DIY DVF Inspired Side Zip Mini Skirt

There is a certain thing about exposed zippers that entice me, and DVF made a fabulous skirt with a full length side zipper that I want to replicate. Here it goes!!!!!

First, make a pattern. I use wax paper from the kitchen. Measure your waist and hips, and add the amount of ease that you want. I added 2 inches.  Those are thee new waist and hip measurements. We are going to draft half the back and half the front, because it is going to be cut on the fabric fold.
 Now, the back needs to be a little bigger than the front, so it can fit nicely.  First the front.
Draw a straight line for the waist, It should be 1/4 of the measurement of the waist, plus .5 inch. that is to leave fabric for the darts and seam allowances.  Check on your body, or with a ready made skirt or dress, where you want the darts. Mine are 5 inches from the center. Draw the darts, about 5 inches long, 1 inch wide,  from the waist edge down.  Now mark the hip width. About 7 inches  down  from the waist line, mark a point 1/4  minus .5 inch of the hip measurement. Connect the waist line to the hip point and extend the line to the desired skirt length.
Do the same for the back pattern, but add 2.5 inches to the waist measurement, and 1 inch to the hip  point.  Draw the darts in the same place.
Cut waist facings. To do that, pin the darts in the front and back pattern and trace the new "finished" waist length and shape. It should be slightly curved.

 Cut one front and one back pieces on the fold.  Cut the center back open, to allow for adjustments if necessary. Cut the facings.

 Apply fusible interfacing to the facings. Sew the facings at the right side seam. Finish the bottom edge of the facing. I used a serger.

 Pin the darts, at the point and at the waist, and sew from the waist to the point. Press to the center seam.  Sew the back center seam and the right side seam.

 Pin the facing to the skirt, right sides together, and sew.

Now for the fun part, the zippered left side seam. You need a separating zipper about the length of the finished skirt. Mine is 18 inches.       

 Sew the zipper, right sides together, to the front part of the skirt. Use a zipper foot, and sew about 1/4 inch from the teeth, so you can see a little bit of the zipper when worn.

 Fold to the inside and press. Now Sew the  zipper to the back part of the skirt, in the same way. Turn the facing to the inside and topstitch in place.

Hem your skirt.  

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