SKIRT

MALIKA

SIZES
34-52

DIFFICULTY

INTERMEDIATE
 FROM THE FOUNDER
OF THE #VIKISEWS BRAND

Back in 2016, when I was working on my first

set of sewing instructions, I was trying to write
them in such a way that even a complete beginner
could easily understand and use them to create
their very first garment. These instructions laid
the foundation for the Vikisews brand, its vision
and its mission. I wanted to create modern patterns
with the most detailed and clear instructions.

Now, with each new collection we are constantly

improving our instructions, amending them and
adding more relevant details. By the time the final
product reaches you, our drafters, correctors, and
editors would have spent weeks perfecting every
word and every photograph. If you compile a few
of our instructions together, you will get a sewing
manual that will assist you in sewing all kinds of
garments at any difficulty level.

And I would be very happy if these instructions

helped you to turn your hobby into a lifelong
passion… Enjoy the process! Create your ultimate
dream wardrobe! Wear your garments proudly for
years to come!

If you have any questions, please contact us at

info@vikisews.com - we are always there to help.

02
 MALIKA PATTERN DESCRIPTION
Malika is a semi-fitted straight skirt. The skirt is shaped with front and back
waist darts. The front features a shaped cutout. The skirt closes with an
invisible zipper in the center back seam. The applied waistband closes with a
button and buttonhole. The skirt is lined. Malika is below-knee length.

03
 IMPORTANT!

The contents of this pattern are copyright protected and belong exclusively
to Vikisews. You may use Vikisews patterns for personal use. It is prohibited
to share Vikisews patterns and instructions with third parties, as well as to
publish patterns and instructions online for public access. Non-compliance
with the mentioned rules is a violation of the US copyright law and may
result in civil liability and criminal prosecution.

You may use Vikisews patterns for commercial use, to sew custom-made
garments and/or create fashion collections, on the condition that the patterns
are solely used in a manufacturing setting and are not further shared with
individuals.

04
TOTAL EASE ALLOWANCE

Waistline ease Hipline ease

cm 3 4

inches 1 1/8 1 5/8

GARMENT LENGTH
Height, cm Garment length, cm Height, ft Garment length, in

1 (154-160) 83.5 1 (5’1” - 5’3”) 32 7/8

2 (162-168) 87.5 2 (5’4” - 5’6”) 34 1/2
3 (170-176) 91.5 3 (5’7” - 5’9”) 36
4 (178-184) 95.5 4 (5’10” - 6’1”) 37 5/8

SUGGESTED FABRIC
To sew this skirt, choose suiting fabrics with the following properties:
• medium-weight, soft, without stretch or with little stretch, opaque
• the fiber content can include natural fibers (wool, cotton), artificial fibers (viscose), blends (wool + silk,
wool + polyester, cotton + viscose, etc.), and synthetics (polyester, polyester + elastane)
• the following fabrics are recommended: wool suiting, gabardine, faux leather, suede, silk velvet, fine
wale corduroy.

Attention! We do not recommend stretchy knit materials (jersey fabrics) or lightweight sheer fabrics
(chiffon, organza, stretch lace).

For the lining, the following fabrics are recommended: lining fabrics made from artificial fibers (viscose),
blends (viscose + elastane, viscose + polyester), or synthetics (polyester, polyester + elastane).

The skirt in the photos is made from wool suiting. The fabric is medium-weight, pliable, soft, with little
stretch. The fiber content is wool + cotton + polyester. The lining is 100% viscose.

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 FABRIC AND NOTIONS REQUIREMENTS
1. Main fabric, 140-150cm (55-60”) wide,
cut in one direction, for all sizes: 2. Lining fabric, 140cm (55”) wide, for all sizes:

Height, cm Meters Height, ft Yards Height, cm Meters Height, ft Yards

1 (154-160) 0.96 1 (5’1” - 5’3”) 1 1 (154-160) 0.83 1 (5’1” - 5’3”) 7/8

2 (162-168) 1 2 (5’4” - 5’6”) 1 1/8 2 (162-168) 0.87 2 (5’4” - 5’6”) 1
3 (170-176) 1.04 3 (5’7” - 5’9”) 1 1/8 3 (170-176) 0.91 3 (5’7” - 5’9”) 1
4 (178-184) 1.08 4 (5’10” - 6’1”) 1 1/8 4 (178-184) 0.95 4 (5’10” - 6’1”) 1

3. Woven fusible interfacing, 120-140cm (47-55”) wide, for all heights:

Size 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52

Meters 0.68 0.72 0.76 0.8 0.84 0.88 0.92 0.96 1 1.04

Yards 3/4 3/4 7/8 7/8 7/8 1 1 1 1 1/8 1 1/8

IMPORTANT! When purchasing fabric, please account for shrinkage

and buy 5% more than required.

