As a super beginner on the sewing machine who’s just mastered how to wind her bobbins, I’ve found a winner of a pattern: the Mave Skirt from True Bias. This project could be finished in about a day, even for the truest beginner, but you should be familiar with cutting pattern pieces and sewing straight lines. If you have experience with gathering stitches and elastic waistbands, that’s great, but this pattern would also be great for people learning those skills for the first time.
Pattern Details:
Pattern: Mave Skirt
Designer: True Bias
Skill Level: Beginner
Sew-along Available? Yes!
Fabric Choice:
The ideal fabric for this skirt is going to be light to medium weight fabrics with drape, such as rayon challis, crepe, linen, cotton lawn, voile, silk, chiffon, and georgette. While not technically the right fabric, I opted for a lightweight knit because that’s what I found at the thrift store.
I purchased my fabric at Art Parts in Boulder, CO. I saw it on the shelf and immediately knew I had to have it. While this pattern calls for 2.5 yards of fabric, I was able to stretch my 2.25 yards of fabric to fit everything needed for this skirt with very careful cutting.
It’s a knit, which changed the difficulty level of the sewing pattern, and this fabric also had all-over sequins. The sequins didn’t change much, but it did result in a graveyard of half-cut sequins all over my cutting and sewing area.
Sewing the skirt:
The pattern instructions were clear and well-illustrated, making the construction process enjoyable. The elastic waistband came together smoothly, and the addition of a drawstring added both function and a decorative element. Inseam pockets are always a welcome feature, and these were straightforward to sew, especially after practicing pockets in my Estuary skirt.
In the future, I might choose to elongate the middle panel of my skirt by just an inch or two; it felt a little shorter than the other two layers.
Ultimately, this fabric choice was perfect, and the skirt feels like the perfect skirt for spring and summer. I originally made it with music festivals in mind, pairing it with a knit crop top, lots of layered jewelry, braids and maybe a bandana as a final accessory to the look.
Final thoughts:
I truly love this skirt – it’s going to be on rotation a lot this summer! I plan on making a few more as I find the perfect fabric for it – I think some Shibori patterns on linen might be perfect for what I’m envisioning!
A few of my friends have also requested their own skirt and, with how quick this skirt came together for a true beginner, it’s also a pattern I’d be willing to make for others.
What do you think of this skirt? Have you given it a try yet?
@curatedbykirsten Pattern is the mave skirt from True Bias! The fabric is thrifted! This is a great beginner sewing pattern to learn gathering, a drawstring, pockets, and an elastic waistband. The instructions are super clear and it’s a great pattern for summer ☀️ #beginnersewing #beginnersewingproject #sewing #handmade #memadewardrobe ♬ original sound – Kirsten
