Well, friends, I have been on a sewing spree this week! Me Made May has been Motivate Me May for me! I have completed three projects this week, this skirt being the most recent. I think I have been so eager to complete projects because I have made it 18 days into the month without repeating an item. While that wasn’t part of my original pledge, I am amazed that I have made it this far with no repeats. I am afraid I will have to show some reruns this week, though, but I will try to style them differently. Aside from this skirt, I have also made two shirts, one of which you can get a sneak peek of on my Flickr stream and I will have reviews forthcoming for both tops.
This skirt (McCall’s 6654) is one of the simplest things I have ever sewn — it is three straight seams plus a waistband casing with a piece of elastic inside. I didn’t even bother to hem it. It is really quick and easy if you have a serger but I can’t imagine that it would take much longer with a regular machine — just remember to use a narrow zig zag stitch so your stitches won’t break, especially on the waist.
My only beef with this pattern is that it runs HUGE! But I find this to be the case with all Big 4 knit patterns. I suspected this going in so I did a little preparation before I started cutting. I first looked at the pattern pieces to see what the finished measurements were for each size. Unfortunately, the finished waist measurements weren’t given so I measured the waistband casing piece and subtracted the seam allowances. I then realized that if I cut my size according to the size chart, this skirt would be GIGANTIC, so I decided to see which size corresponded to the waistband size I wanted. Basically, I looked for the size that most closely matched my waist measurement plus seam allowances so there would be zero ease at the waist. I didn’t want a bunch of excess fabric gathering at the waist of this skirt that is supposed to have an A-line silhouette. I then checked the finished hip measurement for that size, and saw that it was only 1″ smaller than my hip measurement so I decided that I could live with that. But honestly, there is no way this is 1″ smaller than my hips — do you see any negative ease? My final skirt ended up being 2 sizes smaller in the waist and 4 sizes smaller in hips than what the size chart recommended!
Overall, I highly recommend this pattern for anyone. Seasoned sewists will find it a breeze and a great palate cleanser after more complicated projects. Beginning stitchers will boost their confidence with the 2 simple seams and elastic waistband. What do you think, should I shop my stash for a floral knit for my next version?
For more details on the construction, visit my post on Pattern Review.
Susie Homemaker, MD 
Really lovely – at least with the Big 4 sizing you have to go down sizes, rather than up which is more soul destroying!
Thanks,Lizzy! I almost wonder if this is their way of making their sizing more closely matched to ready to wear…
In Australia the Big 4 sizing is close to our sizing. I’m an American size 0-2 but in Australia I’m a 6-8 so much the same as the big 4. Being a 0 freaks me out, I feel like a non-person LOL.
Although European sizing I’m 32-34.
All these sizing systems for the same purpose. Weird!
That is soooo flattering!
Thanks, Lynn! Could be a quick sew for Japan… 🙂
Oh, I’m throwing in the towel and finishing up at TJ Maxx!
I completely understand — it’s not worth the stress and pressure!
Your skirt looks great! Let me ask you this about underpinnings. When you wear a long skirt like this one, does one wear a long slip underneath, or do we just let that all go in the summer? You can’t see through your skirt at all, so I don’t want you to think that…. 😉
Thanks, Tracey! Good question 🙂
I am wearing the bike short style spanx underneath for smoothing purposes but no slip. Because this fabric is pretty substantial and opaque, it doesn’t require a slip but I have contemplated lining it with a lightweight nude knit for silhouette reasons. Emma One Sock usually has a great knit lining fabric if you are looking for one. You could definitely use this pattern to make a slip to go with your skirts. Hope that helps 🙂