Lemon print skirt

I've had this gorgeous Dolce and Gabbana-style cotton (from Pigeon Wishes but no longer in stock) squirrelled away for over a year and have really taken my time deciding what to use it for. I already have a lemon print dress, which I wear quite a lot and is wildly popular with members of the public (I'm complimented on it virtually every time I wear it, which is lovely!) Because of this I figured separates would get a bit more wear than another dress, so decided to make a statement skirt. 

The pattern is the skirt section of the Mortmain dress by Gather, which is the same pattern I used for my first lemon dress. I think a large, bold print like this works particularly well with box pleats. Handily for me, Gather Kits have a blog post on how to make a Mortmain skirt from the dress pattern pieces, which is totally fool proof. The only thing I did differently was to swap the exposed zip for an invisible one. As you can probably see from the photos, I deliberately made the waistband more of a relaxed fit. I decided I'd rather forego the very neat, nipped in look of a perfectly fitted waistband for the comfort factor and ability to eat my dinner without feeling like I'm about to explode.

The skirt is fully lined with Venezia lining fabric which was a perfect colour match to the navy background. It was given to me as a gift from Jo Sews ages ago and is the loveliest lining fabric I've ever sewn with. I'm truly lamenting the fact that it doesn't seem to be available in the UK* (Jo lives in Brussels). Lining the skirt gives it a really nice weight and a bit of structure which I think is good with a pleated skirt. *EDIT: Hoorah, I've now discovered that Venezia lining IS available in the UK from here (Stone Fabrics) in tons of colours. Thank you so much to the readers who pointed this out.

As the print on this skirt is full on lemony, I made a new plain top specifically to wear with it. New Look 6217 is the pattern that keeps on giving and yet again it didn't fail me. I think this is now my sixth version of this top - I've given up blogging about them as I don't want to bore you all to death! You only need half a metre of 150cm wide fabric to make it and I used luxury crepe from Sew Over It which has a lovely drape. 

I really like the whole outfit, which works just as easily for daytime as it does for evening. I was actually wearing flip flops and heels to demonstrate this in the photos below, but my son didn't think to include my feet when he was taking them!

Daytime 

Evening

The skirt (and top) gets its first outing tomorrow at a party...I'll report back! x

I sewed something!

After a loooong time away from the sewing machine I've finally sewn something! Well, three things to be precise - three Sew Over It Molly tops. Nothing complicated, nothing fancy, just simple everyday tops that will be worn a lot (I'm wearing the pink one as I type this...)

There are several reasons why I haven't been feeling it on the sewing front recently, but the main one is that I'd more or less reached saturation point with my handmade wardrobe. To put it simply, I had more than enough clothes and didn't need to sew more. Unworn garments were piling up and it felt wasteful and wrong. So I stopped sewing. And if I'm perfectly honest, I've enjoyed the break and the lack of pressure to sew things. 

When spring finally arrived in the UK I had a long, hard look at my wardrobe and was pretty ruthless with the clothes that no longer fit me, both in terms of style and size. A combination of middle age, menopause and eating too many pies (and what a lovely combination that is!) meant that quite a lot of the super fitted styles I used to love so much had to be slung out. That's when I noticed a gap for a few stylish T shirts and tops, preferably made from knit fabrics for the comfort factor.

The light blue Molly top was actually sewn a few weeks before the other two, using Girl Charlee denim coloured cotton spandex from my stash. I made a straight size 10 as per my previous version. 

Molly is a really simple but stylish pattern and in a few short weeks this top has been worn a LOT. The fabric was lovely to sew with too, so I decided to sew a couple more. I bought a darker denim version of the same fabric and, very unusually for me, a dark rose pink, both from Girl Charlee. 

It took just a morning to make the two tops on my overlocker (hems and neckbands were top stitched with a double needle) and they turned out exactly as I'd hoped. The dark denim one is basically a carbon copy of the light denim one and will be worn until it falls apart. The fabric is light enough to wear on spring days or can be layered up when it's really cold.  

I think this one is my favourite.

I left off the sleeve cuffs for the pink version as I thought the colour was more suited to summer. I also levelled off the hem to give it a neater shape. 

I must admit it was good to get back behind the sewing machine again. If you've had a bit of a break from sewing, here are my top tips for getting back into it:

1. Choose a pattern you've used before and you know fits well. You can then just cut out and sew, knowing that the finished garment will fit.

