Tag Archives: Skirt

Rusty red wool/silk skirt

25/07/2011 4:52 am \ 23 Comments \

I’ve made a new skirt…
I found this yummily coloured, beautifully textured wool/silk mix fabric in a remnant bin in Tokyo, the day of our shopping trip with Yoshimi and Novita.  At the time I just picked it up instinctively, with only a quick check to see it was enough for a little skirt.  When I got home and actually laid it out however I could see there was quite a lot of fabric, too much for just one little skirt.
Oh well, maybe I could make a longer, almost-ankle-length skirt…?
I had originally intended to go for my ol’ favourite Vogue 7303, but here’s the thing; two years ago I bought another plainish skirt pattern Vogue 8363, and have rudely ignored it because of my steadfast and loyal allegiance to Vogue 7303; the poor thing has languished uncut in its packet.  I decided it was high time to try out a different skirt pattern, gave myself a strict talking to and bravely took out the new pattern.  And set to making a three-quarter length skirt (actually view C, lengthened)…. but by the time I had reached the point of hemming I knew that a longer skirt was not the right choice for this fabric.  It is such a heavily textured fabric, and is so visually impactful that the big unbroken expanse of it in a longer skirt was just too overpowering… so I ended up cutting a big chunk off to finish up with the very same little skirt that was my original vision for this fabric.  Full circle!
Because this fabric is quite special to me, a memento of our Japanese trip, I went all out to fit and finish the skirt as well as I am capable.  The skirt is lined with raspberry acetate lining fabric, the inner raw edges are finished with HongKong seaming and the lower edge is hemmed with bias tape.  I searched and searched for a suitable button and failed dismally.  So I tried out something new to me; covering a button with my own fabric, using one of those kits you see in the haberdashery section.  Super easy, and the perfect finishing touch!  I don’t know why I’ve never even had a go at this before!
I do have one teeny tiny regret… I have read somewhere about how iron-on interfacing is never used in couture construction, so I decided to go for sew-in interfacing in the waistband.  This was basted in and the waistband was finished, but I could feel the interfacing was waffling loosely about on the inside of it, so I decided to topstitch the waistband to hold everything firmly in place.  That worked, but now I kinda regret doing this, I think this style of fabric and skirt together suits a much more clean finish without any topstitching, and the loosely woven fabric is not the sort to take kindly to unpicking… I’m more afraid of damaging the fabric in the unpicking stage than I am of the look of that topstitching, so it stays.  This does not diminish my love for the skirt; buuuut… should have stuck with the iron-on interfacing!
And no need to worry about that cut-off leftover fabric, it has been put to good use already too!  Results to appear here soon…

Details:
Skirt; Vogue 8363 with modifications, rusty-red wool/silk mix bought in Tokyo
Top (not seen); Metalicus
Cardigan; Alannah Hill (bought damaged, and repaired)
Tights; Kolotex
Boots; di Sempre, from Zomp shoes

My review of this pattern…
Pattern Description:
Skirts A, B, C, F have front and back darts and back zip.  A; ruffle.  B; lace overlay and back vent.  C; side buttonhole closure.  Skirts D, E have front pockets and front and back darts.  E; purchased trim and snap closure.  F; front stitched pleats and back vent.  Skirt length is 5cm below mid-knee.
Pattern Sizing:
6-20 overall, I bought the AA (6-12) and custom-fit to myself during construction, as usual
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you had finished sewing it?
Essentially yes, except that my version is a simple short skirt incorporating none of the variations pictured…!
Were the instructions easy to follow?
very easy!
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I like everything about this pattern.  Super easy, stylish, a basic wardrobe builder.  It might even be my new favourite skirt pattern!  Without a doubt I will use it and use it over again.
Fabric Used:
Wool/silk tweed, polyacetate lining
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
This version pictured is a short version of view C, without the button/button band at the bottom, the only other adjustments were fitting alterations.  Also my skirt pictured is fully lined, provisions for which are not supplied in the pattern but is an easy alteration.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Definitely yes, to both!
Conclusion:
Very easy, very basic, therefore a very useful pattern.  It has no standout or trendy features, so it will never go out of style.  This pattern is a winner that I will hang on to forever…!
(below; going for a fashion magazine pose…)

