DIY Leopard Print A-Line Skirt

I'm finally bringing you a brand new DIY today that I rustled up in no time at all really last week. It's a project I've wanted to do for ages. I've wanted to do a simple A-line skirt tutorial here to show you how simple they can be to make, and also I wanted a leopard print skirt. I've made the pattern from another skirt I own too so regardless if you're a wiz at pattern drafting, own a pattern for a skirt or are a true beginner, it really doesn't matter. Also to note I used an upholstery (homeware) fabric to make this so you don't even have to be too picky with fabrics. I love how mine turned out.

Here's what you need:

To make my pattern pieces I traced around an A-line skirt that I already owned, and that fit me well. I first traced half of the skirt for the front piece so that when I cut it out on the fold it would be perfectly symmetrical. I added a 1 cm seam allowance to the waist and sides, and 4 cm at the hem.

For the back piece, I wanted to add 2 darts, so I first traced the pattern I had just made for the front of the skirt. I marked where I wanted my darts to go (in the center of the piece, and how wide and long I wanted it to be - 2 cm width, 11 cm depth. I then added 2 cm on at the side of the waist to compensate for taking it out for the dart, and joined this point back into the side of the skirt. I added a 1 cm seam allowance the the left side of the back piece because I remembered I had to add in the zip in this seam. (so it wasn't cut on the fold)

I left the facing the same for the back and front as it didn't require a dart. I made this by tracing the top section of the skirt. You can see on the skirt where I marked the dotted line. This is the facing line. I cut the facing on the fold x 2 but I later remembered that I needed to cut one of them in half, again to allow for the zip.

I cut the front piece on the fold of the fabric so I would have one large piece, and I cut the back piece twice becasue this required a seam down the back for the zip.

Step 1 :The Darts

These always come first. Sew the darts in the 2 back pieces. Press them facing in toward the center seam.

Step 2: Inserting the Zip

Sew up the center back seam , but don't back-stitch at the top becasue we'll have to unpick this later. Press the seam flat. This will make inserting the zip really easy. You'll also need to make sure your zip is long enough to come down to the widest part of your hips so that the skirt will go on you properly.

Lay the closed zip on top of the center back seam. Pin and sew in place as close to the zip opening as possible. If you have a zipper foot this will be much easier.

Rip back the stitches in the center back seam as far as the zip opening, and then secure the end of the seam by sewing over this area on your machine again, making sure to back-stitch.

Step 3: Putting the skirt together

Pin and sew the front and back pieces together along the side seams. Press the seams open, and finish with overlocking or a zig-zag stitch (alternatively you can do this to all the edges before you start sewing if you wish).

Step 4: Attaching the facing

Sew both of the facing pieces together at the ends (1 cm seam allow) and cut one of them down the center. This will allow for the zip. Your facing should look like this.

Line up the side seams of the facing and the skirt. Pin the facing to the skirt, right sides of the fabric together. Sew around the top of the skirt 1cm in, the whole way around.

Finish this edge with a zig-zag stitch or overlock it.

Turn the skirt inside out, and press all the facing seams as flat as possible.

Turn in the excess facing fabric around the zip opening, and hand stitch in place.

Step 5: Hemming

Turn up the hem of the skirt 2 cm, and then again another 2 cm to create a rolled hem. Press in place really well with your iron. I hand stitched the hem in place with a stocking stitch to prevent it from showing through on the right side of the fabric, but feel free to do this by machine if you would rather.

Et Voila.. A brand new skirt to style up and enjoy. I styled mine with this pretty frilled blouse and my new nudey/pink bomber jacket that I nabbed in the Zara sale. It'll be a great alternative to a fur coat or leather jacket n the Spring when it gets a bit warmer and it's a nice shade for adding in more colour too. I think it goes quite nicely with the leopard print. I really hope you guys enjoyed this tutorial and if you do give this a go yourself be sure to snap me/tweet me/Instagram me all of your photos. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of the outfit photos.xx