Little black skirt and exposed zip

I'm on a bit of a quest to find a really good little skirt pattern so that I can brave cutting up some really special fabric I have, you will have to watch this space to see if I ever actually do it but for now here is my latest mock up. The great bonus of mocking up a load of black skirts is I am filling my wardrobe with some lovely basics.

A couple of weeks ago I made my first So Over It Ultimate Pencil Skirt, I really like this skirt and I've already worn it a couple of times, however I don't think it was quiet the right cut I was looking for for this project. I really liked the fit in the waist but I wanted something a bit shorter and not quiet so fitted at the bottom, so I made a few adjustments to the pattern.

Firstly I graded it out at the hips to a size bigger because my hips and seat are a little generous, I took a large chunk of length off the bottom and finally I straightened the side seam down from the hip to make it a little less fitted. I am really pleased with the final shape of the skirt its a great length and a lovely shape. 

I used the same plain black cotton sateen fabric from Sew Essential that I used for my previous version of this skirt. Its very forgiving because it has a lot of stretch in it and very easy to sew with. Its a great staple fabric, though it is a bit of a fluff magnet! 

For this version I also wanted to add something to make it a bit more fun so instead of an invisible zip I added a nice metal exposed zipper. I really love this detail, I've never done an exposed zip before but it really adds a bit extra to a plain black skirt. I used the first method on this site to add my zip but I'm not 100% happy with the finish. The fabric is quiet thick so I didn't get a clean seam, thankfully the fabric being black its not at all obvious. I will try a different method next time to see if I can get a cleaner finish but the overall effect is great. 

So to sum up:

Pattern: Sew Over It Ultimate Pencil Skirt

Fabric: Stretch cotton sateen in black from Sew Essential

Extras: 12" metal zipper

Modifications: A few; Shortened length, straightened side seems, added exposed zip

Fit: It feels like its pulling a bit in the side seams so I might need to go a size bigger but thankfully this fabric is very stretchy so its very forgiving.

Difficulty: The exposed zip was a little more complicated being a new technique but otherwise pretty easy

Would I make it again?: probably yes

So is this the right pattern for my fabric? I'm still not sure, though its a great addition to my wardrobe. I actually want to try sewing a skirt with a waistband so I have another pattern to try before I make a decision so watch this space. 

Do you sew plain wardrobe staples? As sewists I think we find plain clothes like this really hard given all the fun things you could be sewing instead! Whats your favourite wardrobe staple?