Free Pattern! Lolita Fuchsia cute scalloped skirt

Pattern Notebook: Lolita Patterns - #1300 Fuchsia

Disclaimer: This is a new pattern company which two friends of mine have started.  This is their first pattern, and guess what?  It's free!  You can download it here.  I haven't been compensated in anyway for this post, but all the same I make absolutely no claims to objectivity.  Nonetheless, you can see the results of their lovely pattern yourself :)

I'm not sure if I knew Jungle January was going on when I bought this fabric, but I think it does qualify!  It's a teal and white zebra print, and I think I love it.

View / Size used: There's only one view, I cut a 10

Fabric Used: Medium weight brushed cotton twill from Fabric Planet, super thin poly lining

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I used a regular zipper, and didn't bother with a hook and eye

Were the instructions easy to follow? There aren't instructions, but there's a super detailed sew-along, so yes, very easy.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? It's really easy, and the scallops are really playful and cute.  I really appreciated that the layout of the PDF was very carefully designed.  They've obviously taken great care that pattern pieces aren't hanging over on to a tiny piece of another sheet of paper and things like that.  When I reprinted my waistband, I was happy to discover I had very few pages to re-print.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the finished garment? I thought that my fabric was a little heavier than I'd like, making the skirt a little pouffier than I'd intended, but looking at the pictures now, I think I've achieved fun-level pouffy without going to cartoon-grade.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Yes, yes!  I think future versions would just have one or two layers, and would be made from from drapier fabric, but it's certainly worth trying again.

Construction notes: 

Trying on the waistband

The pattern comes together really easily, so there aren't too many things to say construction-wise.

I was excited to try out the scallop technique that Amity laid out, so I got straight to that first.  I was really glad I used really thin lining, since my main fabric was possibly a smidgen too heavy.  It was especially helpful when pressing the scallops.  I also noticed that it was good not to make the top of the scallop not too tight a corner, so it turns a little more easily.


Going by my measurements, I cut out an 8.  Knowing it's a new pattern company, I decided to quickly baste up the waistband, and see how it fitted.  It actually fit pretty well - just about 2 inches below my natural waist as described - but when I held up the skirt to the waistband, I realised it was a little shorter than I wanted, so I cut the size 10 waistband, so it would sit a little lower on my hips.  

I love the curve of this waistband, and I'm actually using it on some pants that I'm working on right now!



Machines / settings used: 
Singer Featherweight at 8 stitches per inch

Brother 1034D serger to finish seams.
Differential Feed: 1.5
Stitch Length: 4
Stitch Width: 6.5
Tensions:  Left Needle: 5, Right Needle: 4.5, Upper Looper: 5, Lower Looper: 4.5

Congrats to Nhi and Amity, and I'm excited to see what Lolita will bring out next!