So I’ve made a new skirt, this one is skirt “d” from the Japanese pattern book, “Unique Clothes Any Way You Like” by Natsuno Hirawai. I’m already in love with its tendency to flutter and float about my legs as I walk in little ripply silver waves, promising to be delightfully cool to wear during summer!
The skirt is cut in one piece, which is a strange almost tear-drop shape, with only three other pieces for the waistband, and two separate button plackets. I chose these three large nacre buttons for closure to complement the soft silver grey of the fabric. Actually I made this using the wrong side of the fabric out. The right side has a much more shimmery shiny metallic silver finish to it, but I chose the dull dove grey wrong side with a slightly felt-y texture over this as I’m not really a disco ball kind of a girl. Although come to think of it I do have some silver sequinned fabric in my stash… calling to my inner disco queen, a flashy persona buried deep within the prosaic Australian exterior… I must have bought it knowing she was down in there somewhere, hehe.
The shape of the skirt piece means that the one seam in the skirt joins a with-the-grainline edge on to a cross-grain edge, requiring absolutely straight-as-a-die cutting and sewing to avoid horrible wrinkles and bagginess around the seam. If it wasn’t for this need for accuracy here I would rate this skirt as a laughably easy project… of course if you are working with a very stable strong fabric then this wouldn’t be a problem… but I chose this slippery crepe; wonderful draping qualities but with a tendency to shift and stretch. I think I did an OK job with the seam, and I like how it cuts across the body diagonally providing a subtle random off-kilter focal point to what is otherwise a featureless A-line skirt.
Details:
Skirt; skirt “d”, “Unique Clothes Any Way You Like” by Natsuno Hirawai, pale mauve-grey crepe
Camisole; Country Road
Cardigan; my own design seen first here, black jersey printed with rubbery plastic snakeskin scales
Shoes; Perrini, had for so many years I’ve forgotten where they came from
Sunnies; RayBan
Floaty, dreamy, ethereal!
I'm loving the askew placket on that skirt!
The new skirt is gorgeous and flowing. I like the contrast of the sharp sleek cardigan with it.
Gorgeous skirt!
Carolyn, this is really a beautiful skirt. I love how your japanese projects have a simple but beautiful spareness of design – almost ascetic, I can see that this will be worn much over the next few months.
And that cardigan is so fun. 🙂 I really like the tie-neck closure. Something to file away to try later. Have a great day!
the cut of this is excellent and the big buttons a wonderful touch.
I love this skirt. Do you think it could be made in a larger size, as I know that the Janpanese patterns are fairly small
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