New pattern: the Juliette skirt

If you like sewing faux-leather, you will love Juliette.

The high-waisted, A-line shape of the Juliette leather/faux leather skirt is super flattering. The just-above-the-knee length makes it a classic perfect for all seasons. Style it with an oversized knit during the day or a beautiful lace blouse during the night. The skirt is fuly lined, so no risk of sweaty pleather thighs. The pattern offers an extra option of the Juliette Skirt without pockets too.

I can ear you scream from where I am.....ARRRRGGGG, I HATE SEWING FAUX-LEATHER! I quite understand, pleather is a pain in the ass. The first time I used faux-leather, I had a lot of troubles sewing it. I got so tense that my boyfriend left the room... :-(

It was back in november 2015. I was sewing the pant you can see on the picture above. I was still working with my old Singer, using a regular foot and needl and a thread of poor quality... in short, I wasn't giving myself the best chances ;-)

But three years later, I'm back. With the right sewing needle, the right foot and the right thread, sewing faux-leather is not that difficult.

- The right sewing needle is a leather or jean sewing needle.

- The right foot is a teflon or walking foot.

- The right thread is a good quality thread.

I really wanted a faux-leather skirt in my wardrobe (I'am not wearing real leather). As I am not buying clothes anymore, I had to design and sew the skirt myself. I had a look on the internet and couldn't see any leather skirt pattern. There are a lot of skirt patterns but none of them is especially design for leather or pleather. I therefore decided that It will also be a new pattern for Ready to sew.

I choose to design that skirt especially for leather but it's up to you to create a totally different version of Juliette. You can make it using old jeans, it can be a fun recycle challenge. What about using different fabrics like a patchwork or working with color-blocks ?

How to choose the best pleather/suede fabric for Juliette ?

- Avoid stretchy and really thin fabrics, because you don't want to end up with a cat-woman outfit.

- Test the fabric by pulling it to see if it breaks or tears. If it does, don't buy it. 

- It's always safer to take a pleather sample home to test it with your sewing machine. If it works, you can go back to the shop and buy one meter to do make a beautiful Juliette skirt! (Yes, only one meter!!!)

The black pleather on the pictures is coming from Littlefabrics and the orange one from les coupons saint-pierre.

Is there some other leather-like fabric options? Yes, you can work with black or brown oilskins.

Juliette’s pattern is classed as "Intermediate" due to the important number of pattern pieces (11) and all the topstitching. However, It can suit an advanced beginner level if you're making the skirt in a friendlier fabric such as denim and cotton drill. There is also a tutorial on my blog to help you through the zipper insertion.

GREAT NEWS:

A new and exciting option for Juliette is that the pattern offers half sizes, making it so much easier to get the right fit.

I'm not going to make a new Juliette right away, but I will probably work on a new version this automn with two differents brown pleathers for a 70's look.

I hope that you will like Juliette! Get to your machines, your scissors and fabrics!