Sewaholic Crescent Skirt 1101 – Pattern Review

Seeing as I have made four versions of this skirt, I thought it would be good to write a proper pattern review.  I’ve used the questions from patternreview.com to keep me from rambling too much!

Pattern Description: 

The pattern is for a slightly gathered or fully gathered skirt with a fitted yoke, slash pockets, and centre back zipper closure.  The length of the skirt can be above or below the knee, and the pattern was designed for a pear-shaped figure – smaller waist and larger hips!

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? 

Yes, they all did.  I was really pleased with how they turned out.

Were the instructions easy to follow? 

The instructions were super clear.  I participated in the sewalong, led by Tasia, the designer, in which she gave in-depth advice and extra tips, but even without this extra information, both the pattern instructions and diagrams are really clear.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

I like the use of twill tape to stabilize the waistline and pockets – it gives the skirt more structure and makes it feel more long-lasting and hard-wearing.  I like the way you can embellish the skirt in different ways, by adding trim to the yoke seams or topstitching.

Ribbon trim

1/8" trim

The only trouble I had was when it came to securing the waistband facing at the bottom – I found whether you stitch in the ditch or topstitch, you need to secure it with pins first as otherwise it will go wonky.  This isn’t a criticism of the pattern though, just a tip to make things easier.

Finally, I love how at the end of Sewaholic patterns it says ‘THE END’ in block capitals!  It’s a novelty touch, but it made me smile.

Fabric Used: 

Two of my Crescent skirts are made with furnishing fabric:

View A - 'Lorna' cotton furnishing fabric by Regent - 2m found in a charity shop for £1.

View C - Curtain fabric found in a charity shop for 25p. This is my only synthetic version.

I made another version with Michael Miller quilting fabric:

View A - No embellishment on this version - the fabric is detailed enough!

And my final version was made with denim:

View B - Denim with red topstitching

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: 

When I made Version A of the skirt, instead of turning up the recommended hem allowance, I turned up the smallest hem I could possibly manage to make it longer – but this is due to my personal preference rather than a fault of the pattern.

For my denim version, I used a contrast fabric for the waistband facing.  Not only did I think it would look good, but also I wanted to avoid sewing through too many layers of denim.  For this version I topstitched where recommended by the pattern but also down the side seams and along the hem line to really show off the stitching.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

I definitely will sew this again and I would sew it for others too (Ophelia Slightly – I’m thinking of you!).  I would, and have already, recommended the pattern to anyone who will listen!

Conclusion: 

I really love this pattern.  Before sewing up four versions of this I didn’t have many skirts at all so it’s made a big change to my wardrobe.  I just need to get the Sewaholic Pendrell blouse pattern now so I can wear them together!

Here’s my list of skirts in order of preference:

1 – Denim – so versatile!

2 – Lorna

3 – Lovebirds

4 – Red

Which do you like best?  Have you made the Crescent skirt?