… A New Pattern Review + A Mini-Tutorial!
The Caprice Skirt pattern has just been released by Love Notions. It’s the perfect item your Spring and Summer wardrobe needs! I was lucky enough to test this pattern and it gets my stamp of approval! I have already made 3 of the 5 options and I love each one of them!
The Caprice Skirt is on sale for just $9.50 today through Thursday, May 9, 2024. You can use my code 10LOVEMARY for an extra 10% off.
The Details
The Caprice Skirt is going to be one of those patterns that you just keep making again and again. Every time I see a piece of fabric in my stash I think “Oh that would be a cute View A or C for D of the Caprice.” This one skirt pattern is all you need for a whole collection of cool and breezy skirts for Spring and Summer.
- Five skirt styles to choose from
- Easy to sew and comfortable elastic waist
- Beginner Friendly~ especially View C
- Quick Sew
- Optional Pockets!
View C made in Rayon Linen Blend
Sizing and Fit
The Caprice is available in sizes XS- 5X. Choose your size based on your full hip measurement. If in-between sizes, choose the smaller size. All Love Notions patterns are drafted for the average 5’5″ woman.
Views A, C and D are meant to hit between the calf and ankle. Views B and E have been designed with a hi-low hem with the skirt front hitting just below the knee.
Be sure to compare the finished garment measurements to your own to determine how much design and wearing ease are included. Based on this, you may choose to size down or up. The A-Line View C does have more ease at the hips than the other views.
If adjusting for height, be sure to split the adjustment between the main skirt and ruffle pieces.
View D made with a vintage embellished cotton gingham.
My Sizing Alterations and Modifications
I selected and sewed up a 2X for all of my Caprice skirts, based on my full hip measurement of 49″. Since my hips are in-between the 2X and 3X, I sized down. I also checked the the finished garment measurements to make sure I would have enough ease in the hips. I did NOT grade in for my waist (39″) since I have a very full high hip. I even double checked and measured the high hip on the pattern piece (Piece # 8 for View D) to make sure it also had enough ease.
Since I am only 5 feet tall, I did shorten all my Caprice skirts.
For View A, I shortened it a total of 2.5 inches. I took 1.5 inches from the skirt front and back top portions. For the lower ruffle, I took off 1 inch the front and back ruffle pieces.
Fore View C, I simple shortened it 1.5 inches at the lengthen/shorten line. I waited until I tried it on before I decided on my final length. I did take an extra 1/2″ off the bottom before hemming.
For View D, I shortened each of the three tiers in order to keep the intended look. I shortened the tiers as follows:
- Top Tier: 1″
- Middle Tier: 1″
- Bottom Tier: 1/2″
Just yesterday, I sewed up another View C in Coral Striped Linen. Since this view has much more ease at the waist and hips than the others, I did take out some of the width on this version. So, basically I sized down to an XL.
View C made in a rayon linen blend.
Fabrics and Notions
The Caprice is designed for woven fabrics. Fabrics such as rayon challis, rayon twill, poly blends, chambray, poplin, and quilter’s cotton will all work well. Lightweight linen will also create a lovely summer skirt. For Fall, I can see this skirt in a lightweight plain flannel.
Notions
- Thread
- 1″ wide elastic
- 4 (or more) 1/2″ buttons for View A (optional)
View A made in a rayon challis, with the faux placket and buttons.
Sew Mary Mac’s Tips for Sewing the Caprice Skirt
I don’t have a ton of tips for the Caprice skirt, since it is really a quick and simple sew!
- Some of the pattern pieces can be placed on the fold (especially smaller sizes). See tutorial for more details. For View A I was able to place pieces 4 & 5 on the fold for my Georgette version since that fabric was 62″ wide. For View D, I was able to place piece #9 on the fold.
- Don’t leave off the understitching of the pocket seam. It really helps pockets to lay nicely.
- Label your cut fabric pieces after removing your pattern(or after tracing from your projector)! Some pieces look very similar!
- Press ruffle seams up towards the waist and topstitch if desired.
- There are 2 waistline finishes suggested. I prefer Option #2 since my waist always fluctuates. This option allows be to adjust my elastic later on if needed. Note: I NEVER sew my elastic opening closed until I have worn a garment~ this gives me the opportunity to adjust it quickly it needed. (Option #1 does give a very RTW look.)
View D
- LABEL ALL YOUR PIECES! I guarantee this will make construction so much easier and avoid confusion!
- Label the top and bottom of your tier pieces . If you have shifty fabric (my rayon tester version) it can be hard to tell what is the top and bottom. I never would have thought I’ve have trouble~ but I did!
- When gathering the bottom tier, gather from the side to center, and then the center to the other side. This way it is much less likely that your thread will break when gathering. When you create a “break” in the gathering stitching it makes the actual gathering process much easier.