2. Don't over complicate things with a difficult design. The Molly top has just three pattern pieces (four if you add the sleeve cuffs) and is ridiculously quick to sew.

3. Avoid patterned fabric for the same reason. Who can be arsed to pattern match when you're after a quick fix?!

4. Knit fabrics are your friend, they're quick to sew up and easy to fit.

5. Cut out more than one garment at the cutting stage. If you only have a few seams to sew, an extra garment doesn't takes much longer to sew up, especially if you use my canny overlocker thread tip. 

The new additions to my wardrobe are already on frequent rotation, which I'm delighted about. Rumour has it there's a Tilly and the Buttons Bibi skirt in the pipeline too, so I'm clearly on a sewing roll! Small steps... x

Intro to Sewing Coats Online class review

The Intro to Sewing Coats is an online class from Sew Over It offering a step-by-step guide to sewing a beautiful tailored Chloe Coat. Details of my finished Chloe Coat can be found here - this additional post will go into a bit more detail about what to expect from the online class.

I've used one of the Sew Over It online classes before (The Ultimate Guide to Sewing and Fitting Trousers) and really got a lot out of it. This time round I learnt everything there is to know about coat making, including some great new tips and techniques. The course is aimed at a broad range of sewers - coat-sewing newbies who want to take their skill level up a notch, along with intermediate sewers who want to improve their tailoring techniques. You will need to be familiar with garment construction and have inserted sleeves and zips before embarking on the course. The class includes a PDF pattern of the Chloe coat (both tiled and copyshop versions), video tutorials by Lisa Comfort explaining each step of the construction process, written instructions to accompany the videos and PDF guides on fitting and alterations. A full list of the techniques you'll learn in the class can be found here.

My main piece of advice is to watch all the videos right the way through before you even think about cutting anything out. It's always good to get a general idea of what you'll be doing and you can flag up any bits that don't make sense. Most of the videos are very short, only a minute or so, which makes it easier to let the information sink in. Believe me, the more times you watch something the more it makes sense! The course also comes with a set of written instructions (without illustrations). I'd recommend using the videos and the written instructions in conjunction with one another. A few tiny instructions that are not mentioned in the videos e.g. slip stitching the turning hole in the pockets, are mentioned in the written instructions. And vice versa - top stitching the front edges of the coat right at the end isn't mentioned in the written instructions. Use them together and they'll cover everything.

There are separate pattern pieces for 'cloth' (main coat fabric), lining and interfacing which is a mixed blessing. On the plus side, you're working with properly measured pattern pieces and don't need to make a stab at drafting the lining yourself. This makes things far easier when it comes to the cutting out stage. On the minus side, it does result in a gigantic pattern to tape together - 84 pages in fact. All is not lost however, as there is a copy shop PDF version allowing you to get it printed on massive sheets and sent to you. I used Print Your Pattern which charged £9 to print out the three large pattern sheets and it was delivered the next day. There are other pattern printing companies that are even cheaper. I know it's extra money to shell out, but in this case I think it's well worth it as it does save a lot of time.

The Chloe Coat is designed to be "semi-loose fitting yet flattering...fitted to your shoulders, and shaped at the front with a long cut-away dart." It's a simple, classic design and because of this there's very little fitting involved. As advised in the fitting video, it's essential to get the shoulder measurement correct, then work from there. Any pattern adjustments you do need to do such as lengthening/shortening are all outlined on PDFs which are clear and self explanatory. For reference, I cut a straight size 12 with two small adjustments to the pattern. I shortened the sleeve length by 6 cms and re-positioned the pockets about 2.5 cms to allow for my short arms. I'm 5'2" and I didn't shorten the coat hem, so if you're taller and/or prefer a longer coat you may need to lengthen the pattern. It's also worth noting that the side seams have a generous 2cm seam allowance to allow you to fit as you go.

Coat finishes just above the knee on me

Once you have your pattern pieces ready to go I'd allow a full day to cut everything out. Cloth, plus lining, plus interfacing equals a lot of time spent cutting out, plus time spent ironing on the interfacing pieces. As tempting as it might be to press ahead with the sewing, I'd recommend starting the next day when your brain is fresher!

