Introducing the Arielle sewing pattern!

Meet our new sewing pattern – the Arielle skirt!

Arielle [“ah-ree-ehl”] is an asymmetric pencil or mini skirt with an adorable button opening to one side. Long darts and a high waistline create a flattering, figure-hugging shape. Choose from modern mini or sultry knee length, finished either with a speedy facing or optional luxury lining.

The easy-to-use sewing pattern will take you through the steps to making the Arielle skirt, with jargon-busting instructions, clearly labelled pieces so you can see which bits go together, and photos showing you how to sew each part.

Order the printed version and we’ll send you a beautiful pattern in the post. We ship around the world, or from next week you can order the pattern from one of our lovely stockists. You can also order a digital pattern which you’ll receive by email instantly to download, print and assemble at home.

The pattern comes in eight different sizes – take a look at our sizing chart. It’s easy to tailor the skirt to fit your unique shape, or to lengthen or shorten the hemline to your preference – I’ll show you how in an upcoming blog post :)

How easy is the skirt to make?

If you’re a confident beginner, the unlined version is an easy peasy make with straightforward construction – stitching darts, sewing side seams, attaching a facing, and hemming. The most challenging part is sewing the buttonholes – fear not, I’ve got a blog post lined up which will show you that making buttonholes isn’t half as scary as it may sound!

If you’re a more experienced stitcher or if you fancy taking your sewing prowess up a notch, you may want to add the lining. The reason the lined version is a little more advanced is firstly because slippery fabric can be harder to work with; and secondly because the process of attaching the lining to the curved facing is a little fiddly. We’ve got your back though - the pattern instructions include tips on sewing the lining, and I’ve got a blog post lined up to take you through that step in more detail.

Some of you may recognise the skirt from an earlier incarnation called “Marielle” which I designed for Sewing World magazine in early 2013. Since then, we’ve had countless emails asking for the pattern, so we tweaked the design, changed it to T&TB sizing, and added the mini skirt variation and lining variation. Oh and changed the name – we’ve already got various pattern names beginning with M (Mathilde, Miette, Mimi) so I dropped the first letter and it magically became named after Arielle Gamble, the lovely and talented lady who designs our pattern envelopes and booklets (she also designed Love at First Stitch!).

We've got blog posts lined up on steps that you might have questions about - choosing fabric, fitting the skirt, attaching the lining, finishing the facing with bias tape, how to sew buttonholes, and button sewing tips. If you need extra help, there are also lots of tips on cutting fabric, basic construction, finishing seams and the like both in my book and in the Learn to Sew section of this site (see the menu bar), or if there's anything else you're struggling with, let us know. Watch this space over the next few weeks for the blog posts, and revisit them at any time on the Arielle page.

Speaking of instructions, if you don't usually read pattern instructions, promise me you’ll read the ‘Cutting Your Fabric’ section – or at least the notes on the pattern pieces themselves about laying the pattern pieces face up on the wrong side of the fabric. This way the right front and left front pieces will end up the correct way round so the skirt will button up right over left (as womenswear traditionally does). :)

Wait - there's more!

Have you seen our new DIY Dressmaker bag? Laura designed this beauty. It’s strong and spacious, with an easy-to-carry landscape format (I love landscape format bags) and webbing straps that won’t cut into your shoulders – perfect for fabric shopping! The bag is made from a sustainable crop in a Fair Trade registered factory in India and screen printed in the UK using water-based ink.

Well, we’re sitting here with envelopes, stamps and a Destiny’s Child soundtrack at the ready to pack and ship your order!

Order your Arielle sewing pattern and DIY Dressmaker bag

[Photography: Fanni Williams / Hair and make up: Elbie van Eeden / Model: Stephanie Lewis / Pattern graphic design: Arielle Gamble / Special thanks to all the lovely pattern testers for your discerning eyes and invaluable feedback!]