangular skirts). The pockets are slash-style rather than in-seam, and large enough for your phone. Alongside having a pretty and practical pocket, you’ll pick up a new techniques like French seams.

But if the idea of French seams and slash pockets freaks you out, don’t worry! I’ve designed this pattern with beginners in mind so you’ll find the instructions full of helpful tips and simple construction. And for more confident sewers, it will be a quick and fun sew- giving you more time to twirl in your latest make.

The method is the one I use myself when making this pattern- it’s quick and simple (and perfect for beginners). But feel free to use whichever methods you fancy! There’s lots of way to make this skirt and I definitely don’t want you to feel restrained by my particular choice of finishing.

Sizing

I drafted the pattern myself from a size 14 block before getting it checked, digitised and professionally graded. The sizes run from UK 6-34 (see the size chart below).

I know there’s been a big conversation around sizing in the sewing community and I really wanted to be sensitive to this. After lots of chats with friends and Taufiq, I put as much of my budget as I could towards grading the pattern and DIY-ing the rest (which explains why it has taken me so long to get it out!), so rather than a straight 8-10 sizes I’ve been able to get this out to you in 15 sizes.

Here are the finished measurements:

The instructions work through picking a size if you need more help. Just remember, we’re all uniquely shaped so you may not fit the chart 100%. Don’t worry, this is normal! I might do a more in depth post on choosing a size if you need me to, so let me know in the comments.

The skirt is drafted to be a midi length, but as you can see in the photos it hits a bit lower than that on me (for reference I’m 5ft 2″). Lengthen and shorten lines are included.

Fabric

This pattern uses 2m of fabric (width 150cm) with not much leftover. You will also need a length of elastic approx. 2.5cm (1 inch) less than your waist measurement. The requirements are just a guide and are quite tight to avoid waste fabric, You may want to buy a little more if you know your fabric will shrink a lot or if you are using a directional print/fabric with a nap.

This pattern will work best with light to medium weight woven fabrics (i.e. fabrics that don’t stretch). Fabrics like cotton (lawn, poplin, shirting, seersucker) and linen are ideal for beginners and will give you a skirt with a bit more structure. More drapey fabrics like viscose/rayon/tencel twills, crepes will give a floatier, more fluid skirt. Although a slightly harder sew (maybe not one for your first sewing project), the results are definitely worth the bit of extra effort.

Sample and styling

I remember when midi-skirts came back into fashion and I honestly thought ‘why would you wear that?’- I was a die hard maxi-skirt fan and never saw the appeal. Ha. What did I know? Something changed over the years and now I absolutely love them!

The flowy look and comfort of a long skirt but without the dragging/impracticality of a maxi one. The length also lets me show off my shoes/sandals and boots, yay! Plus I really like the way it looks layered with my leggings for fuller coverage. They are officially part of my day-to-day uniform. I wear them in the summer with a light shirt/tee and then layer then up with a chunky knit jumper in the winter.

This sample has been sewn up using 2m of the ‘Rose’ Urban Leo viscose from Mind the Maker in a straight size 14 (my waist size is 31″ and hips 41″). As I mentioned before, I’m 5ft 2″ so you have an idea of where the skirt will hit you depending on your height/where your waist is. I’ve also made up another sample in a black daisy print viscose which I’ll try to take photos of asap!

So, are you ready?

There you have it: my intro to my free sewing pattern, the Sabina Skirt. I really hope you love it and are now bursting with the question: “how do I get it?!”

I’ll be sending out the files to existing subscribers this week (eek!), so if you are already subscribed to my blog keep an eye out on your inbox and check your spam/junk inbox in case it has been filtered off. You’ll be getting all the files as mentioned before (the print at home file, a copy shop file and the instructions.)

If you’re a new subscriber after this- hold tight. I’ll be setting it up so you should be emailed it automatically once you’ve confirmed your subscription.

If you have any issues at all, just pop me an email or drop a message in the comments!

And I have to say a HUGE thank you to CL (for all the encouragement and advice she has given me on this project and more), Betsy, Anya for their incredible work and of course all my family and friends who have had to put up with me asking their opinions on everything regardless of whether they sew!

All that’s left now…

…is for me to press send and release this into the wild! Eek!

Love,

Please remember that this is a free pattern for my blog subscribers and for personal use only. Please do not redistribute this or share as your own.

© 2021 Rumana @ The Little Pomegranate | Not for resale or profit