4. Invisible zipper, 18cm (7”) for all sizes and heights

5. Stitch-reinforced fusible bias tape - 1,4m (1 1/2 yd)
6. One button, 1,5cm (5/8") in diameter
7. Machine thread - 5 spools (1 spool for the sewing machine + 4 spools for the overlocker)

TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT

• sewing machine for construction
• overlocker for finishing raw edges. This may be replaced with a stretch overlock stitch or a zigzag stitch
on the sewing machine (overlock or zigzag stitch width 2-3mm, stitch length 2.5mm)
• buttonhole foot for the sewing machine
• invisible zipper foot for the sewing machine.

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PATTERN PIECES LIST
IMPORTANT! Don’t forget to transfer all the
notches from the pattern to your fabric.
1. From main fabric:
• front - cut 1
• back - cut 2
• waistband - cut 1 3. From interfacing:
• waistband - cut 1
2. From lining fabric: Also from interfacing, cut 2 strips that are 1,5cm
• front lining - cut 1 (5/8") wide and 20cm (7 7/8") long. These will be
• back lining - cut 2 used to interface the zipper area seam allowances.

Attention! When cutting, place all pieces

on the right side of the fabric.

SEAM ALLOWANCES
Pattern pieces include the following seam allowances:
• garment hem - 4cm (1 5/8")
• lining hem - 2cm (3/4")
• center back seam - 1,5cm (5/8")
• all other edges - 1cm (3/8")
Take this into account when laying out pattern pieces on the fabric.

CUTTING LAYOUT
Main fabric, 140-150cm (55-60”) wide, cut on a single layer,
for all sizes and heights, for directional print or nap
selvedge

selvedge
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 Lining fabric, 140cm (55”) wide, cut on a single layer,
for all sizes and heights, for directional print

selvedge

selvedge

Interfacing, 140cm (55”) wide, cut on a single layer,

for all sizes and heights

selvedge

selvedge

READY? LET’S GET SEWING!

08
 Fully interface the waistband piece.
Interface the section of the back skirt seam
allowance where the zipper will be inserted.

Interface the edges of the shaped cutout on

the front skirt with fusible stay tape. The stay
tape is applied 2mm from the edge so that the
reinforcement stitches on the tape align with the
future stitching line.

To interface, position the gluey side of the

interfacing piece onto the wrong side of the
fabric piece (or part of it) and press.

Try not to stretch the pieces with the iron. Firmly press the piece section by section, holding it
down with the iron for a few seconds until that section is adhered and then pressing down the
next section. You may use a cotton pressing cloth to protect your iron sole. Once the interfacing
is fused, leave the piece on a hard flat surface for 15 minutes for it to cool down.

TEST FITTING
We recommend doing a test fitting for any garment.
Why? The first fitting is done to check the balance and volume of the garment (in case you didn’t make
a toile and didn’t make any changes to the pattern before cutting) but only to make the garment smaller
and adjust its length.
How? After applying interfacing and fusible stay tape, baste the darts and construct the garment along
major structural seams (center back seam, side seams). Baste the waistband on. Baste the hem.
To ensure a well-fitting garment, it’s important to properly assemble it for the first fitting, so pay
attention to the notches. First, pin the pieces at the notches and then between them making sure the
fabric is laying smoothly.
Baste the garment by hand (approximately 1cm (3/8") stitch length).
Important! If the needle leaves visible holes in the fabric (leather, suede, rainwear fabric, silk, etc.), we
recommend making a TOILE to check for fitting issues. In this case, there is no need for a fitting, except
to check the length. We recommend testing your material before you start sewing.
If after basting one of the pieces ends up longer than the other, don’t rush to trim the longer piece or
stretch the shorter one. First make sure that the notches match, lay out the pieces on a flat surface and
try basting again. If the pieces still don’t match because they’ve stretched or there has been a cutting
mistake, you can always trim the pieces after the fitting during the construction of the garment.
After assembling the garment, press it lightly and press the seam allowances either to one side or open.

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 What to look for during fitting?
The right and left sides of the garment should look identical.
Check the garment balance - side seams should be aligned vertically.
Check for issues that might be caused by unique features of the person’s body.
After the fitting, make symmetrical adjustments to both sides of the garment and then do another
baste fitting if necessary.

With the right side facing up, overlock the side

and center back edges on the front and back
skirt pieces.

Working from the wrong side, pin each dart

on the front and back skirt pieces.

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 Machine-stitch the darts, backstitching at the
upper edge of the garment only, press flat.

Tie the thread ends at the dart point and hide

them between fabric layers using a needle.
Steam press the darts, shrink out the fullness
at the dart point on a tailor’s ham. Press the
darts toward the center.

Mark the zipper stitching line on the right side

of the back skirt pieces, 15mm (5/8") from the
center back edge.

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 Steam iron the zipper to preshrink it and make
sure it doesn’t shrink later.
Place the zipper onto the back skirt, 10mm
(3/8") from the upper edge. Pin, baste and stitch
one side of the zipper using a specialty machine
foot, backstitch at the beginning and end of the
seam. Then stitch the other side of the zipper.

