A new skirt… I’ve been casting a critical eye over some of my older skirts, and much as I still love them I can see some are sadly looking a wee bit on the shabby side. So with the warmer weather just around the corner (thinking positively here) I’m looking to replace some of them. I had a shortish length of charcoal fabric sitting in my fabric pile, leftover after Cassie had made herself a skirt. Only about 65cm, and when I have leftovers of this measly size the standby option is often my old trusty faithful skirt pattern Vogue 7303. So I made it up; lined with black acetate lining fabric, and hemmed with a bias strip of black cotton. The inner raw edges are overlocked to finish.
But the colour was deeply uninspiring. I hung it up in my wardrobe and it actually sat there for over a week with no desire on my part to wear it even once… and really I do have a perfectly good little charcoal skirt already, and a newish black skirt too. The fabric is a marle, woven in a drill-like weave similar to a denim, and had a distinct white fleck amongst the predominant charcoal grey, so I thought the white fleck-y parts of it would take up a strong coloured dye OK to give it a sheen of some colour.
So two days ago the brand new skirt was plunged recklessly into the murky depths of the dye-pot…
(before)
Do you like my dyeing stick; for stirring, poking and prodding? I found it in the garden, and it has a perfectly placed twist in it to enable it to sit stably against the edge of the pot. Pretty good, huh?
I used iDye Poly in Blue and am pretty happy with this new deeply intense navy-blue colour. The fabric doesn’t look like suiting any more, but now looks in close-up a bit like a soft woollen denim. Quite interesting, and more inspiring than the rather predictable “before” skirt.
Oh OK; I agree it’s still not a super exciting skirt but I think it will turn out to be a very useful little basic, as seemingly boring garments often are.
And it sure does feel gooooood to get rid of those leftovers from the stash! In the past few months I’ve managed to use up several smaller amounts of fabric and gained useful garments in the process, so I’m feeling pretty virtuous right now. Virtuous enough to offset just a little of the guilt from three new pieces of fabric recently added to my collection, anyway… hehehe.
Details:
Skirt; Vogue 7303 with modifications, charcoal marle fabric dyed with iDye Poly in Blue
Top; Veronika Maine
Cardigan and tights; Metalicus
Scarf; made by me with a jersey offcut, details here
Shoes; Django and Juliette, from Zomp shoes
Great photo! Where do you buy idye from?
I like the new colour, it's nice. Very versatile I think. I love that you think to dye things when they don't turn out the way you would like. I really must try to remember dying as an option for future projects.
I like the blue black look. When I first saw your skirt I thought it was denim!
Thank you! Katherine H, I bought the iDye from Spotlight. I got one of their ubiquitous vouchers recently so I bought a little stash of dyes.
Great idea and I love your tights too.
Vive le revolution! Just add pink stockings. You are such a clever stylist. I gave my Top Kids away to an American sewer a few years ago. I made the dark coloured dress.
@katherine h – In the US you can buy iDye from dharmatrading.com. I've used it to great effect on a piece of linen/cotton blend that was originally electric blue and I dyed it the navy iDye for natural fibers and it has turned out a beautiful deep cobalt blue.
Carolyn – love the skirt – that is such a flattering length on you
I do admire your fabric virtue accounting system.
The overdyed skirt is much more casual and versatile in appearance, how clever, as it still looks sort of suit-ish and smart. I like it very much with the pinks and reds.
I like it too, and love what you are wearing with it.
nice…..
Basics may be "boring" to sew, but they're so great to have! The dye job definitely gave that fabric more "oompf." Nice!
Love the new blue fabric! It does look like denim. I plan to look into iDye at Dharma. 🙂
I think I have that exact same fabric in my stash! I also have trousers made out of it that goes with everything in my wardrobe. LOL
I love how you dyed it and made it your own. I bet you'll get a lot of wear from it!
Adoring the colour combo today. Made me smile immediately. 🙂
Great photo. The pinks in this photo really POP! I think you've successfully taken a basic skirt and used it as a backdrop to a fabulous outfit. My younger sister (not Katherine) wore an outfit similar to this on our shopping trip to Sydney recently. A lady in a Surry Hills shop commented to her 'you're not from around here are you…I mean that in a good way'. We're still not sure what she meant.
Basics may be boring, but quite necessary in one's wardrobe. You are very brave to dunk a newly made skirt into the dye! The results are wonderful.
The photo is STUNNING!! and I absolutely love love love the stirring stick 🙂 been busy sewing still nothing accomplished but taken timeout to see your photo of the day. I had severely under – estimated my opponent in this double wedding ring quilt! Oh but something to keep when I'm done. I love how your creations are primarily for you and your family. Aren't they like old friends?
I do like the stick! When you are purchasing fabric…do you purchase with a specific project in mind? How do you know how much to get?
Being called porky will always be hurtful BUT, you can thank her, because if i hadn't been feeling bad for you I would not now be telling you that i have followed you for a couple of months. You are directly responsible for me making my son his matric farewell jacket. It has a couple of little flaws that bug "only me who knows about them", but the date was happy and he hung it up after midnight, before going to the after-party!! My poor machine (Helga) gave her life to the project (literally – she caught fire!!)I WOULD NOT HAVE ATTEMPTED IT before I found your blog – so one in the eye for "porky-mouth", and, thanks!
Dying is definitely a nice way to update our wardrobe!
(love the warm colors of the pic! so rich!)
Thank you ladies, and isabel, thank you, and I'm horrifed that your machine caught fire, scary stuff!! But congratulations on your successful project. Anything made by Mum that your teenager loves is a MASSIVE success in my book!