Tag: skirt

Gathers, box pleats and full skirts make me happy 🙂 They are slim through my waist and full around my lower half. It’s a little retro without being comically retro. Plus, they are awesome for border prints.

I purchased this material at PR Weekend Philly. Right in the middle of my fabric fast. I rarely post fabric purchases and their prices.

But, I’m happy to report that this was just $3 a yard! Oy. This is the only cut from last year’s haul that I’ve sewn. See why I was on a fabric fast in 2010?

The fabric is made in Japan. The polka dot cotton is appliqued onto the heavy black cotton so there is no need for lining. I do want to make a black vest out of the non-border portion.

I marked the pleats in the front with marking paper, pinned them in to place and sewed them in.

I made my full seat adjustment so that my skirt didn’t ride up in the back.

I also made a swayback adjustment. And, I have finally learned that I just have to make the waist supertight for me to like it. The skirt sits where it is supposed to do and doesn’t dip in the front because it’s not snug.

I’m totally happy with this skirt! I was worried about it being juvnenille. But, I’ve decided it’s youthful 🙂

Hey! How was your Fourth? Mine? I sewed like a Little Sweat Shop of Skirts. Four Skirts in Four Days my friends.

After this made Best Patterns of 2009, I knew I wanted to try this skirt out. I originally wanted to make it up in denim with loads of gold top stitching. But, denim doesn’t really work in my office. So, I decided to eek it out of the last bits of my 4/2008 safari jacket from last year. Together, they make a faux suit. I can’t say that muddy tan from head-to-toe is really my color. I am still wearing the outfit below today. I was likened to a WWII era movie star. I guess it’s the military look?

The material is a super tough denim / linen blend. It works great for work because I have nothing in the khaki neutral range. Plus, it goes well with my polka dot blouse from the 1/2008 BWOF.

I was freaked out about sizing after my first completed skirt (review to come), so I sewed this one with 1/4 inch seam allowance. Totally not needed. I ended up with almost four extra inches at the side seam! Really. I should have just made a muslin.

The skirt is unlined. The seams are all serged and top stitched. Hopefully, enough that they will not unravel.

I added a center back seam so I could make my full seat / swayback adjusment (zipper is on the side seam). Umm, I should have straightened my skirt for the photo, eh? Whoops.  For me, It’s more important so that my skirt hangs the same length front to back than to not have a center back seam. Despite adding an inch, I could still do a touch more.

Here’s the bad thing (and it’s not that my side seam is skewed. I don’t know that I care about that). It’s that I read on PR how the front band directions were confusing. So, I blindly followed someone’s tutorial. Said tutorial was not great. Or, I’m not smart. Either way, I’m too embarassed to show the hot mess that is the inside of this skirt. But, if it lasts more than three washes, I’ve gotten my money’s worth out of it.

I’ve cut a second version in denim that I hope to get to this summer. And, I’m looking for a better tutorial 🙂

Baltimore is currently hosting the US Conference of Mayors. That means we have 100s of mayors from around the country in our city this weekend. I’m working several events. I had a series of cute dresses picked out (a new H & M opened downtown and I cleaned up on their opening day specials. I’m talking $10 and $15 lined dresses). But, learned that we had to wear sponsored t-shirts when working. Pooh. And, in the same email was told, ‘No dolling up your shirts‘. Apparently, the word had gotten out on me. Lest you think I’m paranoid, the author of the e-mail came to me and said, ‘That means you.’

Right. We’re also not allowed to wear jeans and khakis were suggested. So… I don’t own khakis. I own two solid colored skirts and they are knits. My black pants are wool and dressy. My summer pants are linen and blue— I don’t want to look like a smurf. So, I quickly (and QUICKLY) sewed up my second version of the inverted pleat skirt after work this week. Luckily, I had it cut out from the week before. The first version is here.

Now, it *is* denim. But, they said no jeans. I think that makes it safe, don’t you? This time, I added the welt pockets to the front and back in a fun seersucker.

I still piped the inside waistband facing and used pocketing for the front pockets. Because the deim is stretch, I also used interfacing along the zipper opening and twill tape along the waistband.

Oh, and of course, I added two inches in length. Still too short for the office (not that I’d wear denim there) but long enough to wear in public. BTW, I gave the first skirt to a girl at the office who is a good three to five inches shorter than me. There was quite a bit of ‘What were you thinking’ from the peanut gallery when I pulled the skirt out.

Now that I’m in version two, I actually don’t like this style for me. It’s too A-line. I think I’m not a fan of sharp A-lines.  I straightened out the side seam quite a bit and deepened the front pleat to accommodate for my full thighs. But, still — visually it widens me. Part of it is the stiffer fabric, much of it is personal preference. I’ve also figured out why I don’t love making skirts. The difference between my waist and thighs is so big (over 10 inches) , that I always have to take in and let out.

