AK Patterns – Brittany Skirt

Athina of AK Patterns came back from a hiatus and hit the ground running by releasing the Brittany Skirt last week – a new skirt pattern that is perfectly on trend for your Spring and Summer wardrobe needs!! The Brittany Skirt rides the line between your standard, gathered skirt and the dungaree / bibs / overall trend that has taken over this year. The over the shoulder straps add a fun touch that really takes this classic style to another level! 

I had the pleasure of testing this pattern back in the fall, and loved the outcome. I will go ahead and note that since testing, the pattern has been altered to recommend that the straps attached to the skirt come in a little further towards the center on both the front and back. If you feel like my straps are a little further out that you would prefer, don’t worry – yours won’t be! 

I admit that I went a little bit rogue with my pattern testing here. This skirt is recommended for medium to heavier wovens, such as denim, twill, corduroy, or canvas. I loved the corduroy idea, and picked this lovely fabric from Stylish Fabrics with this skirt in mind. However, I’d expected more of a standard woven corduroy with a bit of stretch, and when the fabric arrived, this was definitely more of a corduroy-style knit! I shouldn’t have been surprised – it was clearly noted as a stretch corduroy. However, I already had the vision in my mind so I was determined to make it happen. With a little bit of interfacing in the waistband and some soft stretch for stabilization, my vision came to life!

I fall between two sizes in AK Patterns, so with the stretch content of my fabric in mind, I chose to size down to the smaller of the two sizes. Aside from that, I essentially followed the pattern instructions as directed with a few small tweaks. When sewing my pockets in place, I knew that I didn’t want to risk a wobbly seam on such a fun design feature!! To prevent any wobbles, I used my heat n’ bond soft stretch along all four sides and ironed my pockets in place to ensure that I’d have nice, straight edges. This worked out absolutely perfectly, and I’ll be making sure I do this in the future when I sew pockets onto tees and other stretchy things! I also used heat n’ bond along the skirt hem to make sure it had an even finish.

The only other change I made was to substitute a standard zipper for the recommended invisible zipper. This fabric was both thick and stretchy, and I just didn’t feel like an invisible zipper was the right look (or that it would be up to the job!!). I had the perfect color standard zip already in my collection, so it was clearly meant to be!

This fabric was surprisingly great to work with! My only complaint is that I am still finding little furry bits of it everywhere! I noticed a decent bit of shedding, especially as I was cutting the pattern pieces and as the fabric went through the serger. Little orange fuzzy balls all over the place in my sewing room! At one point, my husband thought that our little tiny girl had left her pasta sauce from dinner all over my shirt – only to realize it was orange fuzz. Aside from this, it was fabulous and made a really great skirt. I would LOVE to see someone make a pair of flared knit pants out of this fabric, as well – I’m thinking something like the Made for Mermaids Bailey Bell Bottoms? If you are awesome enough to follow through with this, PLEASE let me know!!

I’m so happy with how this skirt turned out, and even happier to tell you guys that you can now grab your own copy of this pattern over at AK Patterns! When I tested this pattern, I found that this is a great skirt for cool weather – you can really play with your fabric and your layering options to make something perfect for everyday autumn wear, or something a little fancier. I paired mine with my favorite chambray button-up here, but it also looks great with my Nikko Top now that the weather is a little cooler. However, it will also be fantastic for Spring and Summer – I can see it looking great with an Adrienne Blouse or a flowy Roscoe Blouse! The very best part of this skirt is most definitely the pockets, though – perfect for carrying your phone, a small wallet, or even two tiny bottles of whiskey for a party (I may or may not know from experience)!!

Now that the Brittany Skirt has finally been released, I can’t wait to see what the rest of the sewing world will do with it! I’m looking forward to seeing your creations – I’d love if you’d link your blog in the comments below once you’ve made one, too!

Skirt: handmade by me
Fabric: Stylish Fabric – Rust Corduroy Fabric
Pattern: AK Patterns – Brittany Skirt 

Key Ingredients:
Brother XR9500PRW Sewing Machine
Brother 1034D Overlocker / Serger
Schmetz Jersey Ballpoint Needles
Dahle 36×48 Self-healing Cutting Mat
Heat & Bond Soft Stretch (Lite)  

Though the pattern used in this post was generously provided to me by the awesome team at AK Patterns, and the fabric by Stylish Fabrics, all words and opinions expressed are my own, as always! Links provided throughout this post may be affiliate links – if you choose to purchase any products through these links, I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you. This simply helps me justify the costs of my sewing habit and the time it takes to share it with you!! Happy Sewing!

• XX Elizabeth