The Chloe Coat is collarless, which means there's less bulk to contend with when it comes to layers of collar and facings. That doesn't mean it's problem free though - I still ended up with bulky sections because of the weight of my fabric, even though I trimmed everything down as directed. My fabric was a medium weight wool which is on the list of recommended fabrics so I'm not sure why this was a problem. I actually ended up omitting the top stitching down the front edges of the coat because I couldn't fit the layers of coat front and facings under my sewing machine! If I had the choice, I would have top stitched to prevent the facing from rolling out, but I'm still happy with the end result.

One of the new-to-me tailoring techniques in the class is sewing ice wool wadding to the sleeve head to give it shape. I've used pre-cut sleeve heads before with some success, but had never heard of ice wool. It's a strange fabric which looks like a cross between cotton wool and candy floss! You're instructed to hand sew it into place, probably because the texture is a bit fragile to put under a sewing machine.

I must admit, I had my suspicions about how effective it would be because of its weird texture, but it really does give a lovely, rounded shape to the sleeve head.  It just seems to mould to the shape of the wearer's shoulder like magic!

The majority of the video steps were clear and well explained - I did exactly as Lisa directed and they seemed to work. I did however, have a little trouble with one or two steps, largely because I couldn't see exactly what was happening on the videos. One of these was Sewing the Sleeve Hems - it was difficult to see how she pinned the hems together because of the camera angle. The thing to remember with this step is that you're joining the two raw edges together. Just keep that in mind and you should be fine.  The other section I had difficulty with was Finishing the Graded Edges of the Lining. It does get a bit easier to understand the more times you watch it, but I just couldn't get it to work. Eventually I did my own thing and it seems to look OK - it's only a tiny area of the coat at the end of the day.

My final piece of advice regarding construction is to follow the seam allowance instructions to the letter when inserting the zip. The seam allowance at the bottom of my zip meandered in slightly and it does make a difference when you zip the coat up. It still zips up (imagine the horror if it didn't after all that work?!) but it's a bit of a fiddle getting the short zip end into the zip pull. There, I've warned you!

The class really is comprehensive and covers everything you're likely to encounter on any coat-making journey. It definitely worked for me and I now have a beautiful, well fitting coat to show for it. x


The Intro to Sewing Coats online class was given to me free of charge for review. All views my own. 

Chloe Coat

At last... something finished to show you! This is the Chloe Coat from Sew Over It: a classic collarless coat with lined, patch pockets, an open ended zip, tailored shoulders and long front darts. There's nothing super fancy about the design, it's just a simple, elegant style that's totally wearable. I'm very happy with mine! The pattern is part of the Intro to Sewing Coats online course and I'll be writing a separate post reviewing the course shortly. This will include lots more detail about construction and the techniques used in the course.

I was fortunate to be able to try on a sample of the coat at the Knitting & Stitching Show this year, which was great for checking the size. The sample was a size 10, and although it was a good fit across the back and shoulders etc, when I tried to zip it up it was far too tight across the bust - imagine a sausage squeezed into a skin! I also wanted a bit of additional room for winter layers under my coat so decided to cut a straight size 12 all over. 

I made just two small adjustments to the pattern, I shortened the sleeve length by 6cms and re-positioned the pockets about 2.5cms higher to allow for my short arms. It's also worth pointing out that I didn't shorten the coat hem which is normally a standard adjustment for me. You'll note from the photos that the coat finishes well above the knee on me and I'm only 5'2", so if you're taller or prefer a longer coat you may want to lengthen the pattern. 

I love the roomier fit, it's much more comfortable when you're bundled up wearing layers of knitwear. I also far prefer the patch pockets to in-seam pockets. The last coat I made had in-seam pockets in the side princess seams and having worn it quite a lot, I do feel like they're positioned too far back. 

The main coat fabric is an acrylic/wool mix from Doughty's (no longer available I'm afraid) and I was able to cut out the whole coat comfortably from 2.5m. As I wasn't originally intending to make a coat, I wanted to save costs by using a lining from my stash. There was just enough polka dot lining fabric left over from my Abbey Coat (which, incidentally I never wear, anybody want it?!) so I used that.  

