How to Sew a Pencil Skirt: McCall’s 3830

Pencil skirts are classic and timeless. They look flattering on a multitude of body types and are relatively easy to sew. Getting a perfect fit can be a bit more complicated, but overall, we are dealing with a few seam adjustments. In my video tutorial I won’t be addressing fitting, just the construction. I will add this fitting tip though: baste the skirt sides together before stitching so can get a first fitting. In my first fitting the hip area was just a dash looser than ideal, but I was able to bring it in a quarter inch on both sides; therefore, reducing the hip circumference by 1 inch total. You can see the subtle detail in the photos of the skirt inside out. I hope that helps if you run into a similar situation.

What You’ll Need

The pattern I used is McCall’s 3830 and, at this time, it is out of print. A similar pattern is McCall’s 8051. The main fabric is a stretch corduroy from JoAnn in an eggplant purple. The fabric used for the facing is a Chinese jacquard remnant from JoAnn in a beautiful hot pink color. I wanted to spice up the interior of the skirt with flashy Hong Kong seam finishing. You’ll need roughly 1.5 yards for a skirt like this, interfacing, thread, and an invisible zipper.