Pattern drafting-half circle skirt with front button placket

Do you ever get inspired by looking at what other people wear? I am definitely guilty of that in my latest make.

The summer shortly will come to an end, but I really wanted to make myself a half circle skirt with a front button placket. If you would look into my closet you would not find a single skirt there, so I am a bit confused of my latest obsession. This must be the result of two patterns that were so popular this summer and countless number of beautiful makes by other dressmakers that I have seen on Instagram….Seren dress by Tilly and the Buttons and Fiona Sundress by Closet Case Patterns. I really admire both patterns, so have decided to put my newly learnt pattern drafting skills to test and make my own version of a skirt with a front button placket.

Pattern Drafting

To start drafting a half circle skirt pattern first draw two lines with 90 degrees angle and fold it in half ,or make a line of 45 degree angle. This line will be the center of the front and back skirt pieces and also our grain line!

For the ease of taking picture of the entire pattern my drawing is a mini version.

To find a r =radius there is a little math involved, but do not worry, all you need to do is to take your waist measurement and divide it by 3.14. Is as simple as that! Now take that measurement and draw a quarter of a circle. This way we create the half of the pattern.

Next, measure the desired length of your skirt and trace it onto the pattern following the circle seam of the waistline. The straight lines will become a skirt’s side seams, so we need to remember to add a seam allowance.

Seam allowance need to be also outlined on the hemline and the waistline to finish drafting the skirt back pattern piece. This piece need to be cut only once on a single layer of fabric, or you can fold it along C/B (center back) if you prefer to cut your fabric on fold.

TIP: If you prefer a half circle skirt without the placket you can use this pattern as both front and back pieces and cut it twice.

Before we go into drafting the front skirt piece we need to decide the width of the button placket.

TIP: The placket must be bigger in width to allow for buttons to sit in a center. I had used buttons with a diameter of 2 cm, so my completed placket width is 3 cm. This gives me half a centimeter on each side of the button, which is the minimum you will need.

I like to use the same back pattern when drafting the front (to reduce paper waste) but for the clarity of this step I am using a bigger scale.

From the center front line (marked as C/B on back piece) draw a parallel lines 1.5 cm away on each side to outline the placket. You can decide on button placement now if you wish, but this is not necessary at this point.

The center front line on the front skirt pattern piece need to be reduced to accommodate for the placket allocation. The edge of drafted placket will become a new C/F (center front). Because the skirt front is formed from two separate pieces it is important here to add a seam allowance to new C/F.

Now, it is time to draft the button placket, which is easy as all you need to do is copy the outline from the Front pattern and add seam allowance on all sides. Now would be the best time to mark button and the buttonhole placement.

The last pattern piece to be drafted for this skirt would be the waistband. I opted for the easy version of having straight rectangle folded in half, but if you prefer more close to body fit you can draft a slightly curved waistband.