Place the two back skirt pieces right sides

together, align the center back edges, pin, baste.
Machine-stitch the center back seam from the
notch down to the bottom edge, backstitching
at the beginning and end of the seam.

If the zipper is longer than required, you need

to shorten it. To do so, make a chalk mark 1,5cm
(5/8") down from the end of the zipper stitching
line and cut off the excess.

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 Bind the short edge of the zipper with a piece
of lining fabric.

Stitch the zipper tape onto the center back

seam allowances, 2mm from the edge of the
tape.

Steam press the center back seam with the

inserted zipper.

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 Place the front and back skirt pieces right sides
together, align the side edges, match the notches.
Pin, baste and stitch on the sewing machine,
backstitching at the beginning and end of the
seam.

Press the side seams flat and then press the

seam allowances open.
With the right side facing up, overlock the
bottom edge of the garment.

Working from the wrong side, pin each dart

on the front and back lining pieces, baste, stitch
on the sewing machine and press flat. Press the
darts toward the center.
Place the front and back lining pieces right
sides together, align the side edges, match the
notches, stitch on the sewing machine, backstitching
at the beginning and end of the seam.
Press the seams flat.
With the back skirt lining facing up, overlock
the side seam allowances.
Press the seam allowances toward the front.
With the right side facing up, overlock the
center back edges.
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 Place the lining pieces right sides together,
aligning the center back edges, pin, baste.
Machine-stitch the center back seam from the
notch down to the bottom edge, backstitching
at the beginning and end of the seam.

Press the seam flat.

Press the seam allowances open.

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 With the right side facing up, overlock the
bottom edge of the lining.
Baste the hem on the lining in place, machine-
stitch 15-18mm (5/8-3/4") from the edge,
backstitching at the beginning and end of the
seam.
Press the seam flat.
Steam press the lining.

Place the skirt and lining right sides together,

aligning the edges of the shaped cutout.
The lining is 6cm (2 3/8") shorter than the
outer skirt.
Pin.

Fold the skirt hem allowance so that the lining

is enclosed between the two layers.

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 Machine-stitch the skirt and lining together,
backstitching at the beginning and end of the
seam.
Press the seam flat, trim the seam allowances
down to 5mm (3/16”), notch the curved area of
the seam allowance up to 2mm from the stitching
line.

Press the seam allowances toward the lining.

Understitch the seam allowances to the lining
2mm from the seam, backstitch at the beginning
and end of the seam.

Hand-baste the finished edge of the cutout,

rolling the seam toward the lining by 1mm.

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 Using a blind catch stitch, secure the lining to
the skirt along the cutout seam to prevent the
layers from shifting.

Baste the skirt hem in place.

Secure the hem with a blind hem stitch.

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 Place the skirt and lining right sides together
along the unstitched part of the center back
seam. Pin one side of the lining and then the
other, aligning the edges of the skirt and lining.
Machine-stitch along the zipper tape, 10mm (3/8")
from the edge. Backstitch at the beginning and
end of the seam.

Turn the lining to the right side, steam press

the center back seam.

Align the top edges of the skirt and lining,

baste.

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 Steam press the waistband.
Fold the waistband in half lengthwise wrong
sides together, press the fold, and then, stretching
the outer edge, steam press the waistband into
a curve.

Place the waistband and skirt right sides together,

align one long edge of the waistband with the
upper edge of the skirt, match the notches.
With the waistband facing up, machine-stitch
the waistband to the upper edge of the skirt.
Press the seam flat.

Fold the left short edge of the waistband in

half right sides together, pin, match lower edges,
stitch on the sewing machine.

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 Trim the seam allowance down to 5mm (3/16”),
clip the corner. Turn the waistband to the right
side, push out the corner, press.

Fold the right short edge of the waistband right

sides together, align the lower edges, stitch on
the sewing machine.

Trim the seam allowance down to 5mm (3/16”),

clip the corners. Turn the waistband to the right
side, push out the corners, press.

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 Press the waistband seam allowance toward
the waistband.

Match the notches on the inner part of the

waistband with the notches on the skirt.
Fold the seam allowance under so that the
folded edge covers the waistband seam by 1mm,
baste in place.

Working from the right side, stitch in the ditch

of the waistband seam.
Remove the hand stitches, steam press the
waistband.

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 Mark the buttonhole placement on the left side
of the waistband following pattern markings.

Following the markings, stitch a buttonhole on

the right side of the garment. Use a buttonhole
foot for the sewing machine.
Insert a pin on each side of the buttonhole to
protect the edges from being cut and cut the
buttonhole open with a seam ripper.

Sew the button on.

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 Remove the hand stitches along the edges of
the cutout and the garment hem.
Make thread chains to secure the lining to the
skirt at the side seams: at the hip notch level
and at the hem allowance.
Give the garment a final press.

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SEW TOGETHER
WITH #VIKISEWS!

CREATE YOUR DREAM

WARDROBE!

#vikisews_ malika