Two LEATHER SKIRTS Are Better Than One

Welcome to my new wardrobe staples, the leather mini's!

Recently I spent some time working on patterning a skirt for my body.
Getting the fit right for my lower body has always been my biggest challenge, and I enjoyed taking the time to get the fit right.
I now have a pattern that I can redesign to make new, perfectly fitted skirts and I have no idea why it took me so long to decide to do this!

What did I do once I was happy with the pattern? I made two leather skirts. Obvs.

The Leather

Both skirts sit and fit a little differently as they are made from different types of leather.
The black skirt is a super fine nappa leather and sews like a thicker fabric.

The tan skirt is a slightly thicker and higher-grade leather that was left over from my tan leather jacket that I made last year.

I purchased the leather from Leffler's Leather in Melbourne. If you live in Victoria, you need to go and visit this place; trust me.

The Details

It's a simple skirt, so I added a centre front seam line for a little extra detail. This is a common addition to a lot of leather skirts that you see in the stores.

I top-stitched both sides of all my seam allowances, which flattened bulky seams and gave the skirt a polished look.

I added a waistband and closed the skirt with a metal zip down the centre back seam of the skirt.

Tips for Sewing With Leather

For a detailed list of tips with sewing with leather, check out my leather jacket post here.

• Use QUILTER'S HOLDING CLIPS instead of pins. They look like pegs and have an excellent grip which is needed for thicker fabrics like leather.

• TOP-STITCH your seams.  Top stitching makes bulky seams lie-flat and gives a professional finish.

• Use a LEATHER NEEDLE: It has a sharper head that's specifically designed for this fabric. I used a size 14 on my Janome DC2101

• WALKING FOOT/Even Feed Foot - If you can get your hands on one of these I HIGHLY recommend using this. Thicker fabric like leather have the tendency to move in opposite directions under a sewing foot, leaving you with uneven seams. The walking foot feeds your fabric from below and above so that both layers move and stay together; game changer.

Conclusion

I love how leather skirts can be worn casually with a tee, or dressed up with some heels and a nice top.

They were straight-forward and quick to make and they will definitely be on high rotation in my spring and summer wardrobe.