PMPS Draft Along #9: Straight Skirt Front

Readers, I must admit, I have never written such a detailed tutorial on pattern drafting. I've checked it several times for possible inaccuracies and should you still find some, please let me know as soon as possible!

In this tutorial I tried to explain every step where needed, such as placement of darts, making adjustments at the hem, etc. I used several resources as a guidance (some mentioned below), but I have adjusted the method trying to make it as accurate and as close to custom fit as possible. So far, it worked for my body. I hope the results will be worth it for you too.  

In this post I am covering the straight skirt front, and here are the drafting steps:

Note: To make the process easy to follow I am using letters in the alphabetical order to mark the step sequence on the pattern. If the Step 1 is A, for example, Step 2 will be B, Step 3 – C, and so on. This will ensure that you won’t skip steps, and can easily refer to instructions at any given step.

Let's check the points / lines on our skirt outline:

Color coding in drafting: As an example, I use a blue or green pencils for the initial drafting; for adjustments, a red or orange; for the final adjustments I make after fitting the muslin, I use purple.

Before we start, please print out the linked PDF for drafting reference. You final pattern may look slightly different, but the drafting steps will be the same.

To draft the side seam we will measure out waist, mid-hip and low hipcircumferences from the center front.

Note: In most cases you won't need any adjustments for the point K. Only if you have a longer dart in the front, which extends below mid hip level, you may need to accommodate the dart intake when making final adjustments. 

Just to explain how this step affects the look of your skirt. On our initial outline the width at the hem equals the width at the hip. If you leave it like that, your skirt will look slightly tapered at the hem when you wear it. So, it is really your personal decision.  1,9 cm. (or 3/4") are suggested by Kenneth D. King as a reasonable amount to add to create an illusion of a straight skirt. 

Possible adjustments at this point: In his Skirts book, Kenneth points out that for some people (for example, for those with a wider waist measurement) the side seamline may make a dent-in at point J. In this case you can smooth out the curve at point J by adding out 0,3 to 0,6 cm (1/8" - 1/4") towards the side seam line DC.

Using a ruler, measure your low-hip length from the hip line (point H)  to point J on shaped waistline. If necessary, adjust the low-hip length. Sometimes, making the hip curve shallower or fuller helps reduce or, accordingly, increase the length of the curve. If the difference is significant you may need to reposition point J, but this will happen only in very specific cases.

Example: my waist is 70cm  (27 1/2") and I am using the dart distance of 7cm (2 3/4"). It's really a judgement call, but generally I would use 7cm (2 3/4") for the waist range of 68 to 76cm (27" to  30"), and 6cm and 8cm for smaller and larger waist measurements respectively.

Please note that point M is the dart center, not the nearest dart leg!

As I have mentioned in my dart post, I like to position front darts closer to the side seam, as recommended by the German Muller & Sohn pattern drafting system. Darts positioned closer to the seam line tend to look more flattering on the body. This is especially true if you don't have a flat stomach. Unless you make your garment in a very lightweight fabric, you darts will create some bulk. Moving the dart with its bulk closer to the side seam will make the stomach appear flatter, and it will also make the waist appear wider. If your waist is much narrower than your hips, you may want to decrease this difference by placing the darts closer to the seam. You may as well want to do the opposite to create the illusion of a smaller waist by placing the darts closer to the center, but make sure you are not accentuating your tummy. Just consider all the variables before you go for any of the dart options.

So, if you decide to use a placement closer to the center, use the Suzy Furrer chart, in my case, each dart would be 1cm closer to the center.


Fine, enough lyrical deviation on the dart theme. Let's move forward!

ON is the final dart width that we calculated in the previous post.

If you have a (relatively) flat stomach, the line MP is squared down from the waist line IJ.  ( For protruding stomach, the dart point should be shifted toward the side seam ) Use the value calculated in the previous post.

Example: my dart intake is 3 cm (1 1/8") corresponding to the dart length of 10,5 cm (4 1/8").

Connect the points to draft the legs. NP is a straight line, and OP is slightly curved inward.

True the legs of the dart by adding to the shorter leg and correcting the curve.

To correct the curve,
(1) place the dart point over a corner of the table, with the dart on the table surface; (you will need a small cardboard sheet or cutting mat underneath to protect the table)
(2) crease the dart leg closer to the center with your fingers by pinching the paper;
(3) fold this line over to match the other dart leg, pivoting the folded paper portion from the dart point;
(4) temporarily tape the matched dart legs to close the dart.
(5) using a french curve, or a curved ruler, redraw the curve with a tracing wheel, making sure it perforates all the layers of the folded out dart.
(6) open the dart
(7) redraw the waist curve with a pencil, following the perforated line.

11. If your dart crosses the mid-hip line (EK), measure out the dart intake on the mid-hip line from K toward point F to find point K'. Redraw the seam line J-K'-H-L.


Your final skirt front pattern follows the points I-N-O-J-K-H-L-B-G-E

If you went for a slightly tapered look and didn't add width at the hem (point L), your pattern follows the points I-N-O-J-K-H-C-B-G-E

Please, copy your final pattern following the points above (including point C) to a new pattern paper. It will help make final alterations for the muslin. Make sure your pattern paper can accomodate the back pattern piece as well.