I’m so excited to share my first skirt pattern on the blog today, the Flirty Marvel Skirt, which is available in 4 women’s sizes. This A-line skirt was inspired by Marvel Crosson, a pioneering aviator with a fabulous and flirty sense of style.

This post contains affiliate links. The yarn for the sample was generously provided by WeCrochet.

Marvel was the first woman to receive a pilot’s license in (the then Territory of) Alaska, and was a contestant in the 1929 Women’s Air Derby (also known as the “Powder Puff Derby”), the first U.S. air race for women.
Sadly, Marvel died as a result of a crash on the second day of the Derby.

This skirt is a great project for a crocheter who hasn’t made garments before, but the join keeps things interesting for a more advanced crocheter. I used WeCrochet Galileo, a smooth wool/bamboo blend with an excellent drape that hugs curves for the sample.

This skirt was designed with a bold-hearted woman in mind, but some ladies won’t feel comfortable wearing it without lining.

One option is to use a half slip, but I would actually recommend slip shorts instead. The Flirty Marvel Skirt looks best with a snug fit, and a half slip may “bulk it up” too much. If you’re not familiar with slip shorts, they can be worn in place of undies and are available in different lengths and colors.

This skirt starts with two panels, crocheted flat. These are joined with a decorative stitch to create peek-a-boo openings on the side seams.

Then skirt is finished with a covered elastic waist band cover that is crocheted in the round.

My dear friend, Carlota Zimmerman, was kind enough to model for me. You can really feel her boldness in these pictures, can’t you?

And her theatrical sensibilities as well…

If you make your own Flirty Marvel Skirt, I’d love to see it! Share your progress and questions by tagging me on Facebook as @Underground Crafter, Instragram as @ucrafter, or Twitter as @ucrafter. You can also share a picture in the Underground Crafters Facebook group. Sign up for my weekly newsletter and get a coupon code for your choice of one of my premium patterns and other subscriber goodies. Plus, you’ll never miss one of my free patterns again!

Add the Flirty Marvel Skirt to your favorites or queue, or buy the ad-free PDF on Ravelry.

Flirty Marvel Skirt

Crochet Pattern by Underground Crafter

This easy A-line skirt is inspired by pioneering aviatrix, Marvel Crosson.

Finished Sizes

• Adult Women’s: XS (S, M, L) – 24 (26.5, 30, 34)”/61 (67.5, 76, 86.5) cm waist; 20.75”/53 cm length. Photographed sample is size M.

Materials

• WeCrochet Galileo (50% Merino wool/50% bamboo, 1.75 oz/50 g, 131 yd/120 m) – 5 (6, 6, 7) skeins Nebula, or approximately 655 (786, 786, 917) yd/600 (720, 720, 840) m in any fine weight wool/bamboo blend yarn.
• US 7/4.5 mm crochet hook, or any size needed to obtain gauge.
• Yarn needle.
• Stitch marker.
• 0.75” (2 cm) elastic for waist band – 1 yd/1 m length
• Sewing needle and thread.

Gauge

• 16 sts x 8 rows = 4” (10 cm) in pattern before blocking. For best fit, always check your gauge.

Abbreviations Used in This Pattern

• ch – chain
• dc – double crochet
• dc2tog – double crochet 2 sts together (decrease) – *(Yo, insert hook in next st, yo and draw up a loop, yo and draw through 2 loops) twice, yarn over and draw through all 3 loops. A helpful tutorial for this stitch is available here.
• ea – each
• rep – repeat
• sc – single crochet
• sc2tog – single crochet 2 sts together – *(Insert hook in next st, yo and draw up a loop) twice, yarn over and draw through all 3 loops.
• sk – skip
• sl st – slip stitch
• st(s) – stitch(es)
• t-ch – turning chain
• yo – yarn over
• * Rep instructions after asterisk as indicated.

