True Bias Salida Skirts

I met Kelly Ward, the owner of True Bias Patterns in Denver in November. What a kind, smart, wonderful person! She gave me a head’s up about the Salida Skirt, and said she was suggesting people make it with corduroy. I offered to carry a few colors in her favorite weights, which was a great excuse to get something I wanted to stock anyway!

True Bias Salida Skirts in Two Lengths

Our seamstress, Bonnie made a long one for herself and a short one for me. Mine is in 14-wale corduroy, Bonnie’s is in 21-wale (the number refers to the number of ridges per inch, so the 14-wale is heavier than the 21-wale).

Like all True Bias Patterns, the instructions are very well written. Bonnie found them easy to follow. The only little change she made was to serge the inside edge of the waistband so she didn’t have to fold it under, which would have added bulk. Bonnie didn’t follow the directions for the zipper, because she’s such a pro. If you’re not a zipper pro, Kelly’s instructions are great, and she has a Salida zipper video tutorial on her website. Click here to watch the video. Bonnie also loved sewing with the corduroy, and she made sure to lay all the pattern pieces the same direction. Corduroy has a “nap.”

Bonnie made minimal changes to the fit of either of our skirts. When she was checking the fit on mine, she kept saying, “Oh, it’s perfect,” which I rarely hear from her exacting self. She loved sewing both skirts, and she felt they would be flattering for many figures. I agree. Mine has been on heavy rotation lately, even though Missoula has been super cold.