Monday 1 December 2014

Herringbone Kelly skirt

I was decidedly on the fence when I made my first Kelly skirt, but it's since become one of my most worn me-made separates. Who'd have thought it?! In fact I like it so much, it was the starting point for my latest skirt. I say 'starting point' because it veered totally off piste during its creation, but the bare bones are definitely from the Kelly pattern, so the name stays.


A lot of the changes were purely down to necessity because of my fabric choice. Well, not necessarily my fabric choice, more my lack of yardage. I bought a metre of this Organic Cotton Herringbone from Ray Stitch during my pattern cutting weekend thinking it would be perfect for a simple A-line skirt. However, between buying it and gearing myself up to cut into it, I changed my mind and decided it had to be a Kelly skirt. The trouble is, the Kelly skirt pieces are quite wide because of the pleats, and the pattern requires slightly more than a metre. I managed to cut my first version out of a metre by placing some of the pattern pieces upside down, but the herringbone design is directional, so that wasn't an option.

In the end, I decided to keep the pleats in the front of the skirt, but not in the back. I also couldn't be bothered with all the buttons and buttonholes, so decided to lose the button placket and add a central back zip instead. To do this, I followed Busy Lizzie in Brizzy's tips from this post. I cut the front piece on the fold, using the buttonhole markings as the centre front seam and the back as two separate pieces, adding a seam allowance to the fold line for the zip. Behold, no buttons or placket!



I didn't have room to cut the pocket facings in the same direction as the rest of the skirt, so they face the opposite way. I'm calling it a design feature.


I even managed to include some scraps from my Chambray Bow Blouse for the pockets, yay!


The herringbone fabric is pretty heavyweight, which is great for holding a pleat, but also means it's quite scratchy against the skin, so a lining was needed. I used navy satin left over from my Lace Laurel top for the lining using this tutorial. When adding a full lining, you can often get away with not finishing seams as they're all hidden away, but not in this case! Both fabrics frayed terribly, so all seams were overlocked to within an inch of their lives.  


I did make quite a major error at the cutting out stage - I folded the pleats in on the the back pattern piece, but really should have added more width for my backside. The back is now very slim fitting across the bum - almost like a pencil skirt. In fact, the finished skirt looks more like Simplicity 2451 than a Kelly skirt - the A-line shape has totally disappeared!



Back view…ahem
Because of this, it's not quite the skirt I was hoping for, mainly because it's so tight fitting across the bum, but that's my own fault for lack of foresight. It's not a total win, but definitely not a fail either. It's still a lovely, cosy skirt for winter and the blue and cream colourway seems to go with every conceivable top and cardigan in my wardrobe.

I did try to get some shots of me without my hands in my pockets but was continually photo bombed. Ah well, Happy Monday! x


I couldn't resist him, he's too cute! 



33 comments:

  1. I love this shape and 'design features', even if it's not what you were expecting! It looks great on and the linen looks like it's really good quality. Definitely not a fail!

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    1. Thank you, the different shape is definitely growing on me! x

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  2. You really did some great work transforming the Kelly skirt. Paired with this blue sweater, the whole outfit looks fabulous. Your son is adorable too!

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  3. I love the 'design feature' I think it's great to play around with the direction of a print. The skirt is really nice too :-)

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    1. Haha, I'm really pleased with how well my 'design feature' turned out! x

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  4. Oooh, that's so lovely. The shape is fabulous on you. Very clever patten hack - would never have recognised it as a Kelly!

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    1. Thanks Katie! I know, I hardly recognise it as a Kelly too! x

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  5. Really like what you have done with this one. Just the thing for winter. Thanks for sharing with us.
    Freda

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    1. You're welcome and thank you! Yes, I think it will be ideal for winter. X

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  6. This suits you really well! Good job! And also, hello Raggy!

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    1. Aw you spotted Raggy! He's due for a new coat any time now! x

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  7. What a gorgeous fabric -- I love it!!

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    1. The fabric is really lovely, I'm so pleased with it. x

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  8. Oh yes. LOVE this!!! And what a cute photobomber! :)

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    1. Thank you! Well, I'm totally biased but I think the photo bomber is cute too! x

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  9. Aww your little man is so cute! I love the skirt, and the pocket facings are totally a design element!! It looks really neat running the opposite direction. Even if it wasn't the original fit you were necessarily after, it looks great on you!

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    1. Isn't he just?! And thank you, even it it looks different to what I was expecting I'm just thankful that the finished skirt is so wearable and that the fabric wasn't wasted! x

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  10. This turned out great! The shape is really nice and I love the pockets :)

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    1. Thank you, I'm pretty pleased with the pockets! x

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  11. I love how it came out. That is great fabric and the pockets look excellent.

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    1. Thank you! It really is great fabric! x

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  12. Looks fab Jane. Love the fabric and obligatory signatory polkadot linings. But dare I say, your bum is most definitely not big enough in that! ;-) xx

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    1. But of COURSE my pocket linings were in polka dots! And believe me, my bum is plenty big enough! x

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  13. Well your photo bomber is handsome as paint. If I had a backside that looked as good as yours it would be this skirt every time!

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    1. Aw, he certainly is handsome as paint, thank you! And thank you for the compliment! x

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  14. I'm glad you decided you like your first one! This one looks great Jane - very different shape from the original Kelly, but I really like it - might have to give it a go myself!

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    1. I'm really glad I like my first one too, I wear it all the time! You should definitely give it a go, it's a great pattern. x

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  15. This is so cute! It's so different from the original pattern... I love seeing patterns changed like this! Love the herringbone, too! Very cool!

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    1. Ah yes, the herringbone is very special! Thank you! x

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  16. It looks like a total win to me! Looks great! Also, very lovely photobomber!!

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