Pattern Note

• • Panels are crocheted from hem to waist.
  • Front and back panels are connected with lacy crochet join.
  • Skirt is finished with an elastic waist band covered with crochet in the round.
  • Waist band is crocheted in spirals without joining

Pattern Instructions

Skirt

Front and back panel – Make 2

• Ch 72, (78, 84, 90).
• Row 1: Turn, sk 2 ch (counts as dc), sk 1 ch, 3 dc in next st, *sk 2 ch, 3 dc in next st; rep from * across to last 2 sts, sk 1 ch, dc in last st. – 71 (77, 83, 89) sts
• Row 2: Turn, ch 2 (counts as dc, here and throughout), sk 1 st, *3 dc in center of next 3-dc group, sk 2 sts; rep from * across to last 3 sts, 3 dc in next st, sk 1 st, dc in t-ch.
• Rows 3-5: Rep Row 2 three times.
• Row 6: Turn, ch 2, sk 1 st, 2 dc in next st, *sk 2 sts, 3 dc in next st; rep from * across to last 5 sts, sk 2 sts, 2 dc in next st, sk 1 st, dc in t-ch. — Decreases 2 sts — 69 (75, 81, 87) sts
• Row 7: Turn, ch 2, 2 dc in next st, *sk 2 sts, 3 dc in next st; rep form * across to last 4 sts, sk 2 sts, 2 dc in next st, dc in t-ch.
• Rows 8-9: Rep Row 7 twice.
• Row 10: Turn, ch 2, dc in next st, *sk 2 sts, 3 dc in next st; rep from * across to last 4 sts, sk 2 sts, dc in next st, dc in t-ch. — Decreases 2 sts — 67 (73, 79, 85) sts
• Row 11: Turn, ch 2, dc in same st, *sk 2 sts, 3 dc in next st; rep form * across to last 3 sts, sk 2 sts, 2 dc in t-ch.
• Rows 12-13: Rep Row 11 twice.
• Row 14: Turn, ch 2, *sk 2 sts, 3 dc in next st; rep from * to last 3 sts, sk 2 sts, dc in t-ch. — Decreases 2 sts — 65 (71, 77, 83) sts
• Row 15: Turn, ch 2, sk 1 st, *3 dc in next st, sk 2 sts; rep from * across to last st, dc in t-ch.
• Rows 16-17: Rep Row 15 twice.
• Rows 18-25: Rep Rows 6-13 once.
• Row 26: Turn, ch 2, dc2tog, dc in next st and ea st across to last 3 sts, dc2tog, dc in t-ch. — Decreases 2 sts — 59 (65, 71, 77) sts
• Row 27: Turn, ch 2, dc in next st and ea st across.
• Rows 28-41: Rep Rows 26-27 seven times. Fasten off. — Decreases 14 sts — 45 (51, 57, 63) sts
• Weave in ends with yarn needle. Spray block to 20” (51 cm) length and panel width listed in schematic.

Assembly

• With 2 panels side by side, join with sl st to bottom (first row) of left panel, ch 7, sl st to right panel.
• Row 1: Turn, ch 1, sk 3 ch, (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc, ch 1) in next st, sk 3 ch, sl st to top of 3^rd
• Row 2: Turn, ch 1, (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc, ch 1) in ch-2 sp, join to opposite piece 2 rows above with sl st.
• Rep Row 2, alternating sides, ending top row on one side, turn, ch 3, sl st in ch-2 sp, ch 3, join to other side with sl st, fasten off.
• Rep to join panels on other side.

Waist Band

• Join with sl st to st on edge, ch 1, sc in ea st around, place marker. — 104 (116, 128, 140) sts
• Round 1: *Sc in ea of next 11 (8, 14, 33) sts, sc2tog; rep from * around. — 96 (106, 120, 136) sts
• Round 2: Sc in ea st around.
• Rounds 3-8: Rep Round 2 six times, or until waist band measures approximately 1.5” (4 cm), do not fasten off.

Finishing

• Cut elastic to 1” (2.5 cm) longer than skirt waist measurement. Fold overlap of elastic and sew closed with needle and thread.
• Insert elastic inside of skirt in waist band Rounds 1-4. Fold over waist band. With yarn needle, sew waist band closed over elastic. With yarn needle, weave in ends.

© 2015 by Marie Segares (Underground Crafter). This pattern is for personal use only. You may use the pattern to make unlimited items for yourself, for charity, or to give as gifts. You may sell items you personally make by hand from this pattern. Do not violate Marie’s copyright by distributing this pattern, the chart, or the photos in any form, including but not limited to scanning, photocopying, emailing, or posting on a website or internet discussion group. If you want to share the pattern, point your friends to this link: http://undergroundcrafter.com/2015/06/10/free-pattern-flirty-marvel-skirt. Thanks for supporting indie designers!