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A little bit of Lagerfeld

20/05/2011 9:12 am \ 38 Comments \

Filling another (so-called) must-have void in my wardrobe; the little black skirt.  I do have a charcoal skirt already, that is a much worn little thing, but the classic black was missing; well, no more.  I really made this about a month ago, and am only now getting around to wearing it and photographing it.  With Me-Made June floating around soon I thought I’d better get onto keeping up with documenting my actual sewing in these posts, I still have a few newies that haven’t appeared here yet…
So now I have my classic black skirt I should be set for winter, although as Donna rightly pointed out yesterday I rarely wear the “classic white shirt” much either.  Maybe I’m not classic enough?  Paradoxically I often find my more out-there and distinctive garments such as my bright orange skirt, a lot easier to work into my daily ensembles.  Hmmm, ridiculously still don’t really know what my “style” is; this requires more thought…
Whastevs, I always intended to have a go at this allegedly Karl Lagerfeld designed skirt from the 10/2010 issue of Burdastyle magazine, the reason I bought this magazine, actually.
I used up another piece of leftovers from my stash, this a piece of black gabardine leftover from a long gone skirt I made back in 2007.  Yah, ’bout time it got used up, huh…?
I feel hugely and disproportionately chuffed when I do reduce the stash, especially when it’s a piece of fabric I’ve had this long.  And, confession time, the stash is still getting added to, all too frequently…  it’s like a one step forward, two steps back kind of thing.  I wonder if I will ever be at a point when I have no fabric, and need to go fabric shopping?  Hard to imagine… (insert literal lol here)
Back to the skirt…
I did incorporate a few modifications, as usual.  The blindingly obvious is that I lengthened it by about 12cm, or as much as my piece of fabric would allow me.  Would you look at the skirt length on that model?? (at right)  Granted, she could be over six foot tall, but still.  Almost more like a belt, really.  My husband has a term to describe skirts like that, but I won’t reproduce it here… family viewing and all that…
Another obvious modification I made is to the back of the skirt; if you look at Burda’s line drawing you can see the original design has a gathered elasticised waistband at the back.  Gathered elasticised waistbands are an anathema to me.  Like, no way…  So I made a slightly curved back waistband fitted to my waist, and dealt with the fullness of the skirt by incorporating two big inverted box pleats, sewed to about 7cm long, in the usual dart position.  Pretty pleased with how this looks too.  I like my version, a lot.  I think the pleats are far more pleasing to the eye that a gather would be, and the look of them fits in a lot better with the look of the front of the skirt, which has some pleating too.
The other modification; a minor one, is to increase the size of those laughably small inseam side pockets.  No kidding, those pockets as they were were designed for children.
So there you have it.  My new skirt, a little bit of Lagerfeld in my wardrobe!

Details:
Skirt; Burdastyle magazine 10-2010-136 with some modifications, black gabardine
Shirt; Brown Sugar
Cardigan; Allude, from Ricarda
Tights; Kolotex
Shoes; Misano, from Labels

Above and below; the buttons are decorative, closure is by hidden snaps sewn inside the front waistband
The back view, with box pleats sewn in the skirt back instead of the gathered elasticised waistband

