I think a skirt is a great project for learning to sew. There aren't many seams and they go together fairly quickly. It's important to have some good successes early on when learning to sew. That keeps you motivated to try more advanced techniques as your skills develop.
I'm still hesitant to recommend knits for a first sewing project. Some people seem to have trouble with knits. But knits are so easy to fit, so if you do go for a knit I recommend a ponte knit. Ponte knits are fairly thick and stable. They are the easiest as far as knits go. Ponte knits have become very popular with ready to wear (RTW) these days and most fabric stores are starting to carry a pretty good selection.
I've made a few skirts with McCalls 6654. It's a great pattern and very simple. It has options for a straight skirt and a more flared skirt.
In my opinion a lightweight cotton or rayon would be the easiest for a first skirt pattern. The high-low style is really in (still I hope?). Two patterns I found that are fairly simple are McCalls 6567 and Simplicity 1662. The two patterns are practically identical, so just watch your sewing ads and see which one comes up on sale first!
If you're feeling ready to use a zipper and add a waistband there are a lot of options. I just made a skirt using the
Colette Ginger pattern. It's lovely. You can't get it at JoAnn or Hancock and it will cost you about $12-16 but I was surprised at how great the fit is. Although it's an A-line skirt it still has great shaping through the hip area which is what makes it a cut above your basic A-line skirt. And it has some really cute waistband options.
Another option is
Simplicity 2286. It has a more gathered flirty youthful style.
Since I'm also teaching girls sewing, I've been trying to find girls patterns to fit this class. It's been really difficult. I think I might just grade down a misses pattern if I need to. If you have any that you like please let me know.
Labels: Sewing, Sewing Patterns, Sewing School
