The Saga of the Sad, Saggy Skirt….A Summary

Is anyone still with me and that red skirt? If so, read on!

Obviously the skirt won its share of battles (the zipper, the fabric vs style, the embellishments, the fit), but I won the war. It is finished.

It is finished!

My worry was that this skirt would be a big disappointment after my grand idea met with such frustration. So, here is the takeaway: although not the garment I envisioned, I do like it, with one caveat: if the fit had been right, I would like it quite a bit. The blooming thing just continues to grow and stretch! (You will never see the picture of the skirt as it was hiked up nearly to my bosom — frightening!) But my new unadorned skirt is a lovely color and has a nice “swish”. The fabric was stretchy and a pain to press, but very easy to sew. It’s a good weight, and the two front godets provide very nice movement and interest. I’m sorry that doesn’t show up well in the picture. My vintage-style pattern was a breeze to stitch up, zipper issues (operator error) notwithstanding.

What did I learn?

A picture may speak a thousand words, but that is not necessarily helpful in recreating a garment with no clues or description. That requires some imagination.

Make sure the all your materials play well together, and actually fit the pattern and the planned use. Imagination only goes so far, then reality has to take over.

Before hemming let the garment hang for much, much longer than you planned – this silly skirt dropped 1/2 inch in the godet portion just overnight!

Sometimes sewing doesn’t come first and a garment will sit, and sit, and sit some more…..and that’s okay, too.

Will I make this pattern again?

Yes!

Something like this…

In fact, I’ve already selected a lovely wool blend – taupe with a bit of light blue and a tiny, tiny hint of pink. It is quite similar to this selection from Mood Fabrics.

My next question is, do I go down another size (oooh, that sounds so nice) or will the wool fit more true to size than the polyester since it has no stretch? Of course the answer is obvious — make a muslin first! Yes, I promise to do so. Honest.

What about those lovely embellishments?

While I still love that original skirt, if the need arises for a skirt with fancy doo-dads, I’ll certainly chose a stiffer, dressier fabric. Perhaps a MOB rehearsal outfit?

This lace overlay is pretty…from The Sewing Rabbit

And a different pattern; possibly this one pictured above, which is actually not a pattern at all, but explained in a handy tutorial I found on The Sewing Rabbit. Those box pleats are so pretty, and they would do nicely with a bit of frill. Maybe? Maybe not? What do you think? Perhaps I’ll just use a pretty patterned fabric and leave the doodads to a necklace. Oh, and should the pleats be stitched down a few inches, or will that cause poofing at the hips? Can a person with hips even wear a box pleated skirt? hmm. Too many questions.

Have Machine, Will Sew

I do have projects in the works….or at least in my head. And I have a slowly growing pattern stash, both paper and printable. Sadly, my fabric stash consists of only remnants, time to shop! And Stella is ready and waiting for our next assignment.

At the ready….

The agenda includes, in no particular order: my first pair of pants, pattern courtesy of Teresa’s giveaway at Navy Blue Threads; a dress from Gavanna Patterns; the skirt pictured above from the tutorial; a sweet peasant blouse from a pattern given to me by Sharon at Maven Patterns; a pair of pajamas (or nightshirt or robe); holiday gifting and decorating; possibly December’s The Monthly Stitch and Make a Garment a Month; and Linda’s Designin’ December; and designing a capsule wardrobe for the SWAP 2016.

Oh, and let us not forget the cello lessons! A bit optimistic, perhaps? I could very possibly be out of my mind.

Afterward:

Much has happened since I wrote this blog and took the final photo, and a rather significant change seems to be on the horizon. My sewing and blogging have been impacted, but as the dust settles, I’m hoping to get back on a slightly “adjusted” track. More on that at a later time.

Sunday Sevens – Week 4 for me

Hi everyone, here is this week’s Sunday Sevens, a little ode to randomness that doesn’t merit a whole post. For info about Sunday Sevens, please pop in to see the creator, Natalie, over at Threads & Bobbins. There are no real rules, just sharing of seven(ish) pictures. It’s easy and fun, won’t you join us?

 

1. This lone stalk (nearly 5 ft tall) grows in my front garden – it seems to be popping out a new bud daily. Researching “tall, skinny plant with tiny yellow flower” (or words to that effect) yielded no result. However, I happened upon a picture posted by Deborah, at Rustic Pumpkin’s Garden in the Shire – and there it was! Common Mullein, or Verbascum Thapsus (her photo is so much more professional).

 

 2. The sun is trying to peek through the clouds (so white and puffy, and the sky is really much bluer than it appears here) on this fall-feeling summer day!

 

3. My toasty Melin Tregwynt blanket has been called into action on these chilly nights. The reversible pattern is called St. David’s Cross. Can’t decide which side I like best.

 

4. Confession Time. I always do a little test run when changing my thread. Hmmm. I seem to have a little trouble threading through all the necessary spots, but only when I’m standing up. What? Must sit down to do the threading.

 

5. You may know I have a teeny-weeny obsession with aprons. And you may know I have a teeny-weeny problem getting projects going (thinking, re-thinking, double re-thinking – ugh). So I am joining The Monthly Stitch challenge for August. The theme, since it is their second anniversary, is two. I’m thinking two aprons. Or one apron – reversible, voila! Two pieces in one. Linen. Maybe one side striped? Or checked? And I have a time limit! Yikes.

  6. I’ve been in a bit of a funk lately, and was searching for some inspiring words. Is there anyone more inspiring than Maya Angelou? She is certainly worthy of a whole post, not just a snippet, but I have chosen the smallest quote I could find – and it speaks volumes.

Have a great week!