Below is my pattern review…

Pattern Description:
Trouser styled mini skirt with front creases, front fly zip and extra-wide hem-cuff/turn-up.
Pattern Sizing:
34-42, I made a size 38
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you had finished sewing it?
yes, except that mine is about 12cm longer.
Were the instructions easy to follow?
Pretty easy.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I particularly like the “trouser” styling of the skirt. It’s a really tailored kind of looking skirt, and yet still manages to look cute and funky.   The front pleats are sharp; in the cool and stylin’ sense of the word…  I also love the interest of the little flaps over the front pleats.  The turn-up at the hem is yet another interesting feature in a little skirt packed with interesting features.
I didn’t like how the back was to be gathered into an elasticised waistband, but that is just my personal taste; I loathe elasticised waistbands with a passion.  So I modified mine to be NOT elasticised.
Fabric Used:
Gabardine, the sort men’s business suits are made of
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I lengthened the skirt pieces at around hip level,  by about 12cm.  The original is SHORT!
To replace the elasticised waistband; I made a slightly curved back waistband fitted to my waist, and folded and sewed box pleats (7cm long) on each of the skirt backs in the usual dart position, to take in the extra fullness of the skirt pieces into my waist measurement.  I really like how my skirt back turned out, much much better than an elasticised waist… sorry, Mr Lagerfeld.
The inseam side pockets as they are, are tiny, so I made mine a bit bigger.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I’m sure when this distinctive little skirt is worn out, I will sew a replacement!
Conclusion:
I bought this issue of the Burdastyle magazine, just because of the Lagerfeld patterns, and this skirt didn’t let me down.  I adore the styling of it!  It is tailored, classic and smart, and yet has interesting and distinctive features.  With that bit of added length I think it would make quite a witty office skirt too.

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Introducing Mum…

14/05/2011 8:43 am \ 35 Comments \

I will say straight out this amazingly beautiful ensemble is not made by me but by my Mum here.  I had to put a picture of it here, because I couldn’t resist; Mum will never ever get herself a blog and this outfit is too creative, clever, immaculately made and finished, and lovely in itself not to share.
My parents have been staying with us recently, and when Mum came downstairs one morning in this ensemble on her way to attend Grandparent’s Day with my Dad and Sam, I literally stopped in my tracks.  Then raced to get my camera, simultaneously begging Mum to let me post her outfit on the blog.  She graciously agreed.
(Of course I would not be human if a little bit of me thought it might not be a good idea, posting Mum’s creations here on the blog.  After all, they will just serve to highlight how my skills are but 1% of Mum’s.  But let’s not be petty now…)
The jacket:  Mum bought these tweed fabrics, sold as small patches or “salesman’s samples” from a shop called Peppertree in NSW which she visited as part of the Australian Sewing Guild convention last year.  She pieced the different sized pieces together in an attractive random patchwork pattern… and anyone who has attempted patchworking will know that randomly shaped rectangular and square patches are not easily put together.  There are also one or two patches harvested from my Dad’s old tweed sports coat that has finally bitten the dust after many years of good service (a Re-fashion!).  The pattern for the jacket is a Vogue pattern by Donna Karan, (pattern number to be provided when Mum looks it up and tells me)  Please note the perfectly constructed welt buttonhole, made from tweed too.  And I have to especially point out, see the piece of mustard/dark green houndstooth-y looking fabric, on the right, or buttonhole opening side of the front, just under and by the lapel?  Mum knitted that bit in fair isle, to tone in with the other tweeds.  On a seamstress’ note, she wanted it mentioned that the knitted section required extra underlining and stabilising, as of course knitted fabric is not as sturdy as woven tweed.  
The jacket is fully lined in dark grey acetate lining.
Mum made the skirt too, from charcoal jersey knit.  I think she might have made the pattern for that herself.
Thank you Mum, for this bar-setting self-sewn moment!
Later edit: Jacket: Vogue 8605, shortened; Skirt: Vogue 2911

