I’m pretty much a knee length dress or skirt with thick tights and boots kind of person. And that’s fine for most of the year here in the UK. But last year, I began the search for the ultimate skirt I could wear on those warmish to warm days when I could ditch the tights. My criteria was midi length, fixed waistband, minimal or no gathering and pockets. The Calia skirt has all this and more!
The main skirt pieces are cut across the grain and that coupled with the suggested light weight fabric give the skirt beautiful movement and a high twirl-ability factor! I used a lovely red viscose crepe with white dots which I got from Sew Me Sunshine- sold out I’m afraid. Now, I don’t love viscose, it’s too shifty and slippery for my liking but I do think it is the perfect pairing for this skirt.
Another thing I love about this pattern is that it is gently gathered. I really don’t like the bunching and pouffing that can sometimes be created with gathers and elastic, I prefer a smoother silhouette. But these few gathers emanating from a flat, deepish waistband work well in giving the skirt a nice shape. I love the midi length, there is an option of an over the knee length skirt too which I may try. I also like the invisible zipper which helps make this a chic garment.
Although in many ways this is a simple pattern to sew up, I’m not sure that this is the skirt pattern to start with if you’re a garment sewing novice. The instructions assume a knowledge of sewing. You’ll need to be able to insert an invisible zipper and understand waistband and pocket construction. This and be able to handle slippery fabric. Maybe if you’re a confident beginner you could try this pattern with a more stable, well behaved fabric like a lightweight chambray.
If you’re a fan of big, deep pockets, you might be disappointed with the Calia, the pockets are not big. I think they’re okay, a hanky, some lip balm and my hands if I’m feeling shy or awkward are all I’ll be needing these pockets for. You could always swap them for larger pockets from another pattern.
The Calia pattern comes in two size bands, 10-18 and 20-28. I sewed a 14 and the waist is a little big but it feels comfortable. The Patterns Room is a digital pattern company. All the patterns are available only for downloading at home or at a print shop.
I’m looking forward to making a couple more of these, I’d quite like one in a denim blue tencel. I do believe that I’ve found the ultimate skirt pattern I was looking for!
Theunpickstitchpapers 