Here it is then, a tutorial to make your own Veronica wiggle skirt. Now bear in mind that this is just the way I did my pattern. Every patterncutter has their own methods. This one works for me. There will be some re-working required, all depending on exactly what you want to end up with, so be prepared to change measurements, angles & distances – and making more than one toile!
Firstly, trace off your skirt block. If you don’t have one yet, here are some instructions. The length will be up to you, but should be a decent length to “wiggle” in! I made Veronica 68cm long, from the waist. Daughter No2 is pretty tall though, so go for a length that hits you just below the knee for a good look.
Your traced skirt block should look something like this:
Step 1:
The first thing I did was to change the shape of the skirt. I took 2.5cm off the hem line on each side seam and about 1cm at the hip line. I joined the hem point to the hip point and then up tot he original line at the waist. This gives an overall tighter fit as you are removing some of the ease over the hip. I also moved the back seam in 1cm. This came to a point approximately 10-12cm below the hip line. Made sure when you are doing this that your lines flow easily & there are no jerky joins to original seam lines. Also, may I remind you at this point there are no seam allowances on this pattern. All the lines you are drawing are going to be your stitching lines – seam allowances will be added at the end.
Step 2:
Now to move the dart & change the angle of it. I wanted the dart to angle towards the hip & to be further from the side seam to accommodate the pocket. I moved the dart position towards the centre by 3cm and shortened it by 3cm. The original dart was 10cm long, but I didn’t want the pocket to be that low down. Also, the style line had to be altered, so when redrawing the dart I didn’t keep it on the same plane as the original. The left leg of the dart runs almost parallel to the centre front. The dart is still the same width, 2cm.
Step 3:
Drawing in the stlye line of the pocket. I started about 5cm up from the hip line and played with various combinations of angles to get this right. It really will be up to you as to where it all ends up, but the sketch shows where my pocket eventually ended up. I did two toiles to get this to just the right place, so maybe you could start by drawing on a toile to get the correct placement for you. The base of the dart will be the jumping off point for the pocket, so think about the angles between the right dart leg, the pocket opening line & the return. the dart legs will become seams for the skirt front & the hip yoke pocket piece, eliminating the dart as such.
Step 4:
Trace off the pocket pieces as seperate items. You will have a hip yoke pocket piece, a pocket bag & the skirt front & the back. The red lines on my pattern here are the cutting lines. Remember to add notches, grainlines and name the pattern pieces! Also, at this point you will need to add seam allowances. Add 1.5cm everywhere and don’t forget the hem. For a good weight on a skirt like this add 3-4cm.
If you have any queries, please comment below. Have fun now! 🙂
***EDIT***
I am working on making this pattern available as a pdf download. If you’d be interested, please leave a comment below.
THE COMPULSIVE SEAMSTRESS 
What a great tutorial. I do mine much the same. When making a wiggle skirt I like to use a woven fabric cut on the bias. For my uses I like the fit and shape better. Also cutting on the bias gives it a bit of a stretch while still being able to have the shape and support of the woven fabric.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/CurvyTiffy?ref=listing-shop-header-item-count
Yeah, a bias cut will work wonders for the clingy-ness.
Wow. This is great. Thanks for sharing. 😀
Thank you for making this tute. I love wiggle skirts and lately have been thinking about making some. This is the push I needed!
Oh man this in on my list – thanks m’dear very much for sharing. You are wonderful.
Have you made one yet??
This is by far the best tutorial I have seen in a long time. Really well written and very clear and easy to follow. Thank you so much, I am very excited about making this.
Thanks Jules! When you come to make it up, if you need instructions, shout, I never did get round to posting how to make the actual skirt! 🙂
Well funny you should say that! I was just trying to goggle that to get the pockets right! So here is my shout “PLEASE CAN YOU WRITE INSTRUCTIONS!!” that would be fantastic, thanks a mill.
lol!! I will try to make the time this week 🙂
you are a star!! x
Sorry to comment on an old post, I hope you’re still around!
I’ve made my skirt block as per your tutorial and am getting ready to start drafting my wiggle pattern following this but I’m a little confused.
Does my skirt block include ease already? I notice you’ve said you’ve taken 2.5 off the side seams and 1cm at the hip for a tighter fit and I’m worried that if my skirt block doesn’t already have ease included in it, I won’t be able to zip the wiggle up as I’m using a wool blend fabric so there’s no stretch. Forgive me if it’s a silly question – it’s the first time I’ve drawn everything up myself.
Hi Lisa, the skirt block does include ease. Have you toiled the block to ensure it fits you properly and you don’t need any alterations? You don’t have to take off 2.5cm a the hip, that was what I used on my daughter’s skirt but you can change that to suit you. Feel free to email me if you have any further issues.