View A made in a Georgette without the placket and lined.
A Little Story…
A few weeks ago when I was in the city(NYC) I saw this blue floral georgette fabric, but I didn’t buy it. Fast forward~ I sewed up my first View A of the Caprice and loved it. Then, all I could think about was that georgette fabric out of my mind and kept imagining how it would make a great View A Caprice. So last week, when I was up in the city again(bridal gown fitting for my daughter) I wasn’t planning on fabric shopping on this trip, but I ran into Chic Fabrics just for the blue floral georgette. Of course, I couldn’t find it. Well, after moving dozens of rolls of designer deadstock fabric, the owner and I finally found it!!! And I’m so happy I was able to get it and sew up another Caprice!!
What is Georgette? Georgette is 100% polyester. It has a fluid drape and a beautiful flow to it that makes it perfect for skirts. But, it can also be see-through~ so I lined it!!
Lining a Georgette skirt has 3 purposes.
- Reduce visibility (being able to see through it)
- Add body to the skirt
- Reduces static ~ if using the right fabric for the lining.
Create a Simple Lining for the Caprice: It’s Easy as 1-2-3!
This mini-tutorial will work for all views of the Caprice except View C. This is how I line any of my skirts that may be a tad too see-through and/or my fabric is staticky.
- Choose the lining fabric. In order for the lining to help reduce static, it must be a natural fiber. A lightweight cotton, linen or rayon will work best. Make sure it is light enough, you don’t want to add too much bulk to the waist. My favorite fabric for lining skirt is plain white rayon challis from Raspberry Creek Fabrics. I always keep a stash of it in my sewing room!
- Use pattern piece #3~ the View A/B Skirt back. You will use this for both the front and back of the lining. If you make any length adjustments you may want to make them beforehand, or you can just hem it shorter later.
- Cut 2 (piece #3) on the fold.
- Sew and finish side seams.
- Press side seams to the front or back, just make sure you do the opposite of what you did for your main skirt pieces. By doing this you will reduce any bulkiness at the waistline. This is sometimes called stacking.
- Hem lining using a narrow hem or serger.
- Place skirt lining inside the main skirt, WRONG sides together.
- Pin the lining and main skirt together, then baste across the top(waist).
- Continue with the Waistband Option #1 as explained below. You will be treating the main skirt and lining as one.
- Press 1/4″ to the inside. Fold over another 1 1/4″ to the inside and pin in place.
- Sew close to the lower folded edge, leaving an opening for your elastic.
- Tada!!! You’ve now lined your Caprice!!
Thanks for stopping by! I truly appreciate all of you that visit! If you enjoyed this blog post, consider subscribing to my blog to stay up to date with all my posts!
Mary Anne 🙂
Remember to follow me over on Instagram to see all my latest makes! @sewmarymac
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You can grab the Caprice Skirt pattern here.
This is an affiliate link. It costs you nothing to purchase from this link, it just helps fund my fabric addiction which allows me to test and review more patterns.
To receive an additional 10% off the pattern price, use this coupon code 10LOVEMARY.This coupon code can be used at anytime on any pattern….even a $5 Feature Friday pattern. My code does change quarterly, so please always check the newest blog post for an update if you find a code isn’t working.
Fabric Resources
View A: Navy Palm Floral rayon challis. This fabric is from deep in my stash. I purchased it in 2020 from Boho Fabrics. When I see a rayon challis print that I really love, I often just buy it for my stash. That was the case with this one so unfortunately it is no longer available. The Caprice was the perfect pattern for this fabric.
View A: Blue Floral Georgette. This is a designer deadstock from Chic Fabrics in the Garment District of NYC. They don’t have an online store, but for fun you can follow them on Instagram. Alyssa Mae Designs always has a selection of pretty Georgette fabrics at great prices.
View C: Navy Stripe Linen AND Coral Stripe Linen. Both of these fabrics are from Raspberry Creek Fabrics. They are a blend of linen and rayon. The Navy is out of stock, but the Coral is still available HERE.
View D: Vintage Appliquéd Navy Gingham. This fabric has been in my stash for a really long time. It is a designer deadstock fabric I purchased in the NYC Garment District way back(14 years ago) when my daughter was a college student at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology). The shop I picked it up from had had it for years! I had no idea what to do with it so it just sat in my sewing closet for years. After I made my tester version of View D, I knew I finally had a use for this fabric!
My favorite lining fabric~ White rayon challis from Raspberry Creek Fabrics. You can find that fabric HERE.
Raspberry Creek Fabrics also has a great selection of rayon challis fabrics. In addition to the “Club” prints they have available, you can also print any design from the Designer Studio on their rayon challis. I find their challis to be one of the easier to work with and sew.
sewmarymac.com 