Inside: lining and facings

Luckily for me it's a perfect match with the baby blue coating and a really good quality lining fabric to boot (originally from here), so it was all a bit fortuitous. The other notions needed for the coat - an open-ended zip, tailoring interfacing and, wait for it, ice wool - I purchased from Sew Over It. 

Because of the nature of the online course I sewed the coat in small chunks, which corresponded with the video tutorials. It's a great way to take on a large project such as a coat, which can seem quite daunting, or if you're simply short of time and need to fit your sewing around short bursts. The only step I didn't incorporate is the top stitching down the front edges of the coat. This wasn't a design decision, it was simply because I couldn't fit the layers of coat front and facings under my sewing machine! If I had the choice I'd have definitely included the top stitching as the front facing does has a tendency to curl round (see last photo). 

I started wearing this coat as soon as the last bit of hand sewing was finished and it's sooo warm, even warmer than my red coat which was underlined with flannel! Given the current cold snap, I haven't had a chance to take it to the dry cleaners for a professional press, which is why it looks a bit springy in some photos. When I can bear to remove it from my back I might take a trip to get it beautifully pressed. But then again, I'm enjoying wearing it so much I probably won't! x

Thank you to my friend Joe for this lovely picture of me (and my coat) in Lambs Conduit Street last week.

Slow sewing

Hello! Things have been a bit quiet of late on the blog, which doesn't necessarily equate to a lack of sewing. I've actually been sewing constantly for the past few weeks, but the projects have been so slow moving I don't have anything to show you. My main project has been a set of memory quilts for a family member and her sons. If you've read this post, or this one, you'll know how long these things take and there's still a fair way to go. I'm now at the quilting stage and am looking forward to several days of sewing straight lines over the Christmas period!

The second project I've been working on is a coat. I know, I don't even need another coat, but sometimes these decisions are taken out of our hands.... At the GBSB Live in September I had a spare half hour wandering around on my own before meeting up with some sewing friends. Before I knew it, I'd somehow managed to buy 2.5m of baby blue coating without meaning to. Some kind of sorcery was clearly at play as I wasn't even looking for coat fabric!

The fabric was from Doughty's and I think it's an acrylic/wool mix which annoyingly, doesn't seem to be on their website. In fact there are hardly any wool fabrics listed, maybe they sold them all at the show? Anyway, sorcery aside, the fabric just happened to be a perfect match for the Sew Over It Chloe Coat, so that was another chunk of my autumn sewing sorted in one fell swoop. 

Coat making has been going swimmingly so far - just bagging the lining and hemming to finish - so I should have a shiny new coat to blog about before too long.

My final pre-Christmas project will be to make something from this lovely silver faux leather I bought from Fabric Godmother. 

Again, I don't know what possessed me, but I have a vision in my head of a chic little pencil skirt. Worn with a plain black top and a big necklace, I think it has the makings of an effortless Christmas party outfit! I've purchased some leather needles and leather glue and will probably need some of those bulldog clip things - I'll report back. Anybody else working on a slow project? x

Sew Over It Molly Top

This here is the Molly Top, one of the patterns included in the My Capsule Wardrobe: City Break eBook by Sew Over It.

I've only just got round to sewing anything from it and the Molly pattern was the perfect place to start. 

There are lots of gorgeous, inspirational photos of the pattern in the eBook, which was great for styling ideas. I decided to cut my neckband on the cross grain (as seen above) to make the stripes contrast. The pattern is drafted with short kimono sleeves with additional long sleeve cuffs to add some interest. I really like this feature, especially when sewn with stripes, but with spring nodding its head at me, I decided to leave off the long sleeves for my first attempt.

I cut a straight size 10 and brought the waist in slightly for a bit more shaping. This works well with the top, but I won't make this change for the dress version as I'll need the extra room around the middle. I also shortened the pattern by an inch and could probably do with shortening it a bit more for any future versions. It's quite long on me, which is great for wearing loose with jeans, but a bit too bulky if I want to wear it tucked into anything.

Could probably go a bit shorter... 

Because of the kimono sleeves, this top was soooo easy to sew. Just attach the front and back pieces at the shoulders and side seams, add the neckband and hem and boom, you're done. It would probably take a little bit longer to add the sleeve cuffs, but not much longer as they're hardly difficult. I didn't actually follow the instructions, just skimmed them to check there wasn't anything untoward, then whipped the top up on my overlocker. And don't worry if you don't have an overlocker, the instructions are geared towards sewing it on a regular machine with a narrow zigzag stitch. 