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Fool’s Gold

03/04/2011 10:47 am \ 17 Comments \

Last night we went to an April Fool’s party, dress code: well of course, something to do with “fool”!
So I remembered this skirt that I made about three years ago… guess what I went dressed as?  Oh, yeah, the answer is up there in the title, hehe.
Ironically I originally made the skirt for another dress-up party at the same friends’ house; the theme that time being “glitterati”  I’m so glad I kept it!
It hasn’t been seen here on the blog before.  Obviously I don’t wear it much, hehe.  Not much call for this sort of thing in my everyday life.  
Funny story, the last time I wore it, for the glitterati party, I had to nip out halfway to pick up our daughter from a school event, and it just happened to also be the day of the annual Perth Christmas Pageant, streets lined with people all watching the pageant, hundreds of people, nay thousands of people, or that’s what it felt like.  Naturally Murphy’s law had it that our daughter had to be picked up from the very middle of town, requiring me to park a little further away than I would have ideally liked, and walk the rest of the way to where she was waiting… you get the picture.  There’s me, looking at best like an act, a performer straight from the pageant; at worst a streetwalker who has lost her way and wandered in amongst decent law-abiding families sitting with their small children… embarrassed!  I felt like I was running the gauntlet and yes, I got some very funny looks, and a few wolf whistles, the last not something that happens to me very often any more I can assure you…
The skirt is made using my old favourite, Vogue 7303, out of that cheap stuff that has thin plastic shiny foil circles glued all over it.  Surprisingly easy to sew; those foil thingies are just like thin cellophane and the needle punches through very easily.  I inserted an invisible zip in the left side seam, and hand-sewed the coffee coloured lining all around the inside edges.  The skirt has a big slit up the right hand side, going up to just above knee level, partly so I can actually walk in it, partly just to add another element of something fun and party-ish otherwise it is a pretty ordinary shape.
I wore it with my gold chain belt, worn as a necklace here.
(btw, this is not photoshopped or anything.  The golden glow in my photo is courtesy of the light of the setting sun)

Details:
Skirt; based on the basic shape of Vogue 7303, synthetic gold glittery stuff
Camisole; Country Road
Cardigan; Picnic
Sandals; Sachi, some little shop in Melbourne
Necklace; my own design, tutorial here
Bag; Glomesh, found secondhand
Sunnies; RayBan
Nail varnish; undercoat of One Voice OPI, top coat of Golden Peach, Nailfinity

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The dress that wanted to be a skirt

31/03/2011 4:12 am \ 19 Comments \

This skirt was originally a dress.  I posted about my dissatisfaction with it here, and Terri brilliantly commented that she thought this dress wanted to be a skirt.  Well, that revelation was like a bucket of cold water over my head.  Oh, I mean that in a good way, actually in this weather, a bucket of cold water over the head could be a very welcome thing.  I mean it was like I woke up and looked at the dress with new eyes and saw that yes, it did indeed want to be a skirt.  Thank you , Terri!
Was able to fashion some facing out of the old bodice, luckily.  I cut off the top of the invisible zip and held the top ends of the same over a candle flame to melt the top couple of plastic spiky zip bits into a biggish round blob, so the zip pull won’t come flying off the top when I pull the zip up.  Yikes, has anyone else ever ever done this??  I have, once, years ago by accident, and learnt my lesson, never ever take that risk again.  Re-attaching the zip pull back onto an invisible zip is NOT FUN!   
Aaaand bob’s your uncle.  New (very) high-waisted skirt.  I think I like this style, especially worn with my husband’s white linen shirt tucked in, and all oversized at the top, setting off the slimline-ness of the skirt.  It is Craig’s shirt, but I am allowed to wear it this month, since I made it.  But poor Craig.  Perhaps I should make myself my own oversized crisp white linen shirt, so I don’t need to go hijacking his all the time…

Details:
Shirt; Burda 7767 with minor modifications, white linen, details here
Skirt; Burda 8071, the skirt part only, faced at the top; embroidered silk

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An uninspired pairing

10/03/2011 7:35 am \ 16 Comments \

Me-Made-March, Day 10; an (older) skirt, with a (newer) top.
Today I hopped into Spotlight for thread, and miraculously got out without buying any more fabric.  Came this close, but steeled my will.  But bought a shawl-collared blouse pattern, Burda 8218, because I have plans for a blouse with a shawl-collar and Lauriana mentioned they were the most difficult to self-draft.  I trust her judgement.  