Meaning, my waist is small compared to my lower body (like a size 36 in Burda), but to grade to my lower thigh (size 42 in Burda), I have to increase the hip. Then, I find myself with way too much hip curve. So, I’m straightening that out and taking in the waist all the while hoping I made the thighs big enough so it won’t pull across the front. Not the hardest thing in the world to do, but a little more time consuming than just ‘whipping up a skirt’.

Hmm, and this could still be a smidge smaller in the waist. I can see that it’s dropping a touch in the back because it’s a little loose. I also overaccomodated a bit too much for my full seat and there’s some extra fabric back there. But, it’ll do for tonight and tomorrow. And, will be great for the summer!

** The top is Burda 2-2009-118

Whoa. This skirt is short. Like OBGYN visit short. Like, I’m only wearing you when it’s deathly hot and with full bloomers underneath short.

Oddly enough, when deciding between blue denim or this khaki twill, I chose khaki so they would be work appropriate. Heh. Obviously, theses aren’t getting anywhere near my office!

The front kick pleat visual interest. I tend to drive myself crazy wanting the pleat to stay closed the whole time. But, I don’t think it’s really meant to do that. Or, it’s *slightly* off grain.

It was a really easy skirt.  Because time was of the essence, I left out the pockets. There is no waistband, just a facing. So, I used twill tape in the seam allowance of the waistband to stabilize this stretchy fabric.

I finished the facing with premade bias tape.

For the hem, just serging and a twin needle stitch. I did hem it by one inch. I could have also tried a facing, but seriously. Would 3/4 of an inch really have made this that much longer?

Skirt construction is less than two hours, skirt length, less than two feet.  (ETA: The blouse is from the Janaury 2008 Burda. I wrote a review of it for my China trip.)

And, baby. It’s shooooort. That trench coat is just below my knees. I am kind of a modest person when it comes to dress. I don’t like it too tight, low or short.  If I wasn’t pressed, I probably would have immediately recut and sewn this skirt.

I haven’t shown this much thigh in public since I was at the beach in August 2010. My younger friend Liz (who I am usually telling to wear longer skirts) fell out laughing when I put it on. No fear! I plan to wear compression shorts under it this weekend.

I now realize the Burda model is kind of leaning forward, making the skirt appear a bit longer. Oh, Burda!! Girl, you got me good!

Of course, I could have checked the length and measured. But, I was in a hurry. Truth be told, these are not much shorter than my shorts of two years ago. But, shorts can’t show your hoo-ha.

Needless to say, I’m not picking anything off the floor in these. Dang.

I have a second version already cut out in denim, with an additional two inches in length! But, looking at these photos, I think three to five might have been the right move 🙂

If you’d like to try it yourself and don’t have this issue, you can find it at BurdaStyle.

I think I’ve generally settled on a few skirts to fill out my wardrobe for the cycling trip and my summer. Sunday I realized I wanted to wear some ‘regular’ clothes on my trip I immediately thought of a bubble skirt. They are cute when short, full enough to hide a multitude of sins and in a knit can wash and dry easily with no wrinkling. Best of all, I made this in about an hour.

The pattern I selected is Burda Magazine’s 8-2007-119. Don’t give up those Burda magazines! I remembe when I thought bubble skirts were juvenille. Well, maybe they still are, ha!

This skirt worked up SUPER fast. Just one pattern piece for both front and back which you cut on the fold. The same pattern piece includes the lining . The waistband is a simple rectangle you are given the dimensions for. I traced this out on Sunday and sewed it in little over an hour on Monday night (when I should have been packing for Tampa).

The material was gifted from a friend’s mom when she cleaned out her small sewing stash. I previously made this La Mia Boutique skirt from the same poly knit. If I could *find* that skirt I would have take it on the trip with me. But, I think I’ll be making it up in another fabric when I get back in town next week from Florida.

The only pattern changes I made were converting the waistline gathers to pleats and taking two inches of length out at the hip. Heh. These look a bit like bloomers, don’t they?

Because I made neither my typical full seat or swayback adjustments, the skirt does ride up in the back. I haven’t had that on me in ages!

The inside lining is just a brown poly knit I have boat loads of.

I’ll wear this next month with padded shorts underneath

The skirt is also great for layering. Oh, I also have a new pair of Tevas for the trip. I usuall wear water sport style Tevas but figured I wanted my toes protected. My roommate is also loaning me a second pair because we’ve been warned they might not dry overnight if it’s damp.

I’ve already got a second version of this skirt in black cut out!