MAKES - HANBOK WRAP SKIRT
Reversible Pleated Wrap Skirt by Sewing Therapy
The sewing pattern is designed by Sara of Sewing Therapy. "The Hanbok Wrap Skirt is a reversible pleated wrap skirt that offers a modern twist on a classic design, inspired by the centuries-old traditional elegance of the Hanbok. This versatile skirt works beautifully in a variety of occasions from casual outings to special events. Depending on whether you want a gracefully flowy skirt or want to emphasize the structured pleats, your choice in fabric will help you achieve the look you desire."
I have been incredibly fortunate the last year being able to visit South Korea for both work and play. Whilst visiting historical sites, tourists are encouraged to rent traditional Korean clothing to wear and take photos in and around the monuments. This gives a beautiful site to behold from afar, and I was fascinated with the clothing!
Traditional cultural attire is still worn by Korean people during important events and celebrations. Across the markets in Seoul and Busan, I came across many stalls that sold beautiful silk fabrics where you could choose to have an outfit made by the tailors. As tempting as this was, I knew I would probably not find many suitable occasions to wear such beautiful attire, so I decided to look for vintage items that I could wear on a regular, more casual basis instead. I didn't find any suitable vintage pieces for myself but I did find a handful of designers that design beautiful clothing adapted from traditional pieces. I found this to be the case also as I sought out sewing patterns for Korean garments that I could potentially make up myself.
I came across Sara when I was searching for Hanbok wear, and came across her first pattern: the Hanbok Wrap Dress. I bookmarked this pattern as a potential future make, but then at the end of 2023, she released the Reversible Pleated Hanbok Skirt, and when I saw testers display their pieces on Instagram, I immediately knew I wanted to have one of those skirts in my wardrobe!
I went to Sara's Sewing Therapy website, bought and downloaded the pattern straightaway! I realised I didn't need to print out the pattern, as the skirt is made up of rectangle pieces. So I did my measures and chose to lengthen the skirt a few inches to balance out my short legs! Sara herself has made a few variations of the skirt with different colour combinations, and different fabrics. That made my fabric decision somewhat more difficult, as I wanted ALL of the options!! I eventually settled on a neutral colour, a stone browny colour I knew I would wear often, and in my scrap box, found a piece of cream linen that was just enough to use as the reversible waistband piece! Winning!
Making up the skirt was a surprisingly simple task. I usually hate working with pleats, but Sara has a YouTube sew-a-long video which is really easy to follow along. A few hours later, I had a full working skirt, that I love swishing around in!
Fabrics I chose to use:
Main Skirt Fabric: Stone Washed Linen
Reversible Waistband Fabric: Beige Washed Linen
I will most likely make another Hanbok Reversible Wrap Skirt in due time in a different colour combination! Although I am intrigued to try it out in a different fabric, that is finer, as the pleats do create volume. There's just so many options!
Take a look at Sara's lovely sewing patterns at: https://sewingtherapy.net/
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