Saturday Skirt Front Split Hack by Chelsea from @itschelseaw

Hi everyone, I’m Chelsea, from @itschelseaw and I’m so excited to be sharing this hack! I’ve wanted to make a Reformation-inspired slit-front skirt for anwhile now; I actually bought the fabric shown in this hack back at the end of 2021 for this purpose. My procrastination paid off, because as soon as I saw the Saturday Skirt I knew it was the perfect pattern for this hack! Continue Reading to find out more.

The nitty gritty details: I made this in a 4X, using 2.5 yards of a 43” wide deadstock Sandwashed Silk Crepe de Chine.

Figuring out the side front measurements

To start, I popped on my Saturday Skirt that I have already made, then since I planned on eliminating the pockets from this version, I measured from the side seam to where I wanted the slit to land on the front skirt. For me that number ended up being 5 ⅛”, and with including the ⅜” seam allowance, the total distance over ended up being 5 ⅝”. From that point, I then measured how far down I wanted the slit to start; this one ended up being 17”.

I then transferred those measurements to my pattern front piece. To make it easier on me, I taped the Pocket Back Piece (K) to the Skirt Front Piece (H), matching notches. I marked the 5 ⅝”, then from there I measured down 17” and marked that point.

I then drew a straight line from the waist point down to the bottom of the skirt, and used that as my cutting line for the pattern. I used a wide, 8 ½” by 24” quilting ruler, but using a regular tape measure would work just as well!

Tracing the pattern pieces

After I cut the Skirt Front Piece into two, I used Swedish Tracing Paper to copy the two pieces I just created. During the tracing process, I added a seam allowance of ⅜” (1 cm) to match the seam allowances included in the pattern.

I also transferred all markings to the traced pieces, including the slit start notches, the center front notation and I included a note as to which side of my slit piece was the side seam. After all of my markings were transferred over, I reassembled the main front piece, with the traced center front portion included.

Please note: tracing the pieces isn’t necessary! During the cutting process, you can totally just flip the individual pieces around while remembering to add seam allowance to the two new side seams! For me, it’s easier to have the traced pieces with the seam allowance included because I would 100% forget to include them during the cutting process. It also helps me understand how much fabric space each piece will take up, so I could finagle my layout a bit as my fabric was just 43” wide!

Sewing the skirt front

First, if you’re using a zig-zag stitch or serger to finish seams, finish the Front Side seams using your choice of method. I used my serger for all my seam finishes, as you can see in the above picture! I then marked where my slit start notch was by double pinning the notch. I sewed that seam using a standard stitch length up until the double needles and back stitched at the needles. I then basted the rest of the seam so I could easily press it open.

Then, I marked the notch start again with a pin so I would know where to rotate my sewing. I sewed down the side seam allowance, rotating at the pin and backstitching across the seam to reinforce it. I sewed down the other side of the seam allowance to finish the front side seam. I then ripped the seam up to the backstitched seams and the skirt side front was done!

Then assemble the rest of the skirt per instructions, eliminating the pocket steps.

And there you go, your very own slit-front skirt a la Reformation! Have I worn this at least twice a week since making it? Yes!