I have a lot to say about this simple skirt.
It's my favorite woven skirt pattern, NL 6843, the A-line version, modified for stretch fabrics by folding out the darts. This is my second time making a knit skirt from that pattern; my first try (which I wear quite a lot) is here.
The fabric is a stretch lace from Joann's that I bought last summer with every intention of sewing a gym tank, latching on to my enthusiasm from making my first tank, but never did. The scale seemed a bit large for that and maybe a little OTT for the gym. On my first day of vacation last month, I rediscovered this fabric and decided that it was appropriate for a skirt.
Ever since I took the PR class "Understanding Knit Fabrics", I cut 4" squares and wash and dry them to see how much shrinkage occurs. I had only bought 3/4 of a yard, though, and it did shrink a bit...so I really needed that 4" square back!!
Here's how I pieced the fabric, which meant that little 4" section does not have a selvedge, it's just a raw edge, but who is going to notice?
I used elastic from Pamela's Patterns, first zig zagging it to the upper edge and then serging it.
I like how it creates the effect that I'm wearing a belt.
I underlined the stretch lace with free fabric that was in our PR Weekend Austin 2014 goodie bags. Truthfully, it wasn't in my goodie bag, but ATP gave me hers--and it was a perfect match for this lace.
I was quite upset? ashamed? of this cutting mishap (while cutting out the underlining--not a serger mishap):
I mean, it just looks terrible. I tried to think of ways to hide it and ultimately settled on this solution:
I cut Pamela's Patterns elastic down to 5/8" wide strip (it doesn't fray--she advertises how you can cut it down to the width you want), and then hand embroidered my name and date on it. The floss is actually a light purple to match the outside flowers, but it looks white in the photo.
I serged the ends of the elastic and then sewed it on.
Now, doesn't that look intentional? Off-center, but intentional?
Not only does it hide the cutting mishap, it stretches as I wear it (because it's elastic too--unlike a woven label or woven ribbon that would not have stretched), AND it also serves as a way for me to hang my skirt in my gym locker. Yes! Good things arising from the bad and all that.
I made the shirt in these photos too; I copied a RTW shirt and fully expected to write a loving post on how wonderful copying garments is, but it didn't come out as I expected. The fit is not that great and now that I look at the RTW shirt, the fit on it isn't so good either. But I *love* the fabric itself--I bought it at TexStyles at PR Weekend Austin 2014.
Here's how I wore it to work, with a RTW cardi:
Posing next to a giant-sized poke weed that has purple pokey things that coordinate with my skirt.
Here's a side view
And here it is without the RTW cardi on. Yeah, the fit on the shirt is not good.
The shirt fit is really not good, but the skirt is decent.
Actually when I wear the shirt with the cardi, the cardi pushes the too-wide neckline down into the start of a cowl and it doesn't look too bad--and the cardi hides all the drag lines.
My model pose, ha ha.
One of my coworkers said she thought it was a dress, not a shirt with a separate skirt.
The end. (ha ha ha ha ha ha, I crack myself up)
I just noticed, it looks like the flowers are not centered on the back, but they are--the skirt must be wore a little off center in the photo, hmmm...
So that was the last complete garment I made on my vacay--I started another garment which I finished last weekend and LOVE. Wait til you see it, you'll love it too.
Be well!
