Skirt with Lowered Waist

Example: Outcome
Figure A shows the final flared skirts overlaid on the original 2-Dart block.
Instructions: Drafting Skirt with Lowered Waist – Figure 1
-
-
- Trace your block onto paper.
- Make sure you mark the dart legs, the dart points and the hip notches.
-

Instructions: Drafting Skirt with Lowered Waist – Figure 2
Remove your block after you have finished tracing and marking points, then:-
-
- Draw in the darts.
- Mark the CF and CB on the working pattern pieces.
- Measure down from the waist for 2.38 inches (6 cm) and draw the new waistline. Make sure you measure down 6cm all along to end up with the same curve. Do not draw a straight line across.
-

Instructions: Drafting Skirt with Lowered Waist – Figure 3
Although you need ease in the waist of a skirt at the natural waistline, you actually don’t need ease at a lowered waistline. Due to the shape of the body in most cases the lowered waist with ease will mean the skirt will fall even lower on the hip.- Cut along the new waistline and discard the top portion.
- Measure your body at 6cm below your waist, measure the pattern at the new waistline and compare.
- You will try to move what remains of the waist darts AND any ease into the side seam. Moving more than half-inch into the side seam is not recommended, so in some cases you may still need a dart.

Instructions: Drafting Skirt with Lowered Waist – Figure 4
These are the final pattern pieces. I have moved the back waist dart over so that it is in-between where the two original darts were.- Add grainline.
- You could put a contoured waistband on this, or finish it off with a facing.
- You would still need to add seam allowance and other details (placement of zip, etc).

3 Responses
Great and so helpful.thank you very much
Hi Zizi
You are welcome. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment.
Cheers, Maria
I have a skirt block with 1 dart on each side instead of 2. I removed the darts from the front part and added 1.2 cm to the side seam.
However, what confused me is should I reduce the dart from the back side and add more to the side seam.
Hope you could answer my question