Recommended fabrics are lightweight cotton or viscose jerseys for the top version, or heavier weight ponte knits for the dress. I used a red and white small striped jersey from Fabrics Galore which is a cotton/elastane mix and is probably weighty enough for the dress version too. Patterns with kimono sleeves are notorious fabric eaters, but because I didn't add sleeves and the fabric was wide, the 1.5 metres I'd bought was plenty. The quality of the fabric is just so lovely - it washes well and has great recovery - I'll definitely be buying more in different colourways.

The finished top has been worn a lot, it's so simple and comfortable to throw on and I love the contrast neckband. To be honest, I doubt whether I'll make any of the other four patterns included in the eBook (find them here) as they're either not to my taste, or too similar to patterns I already own. I'm delighted to have found this little gem though - look out for a dress version with sleeves later in the year!


A copy of the My Capsule Wardrobe eBook was given to me free of charge for review. All views my own.

Another Heather Dress

It was only a matter of time before I caved in and made another Heather dress.

My navy version has been a runaway success this winter, so much so that I needed to dilute it to stop it being worn to death. This second version was made using a luxury ponte knit in aqua, sent to me to try out by The Sewcial Studio. It's not quite as weighty as the ponte I used for my first version, which made me think it would be better suited to a short sleeved spring version. I was right, it's a lovely quality jersey and the perfect weight for a spring dress. Personally I wouldn't want to use anything lighter than a ponte for this pattern as the princess seams and pockets require a bit of structure.

I sewed the same size as last time (size 10, grading to size 12 at the bust), with a couple of additional changes:

• Shortened the neckband. It wasn't quite snug enough on my first Heather dress and it does bag a bit, which is annoying.
• Shaved the top curve off the sleeve heads. For some reason the sleeves jut out at the shoulder on me, a bit like a low key Krystle Carrington. I didn't change them on my first version but it was far more noticeable this time round (probably because of the lighter coloured fabric), so out came the scissors.
• Added another 1.5cms to the front side seams at the bust for a better fit.

That's it, nothing major, and like last time, it was a quick, easy sew. Everything on the inside was sewn on my overlocker and the hems were finished with a twin needle. I think I've been lucky with the fit on this pattern - it's comfortable but still figure skimming on me. I like the short sleeves for the warmer weather too. I'm wearing the dress with tights in these photos to spare you the sight of my blue/white winter pallor, but as soon as the false tan kicks in I'll be baring my legs and wearing it with clogs!  x


Fabric was given to me free of charge by The Sewcial Studio for review. All views my own.

A Heather dress for winter

This is the Heather dress from Sew Over It, the first completed pattern from my #2017makenine list and my new favourite thing! It's a chic little number, with interesting curved seams (great for colour blocking) and fab oversized pockets. What's not to like?!

Size-wise I cut a size 10, grading out to a size 12 at the bust on the front side panels. The only other changes I made to the pattern were to shorten the hem by two inches and shorten the sleeves by an inch, both of which are standard adjustments for me. The fit is exactly what I was hoping for - it's a reasonably tight fit with just enough ease to make it comfortable to wear. The pockets are really cosy too.

There are no instructions to stabilise the shoulder seams, but I stabilised mine with twill tape to cope with the weight of the dress. All construction steps are illustrated with photos, making this a nice, straight forward sew. The only area where I puzzled for a minute was the pockets. Just remember that you're attaching the pocket bags to the front side seams, not the side seams as you normally would. Once I'd got my head round that, the dress came together very quickly - I think I sewed the whole thing in one afternoon.

Fabric recommendations are for medium weight knits with a low stretch percentage and I used a navy ponte Roma, that Alice at Clothspot very kindly sent me as a gift. They have a few other ponte knits in stock, but this particular shade of navy really called out to me. The weight and drape is perfect for the pattern - it's stable enough to cope with all the curved edges, but doesn't stretch out of shape. I loved working with it, and have already made a second garment from the remnants (coming soon!)

