I have been “stalking” Sew Liberated sewing patterns on Instagram for months, dreaming of this romantic Estuary skirt. I imagined it would look great on me, that I would wear it with tee shirts and tank tops in the summer, and oversized sweaters in the winter.
When I cut out a size 18, I expected some fit issues, but I didn’t realize that I wouldn’t know how it fit until it was completely sewn!
The front waistband is gently gathered from the side to center front, so you know right away how that will fit. The back waistband has soo much ease that it bunched up uncomfortably in the back and really gave this a Victorian skirt effect. That is not how the designer intended it!
So I had to unpick my elastic from the side seams, unpick the casing and cut down the center of the back ( pattern has option of center back seam or on the fold) took out 4 inches, sewed it up again, still too much bunching. Argggh! How is the fit off soo much? I am using a very soft lightweight linen.
The difference between the two is subtle, but the one on the bottom is with the bulk removed.
I could not find a single review that complained of this issue so it must be something I did when cutting out. There are very few pictures to be found of the back of this skirt, so maybe it is supposed to be this way? Well, it wasn’t going to work for me, so I unpicked the back AGAIN and took off 3 more inches.
I was about to contact Sew Liberated when I took another look at the pattern. I had cut a 20! Ugggggh! Well, I fixed it finally and I love it! It’s swishy, and soft, and makes me feel feminine. I paired it with my DG Patterns Genie top.
If you have sewn this pattern before, please leave a comment and let me know if you had any trouble with too much bulk in the back.
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9 Comments
Bit late to come across your blog, but I was most interested to read you had issues with excess fabric bunching up at the back on the estuary skirt. I’ve just made the Hinterland dress (also from Sew Liberated) and found the exact same problem. A real shame as I like Sew Liberated’s designs and they’re very supportive if you contact them for advice. But it makes me wary about using their other patterns.
Yes, many people complained of it at the time. I also bought the hinterland dress and one of their pants patterns. Now I don’t purchase from them anymore. They have great advertising……
Same here!! It was so disheartening to put it on. I hate unpicking, but I might have to unpick a lot!
This is the first skirt I made after taking up sewing again after 15 yrs of being too busy. My hips & waist are the same size, so I made size 2o waist band with a size 12 skirt. The fit was perfect! I remember thinking, ‘the full size 20 would have been huge!’ Now I see why. I love this skirt! I have lost a lot of weight, so the skirt no longer fits, but I will definitely make a new one in the spring.
That is great Lynn! Mine doesn’t fit either but I haven’t wanted to resize it yet.
I had the same issue, cut a size 18 and there’s so much bulk in the back. I don’t need more junk in the trunk! I’m going to sew a size 14 next. I did sew the Arenite pants as well. Ended up doing the slim hack because again, so much bulk!
I guess if one needed junk back there it would be great right? Ha ha! Thanks for sharing that. Good to know I’m not crazy.
I just sewed up this skirt and had the same issue! Way too much bulk at the back. I cut the correct size, but it’s just way too bulky. I think I’ll have to do the same as you and take out a few inches at that back seam.
So glad to hear it wasn’t just me!