Frill Seeker Wrap SkirtDesign Variation: Flounces

Flounces are a fun way to add feminine details to any design. They create soft folds and ripples in fabric, but don’t add extra bulk like traditional ruffles. You can use them to embellish ready-to-wear, or draft them into your next original design.

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112 W ra p S k i rTS

Draft the Pattern1. Trace your basic wrap skirt slopers onto drafting paper. Make

sure the pattern doesn’t have any seam or hem allowances included yet. Trace the skirt front and back separately and indicate for the skirt center back to be cut on the fabric fold.

2. If want to lower the waistline, follow the directions on page 65. Draw a design line for a 1½" waistband as on page 81 and draft the pattern for a one-piece waistband as on page 65. add ½" seam and 1" hem allowances to all the pieces.

3. Decide how full you want your flounces. Most flounces are based on a circle pattern (see opposite page). a full-circle flounce has the most fullness, while a quarter-circle flounce has much less. Determine which fullness you prefer.

4. Decide how many flounces you want and where you want them to go. You can have as many flounces as you want and you can attach them anywhere on your skirt. They can vary in depth as the flounces on this skirt do.

• For each flounce, mark the exact location on the skirt pattern. it might help to trace the skirt front and back pieces on separate paper, pin them together and then mark the desired location(s) for your flounces.

• To determine the flounce width, measure the length of the marked line (to which it will be sewn). This width measure-ment + hem and seam allowances will be used to determine the circumference of the inner edge of the flounce pattern.

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quarter-circle flounce

half-circle flounce

full-circle flounce

step 3

113Frill Seeker Wrap Skirt

DRAWING FLOUNCESYou can use a compass to draw your circles, or a trace plate. My favorite way to draft circles is to use a measuring tape, a pushpin, and a mechanical pencil. To do this:

1. Poke a hole at the 1" mark in the measuring tape with the pushpin. Then poke a hole 1" past the desired diameter of the flounce. For example, if you want your circle to have a 4" diameter, poke the hole at 5".

2. To draw, poke the pushpin through the 1" mark and into your paper (on a protected work surface), securing the tape measure in place. Then poke the lead of a mechanical pencil through the second hole in the tape.

3. Draw the circle, making sure the pushpin stays in place and the tape is pulled taught.

If you want to create a very long, very full flounce, you might want to piece several flounces together so you don’t have to draft a massive circle. This will also help you save fabric yardage.

quarter circlehalf circle

full circle

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5. Decide how deep (long) you want the flounces to be and add hem and/or seam allowances. This measurement will be the radius of the circular pattern from the inside to the outside. Draw as many flounce patterns as desired (see Drawing Flounces, below).

PAT T E R N D R A F T I N G N O T EFabric flounces are made from curved pattern pieces that have a shorter top edge than bottom edge. When you straighten out the shorter edge into a straight line, the longer edge drapes into place, creating signa-ture folds.

new image to hide fold in back of skirt

114 W ra p S k i rTS

Sew the Frill Seeker Skirt1. Cut out the fabric. Use the newly drafted pattern pieces to cut

the following:

• From fabric: two skirt fronts, one skirt back on the fabric fold, four front waistbands and two back waistbands on the fabric fold, and as many flounces as desired.

• From interfacing: two front waistbands and one back waistband on the fold.

2. Apply interfacing. Following the manufacturer’s instructions, fuse the interfacing to the wrong side of two front waistbands and one back waistband.

3. Assemble the skirt. Stitch any darts. With the right sides together, stitch the fronts to the back at the side seams. Then hem the front and bottom edges using your desired hemming technique (pages 45–51).

4. Prepare the flounces. if you cut the flounces from smaller pieces to save fabric, machine-stitch them with the right sides together to obtain the desired width. Hem the bottom and side edges as desired.

5. Attaching piping to the top flounce is optional (the top edges of the other flounces aren’t visible), but it does add a touch of color. You can make your own piping or purchase piping in a vari-ety of colors. pin the piping to the top edge of the flounce with the raw edges aligned and stitch them together using a piping or zipper foot.

T I P A narrow hem is most suitable for curved or shaped pattern pieces

like the flounces. It also works for the center front and hemline edges.

S U P P L I E S

› 2⅞ yards of 44/45" fabric

› ¼ yard of fusible interfacing

› 2 yards of narrow, satin- covered piping (optional)

› Piping or zipper presser foot

› 2 snaps

› Matching thread

› Temporary fabric marker

step 5

flounce (rs)

piping

115Frill Seeker Wrap Skirt

C O N S T R U C T I O N N O T EContrast piping along the top edge of the top flounce hides the raw edge, but you can turn under the top edge if you don’t want piping. I left the bottom edges of my flounces raw because I liked the unfinished look, but you can add a narrow hem if you prefer.

6. Attach the flounces. a) refer to the flounce location placement lines on the pattern or draw them directly on the skirt with a tem-porary fabric marker. You can stitch all except the top flounce with the top edge along the desired placement mark and the wrong side of the flounce on the right side of the skirt. Zigzag the flounce in place along the seamline.

b) To attach the top flounce or any flounce that has a visible top edge, pin the top edge and right side of the flounce along the placement line so that the hem of the flounce is toward the waist of the skirt, on the right side of the skirt. Stitch the flounce in place along the seamline. Fold the flounce over the stitching and edge-stitch it in place.

noteIf the top flounce is piped, use a zipper or piping presser foot to stitch the

flounce in place and do not edgestitch it down once you fold the flounce to

the right side.

7. Assemble and attach the waistband following the steps on pages 68–69. Try on the skirt and mark the desired snap location. Take off the skirt and hand-sew the snaps in place.

step 6a

step 6b

flounce (rs)

flounce (ws)

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attaching the top flounce