This pattern was like literally the only shawl-collared blouse pattern in all of the Vogue, Burda, McCalls, Simplicity, New Look and Butterick catalogues.  Yes, I checked all of them.  So I count finding it a win.
It is not an ideal pattern rather blah on its own really but here’s the thing; I saw a lovely floaty blouse in a Burdastyle magazine I liked, only I really wanted a shawl-collar instead of the one they had.  So I’m planning to cobble together the sleeves and other details I want with the shawl collar.
Wish me luck…
Details:
Top; “a” from Unique Clothes Any Way You Like by Natsuno Hiraiwa, made of white cotton, details here
Skirt; Vogue 2894, printed cotton, to see this skirt styled in 6 different ways go here
Sandals; Pedro Miralles, from Soletta shoes
Nail varnish; Glamourpuss, BYS
Sunnies; RayBan
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Neutral, but nice

11/02/2011 6:48 am \ 16 Comments \

I don’t know why I feel the need to apologise for a neutral look, but I do.  Yah, I know how silly that sounds…. The simple fact is that I’ve tried wearing this skirt with colours both vibrant and muted and it just look all kinds of wrong.  This skirt simply looks so much better when paired with neutral earthy toned colours… so there it is, and luckily I do have a pretty big collection of both pale and dark, drab putty-coloured stuff to mix it up with.
So to answer some comments from yesterday, did I buy myself any shoes when in Tokyo, well the truth is that sadly I did not (cue chin wobble with brave choked little sob.) and why not? So it may not be obvious from my photos, but I am fairly tall, and with very big feet, and the women of Japan are obviously all petite and with dainty little feet.  And after asking to try on about three or four pairs of shoes that interested me and being told in each case that sorry, but these do not come in “showboat”, (not in those words obviously, the sales assistants were all unfailingly courteous and polite, but that was the general message being conveyed here…) I just gave up and lived vicariously through Cassie as she happily tried on and rejected and narrowed down the fabulous array of footwear available to her ladylike little feet.  The good news?  Craig’s shoes actually do fit me, so I just possibly might dare to sneak off with them once in a while…  
So yeah, perhaps I should have just swallowed my pride and asked to try on some of the menswear selection?  What would you have done? 

Details:
Skirt; skirt “d” from Unique Clothes Any Way You Like, but Natsuno Hiraiwa, silver grey crepe: to see this skirt styled in 6 different ways go here
Top; Country Road
Scarf; a souvenir from Venice
Sandals; Vincenzo, from Soletta shoes
Bag; Gucci
Sunnies; RayBan
Nail Varnish; Fools Paradise, BYS

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Plain and simple

04/02/2011 8:12 am \ 16 Comments \

I was thinking of calling myself Plain Jane today; but didn’t want to offend any Janes out there.  I’m sure Janes have suffered enough, having a phrase like that readymade and just waiting to be lobbied at them whenever they care to step out looking minimalist and unadorned.  In fact, the existence of the plain-Jane tag, whilst handy for the English teacher to demonstrate assonance, has probably caused a lot of Janes to go to great lengths to ensure they look fabulous and decidedly un-plain on a daily basis.  An example I look to is my own friend Jane who is one of the most glamourous women I know.  Sorry, Janes, I shouldn’t have even mentioned it…
When I put on this top this morning I was determined to wear it the other way around, with the buttons at the front.  After all, it is designed to be worn both ways, and I wanted this versatility when I made it.  But I decided I don’t really like it that way, and switched it around yet again.  I really should force myself to wear it the other way around more…   
Once upon a time, I would not have made nor worn something like this top, because I had a thing that a loose-fitting garment would not flatter my figure.  But really, what does that matter?  And what does it mean?  Looking through the pictures in this pattern book I could see that the girls modelling looked lovely in the loose comfortable clothes, and so I went ahead and made them up.  And the important thing here should be about how you feel in your clothes, as much as about whether you look nice or not.  If not, we may as go back to the days of the corset…
So, maybe today is a bit plain and minimally coloured and embellished, but essentially I am cool and comfortable.  In this kind of scorching heat; these are my priorities!

Details:
Top; top “b” from Unique Clothes Any Way You Like, by Natsuno Hiraiwa, white cotton
Skirt; my own design, charcoal jersey knit
Sandals; Vincenza from Soletta shoes
Necklace; from the surf shop on Rottnest Island (another souvenir of a great holiday!)
Bag; Gucci
Nail varnish; Revlon Crimson Sparkle
Sunnies: RayBan

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