The Bread & Butter Skirt {Dartless A Line Skirt w Bias Waist & Hem Facing. Tutorial links included}

Everyone has garments that do the heavy lifting in their wardrobe, like a black skirt or pants, jeans or a cardi that miraculously goes with almost anything. I have my Bread & Butter Skirts. They are literally the bread & butter of my wardrobe. If you have met me in real life, you’ve seen me in these skirts! In fact it’s been hard to get pics of because it’s either on or in the wash! We all have at least one of those right?

The Bread and Butter Skirt is a dartless A line with some fullness at the hem. I’m not a fan of facings or linings, so I finish both the waist and hem with bias tape. In both variations I’ve made so far (oh, there will be more!) I’ve used contrast bias for a discrete yet super cute accent detail. As I walk you can catch a peek of the bias hem and I love that! If you’re not familiar with bias binding, I’ll have a post up tomorrow on everything you need to know! It’s here!

I like that the pattern of your fabric isn’t interrupted at the front, which is great for bold prints, like this nautical rope print. The shape is very flattering to my fuller figure, skimming the dreaded tummy area and wide at the hem. I like to think it creates a nice hourglass silhouette. It’s a simplistic design which can be embellished (like the denim version) or left plain. It’s a simple pattern to draft and a lovely quick sew.

To draft the pattern you’ll need a simple A line skirt pattern (two darts at the front and two at the back) that fits you well. Most people make an A line skirt as beginners and so will have a suitable pattern but if you don’t, here’s a tutorial on drafting one.

Now we need to remove the dart to create the fullness at the hem. Trace the A line skirt front and back onto something you can draw on, paper (I use Ikea roll), vilene, tracing paper, whatever works. This tutorial from Gertie explains what to do to remove the dart perfectly! Most A line skirts have a waist facing, which means there is a seam allowance at the waist. If you intend to use bias at the waist, you’ll need to reduce the seam allowance to 0.5cm. The same thing applies to your hem allowance. Once you’ve got that sorted, your patten is ready to roll!

I finish the edge (overlock, zig zag etc) of both pieces that will form centre back and sew the centre back & zipper. I put my zippers in using this method. I then sew and overlock my side seams. Add bias at the waist and hem and I’m done!

I love how easy it is to customize these skirts and make them your own. I added a faux button placket to the denim version using this tutorial. It doesn’t tell you how wide to make it but this book suggests the placket should be 1 3/4 to 2 times wider than the buttons you wish to use. I also added a back pocket for my phone with some flat piping. I loved this cheeky method, it’s a total cheat but it worked so well! If fancy a different kind of pocket, this is a very comprehensive guide.

I really am a skirt girl. I wore the nautical rope skirt almost every day this summer and I’m loving the denim skirt with opaque tights. I have several fabrics put aside for other versions! It’s so nice to have a ‘go to’ or TNT (Tried N True) pattern that’s eminently wearable! What’s your TNT skirt?