Lesley joined us today from the Advisors Circle. She recently dropped by to showcase her waterproof School Days Coat and the reversible Cartwheel Wrap Dress. Today, she’s here to share her self-made Liesl + Co. Extra-Sharp Pencil Skirt. Thanks so much for being with us, Lesley!
As part of the Liesl + Co. Advisors Circle, I had the privilege of previewing Liesl’s latest patterns before they hit the market, including the Extra-Sharp Pencil Skirt.
I’m a big fan of pencil skirts for work, especially when I’m trying to blend into the slightly corporate world. I tend to go for sensible, clean-lined outfits that fit the professional mold but add a personal twist—whether it’s a bright lining or a quirky fabric choice. Since my work often revolves around development issues in Africa, I enjoy incorporating African wax prints into my wardrobe.
I absolutely adore this pencil skirt pattern because it eschews darts. Instead, Liesl has ingeniously designed it with side panels and a yoke at the back, maintaining the classic pencil silhouette while eliminating the hassle of dart adjustments. This makes it incredibly easy to tweak the fit without having to fiddle with darts.
In the initial versions of the skirt, there was a creative use of bias-cut fabric along the side panels. For me, this offered a fantastic way to incorporate African wax into a sleek business skirt.
For my version of this skirt, I used black suiting fabric I found in a thrift store—a steal at 3 meters for £3; I love charity shops! For the contrasting fabric, I opted for this kitenge fabric I purchased in Uganda a few years ago. I was literally in the middle of nowhere—or Bwindi Impenetrable National Park as it’s known—wandering through a mountain village back to my hostel on market day. Lucky me! I got six yards of this fabric for about £5 ($6.50 USD).
Kitenge fabric has a relatively loose weave and, as I’ve learned through trial and error, isn’t particularly durable. Plus, since this fabric was exposed to sunlight when I bought it, I wasn’t confident it retained its full strength due to UV damage. So, I decided to line the kitenge with the same black fabric I used for the rest of the skirt.
In terms of construction, this skirt is straightforward, thanks to Liesl’s excellent instructions. To my regret, I’ve made many Oliver + S patterns but only one Liesl + Co. pattern before now. What a mistake that was! Her instructions are thorough, complete with clear illustrations, making the process smooth and enjoyable. I’ve worked on numerous dresses and skirts with walking vents, but Liesl’s method feels far neater and more polished.
As a finishing touch, I added bias binding to the skirt facing because a) I like it, and b) I believe my garments last longer when I take this extra step.
In terms of sizing, this pattern is spot-on. Recently, I’ve been working with patterns from the big four brands and finding their approach to ease frustratingly inconsistent. According to the size chart, I fell between two sizes, so I chose the larger one. In the end, I had to take it in by about 1 cm on each side seam, meaning the smaller size might have sufficed. It’s not overly tight, which worked well for me when I wore it on a trip to Rwanda during a 26-degree Celsius heatwave. I couldn’t bear anything clingy in that weather. It also allowed me to walk comfortably between meetings without feeling restricted. Additionally, I shortened the skirt slightly—I’m 5’5†and wanted it to fall just above my knees.
Voilà ! Here’s my lovely finished Extra-Sharp Pencil Skirt!
I hope you love it as much as I do. Be sure to check out this older blog post where I talk about the various fabrics you can find in East Africa. Not all African wax prints are created equal!
To enter to win a $50 Oliver + S gift certificate, post a picture of yourself wearing your new Extra-Sharp Pencil Skirt somewhere and link it here. Any Extra-Sharp Pencil Skirts made since March 2018 qualify. All entries must be submitted by Tuesday, July 10, 11:59 PM ET.
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