I've sewn with quite a few knit dress patterns over the years and this is by far my favourite. It's soooo comfortable for lounging on the sofa and can easily be dressed up for a night out. I want to wear it every day! I already have plans for a striped version with short sleeves for summer, and at least one more winter version.  What's your favourite knit dress pattern? x

#2017makenine

The word on the street at the moment seems to be #2017makenine, an Instagram initiative to make nine items during the course of the year. I can never resist jumping on a bandwagon so immediately started making lists of fabric and patterns. In my typically contrary way, I could only come up with six patterns that I really want to make in 2017 though! I don't want to include patterns just for the sake of it, so my version will have to be #2017makesix instead. My sewing strategy for the past couple of years has been to sew fewer items and focus more on wearability and fit. This seems to be working, so I'm sticking with it! I have lots of sewing plans spinning round in my head at the moment and am fully intending to sew more than six items in 2017, these are simply the six I've set my heart on.

1. Heather Dress - Sew Over It 

I've had my eye on this dress since it was first announced as a class at Sew Over It, so when it was released as a PDF pattern last year I snapped it up immediately. 

I really like the interesting side panels and pockets and I think it will be a big success in my winter wardrobe. A length of navy Ponte Roma is currently winging its way to me from Clothspot and once it arrives I'll be wasting no time sewing this up. If I can get the fit right I'd like to try a short sleeved version in a lighter knit for summer too.

2. Sangria Dress - Capital Chic

Remember the lace bonded scuba I bought from The Man Outside Sainsbury's last year? Well I think I may have found the perfect pattern to do it justice! 

The Sangia dress is a simple, elegant sheath especially designed for scuba fabric, yay! And to further inspire me, Nina has already made a beautiful bonded lace version here, which looks amazing.

3. Easy Short Sleeved Kimono Sleeved Dress - Pattern Runway on Craftsy

My simple, kimono sleeved New Look tops were a big success in 2016, so I was on the hunt for a dress version. Yes, I could probably have drafted one myself, but this pattern that I found on Craftsy seems to be absolutely perfect, so I'm saving myself the trouble! 

For my first version I'm going to use this fab, boat print rayon from Fabric Rehab (sadly they closed for business last year).

If that turns out well then I'm already dreaming of a second version in red luxury crepe.

4. Wrap Dress - New Look 6123

This pattern first came to my attention after seeing Rosa's dreamy vision of a dress here. Her dress was a mash up of two different New Look patterns, but it was the wrap style of the bodice that really caught my eye. 

Annoyingly the pattern is now out of print and I promptly fell down a rabbit hole online trying to track down a copy. Eventually I found one on eBay and am sooo excited to use it, as the pattern includes lots of different bodice and skirt variations. I find New Look patterns are a great fit on me more or less straight out of the envelope, so I have high hopes! For fabric I'll be using this firework print Liberty Tana Lawn, which was a Christmas present from my lovely husband.

5. Melilot Shirt - Deer and Doe

I love a summer shirt and this pattern has some nice details such as dropped shoulders and a rounded collar. 

I'll be using a cute sailor print viscose twill that I picked up at a Fabric Godmother open day last year (now sold out).

As an aside, I saw a gorgeous version of this shirt worn by a lady at the Handmade Fair in September. It was made from Atelier Brunette fabric, worn with a denim Arielle Skirt and she looked FAB! I chatted to her but I'm afraid I didn't get her name, so if you recognise yourself from this description, please let me know in the comments as your shirt really inspired me!

6. Maritime Shorts - Grainline Studio

I made a pair of these shorts last year and they were a roaring success on holiday so it makes sense to sew another pair. 

The stretch cotton sateen from Fabric Godmother was a good match for the pattern so I'll be using the same fabric again, probably in red. Hopefully this time round it will be a more straight forward sew, especially if I remember to use the most up to date instructions!

No doubt there'll be more than a few in-betweeny patterns, but these are the six I'm most looking forward to sewing. Have you put together a #2017makenine list? Which patterns are top of your list? x

Bamboo Skirt

This skirt started life in a very different manner to what you see before you. I've had the fabric (a  drapey bamboo print viscose from Fabric Godmother, now sold out) squirrelled away for ages. If it looks familiar it's because I used the same fabric in red for my Sew Over It Pussybow Blouse. It worked perfectly for that project so I thought I'd use it to try out a shirtdress from Butterick (B6333). 

It turned out to be a very poor fabric choice for that particular pattern - the viscose was too drapey. Despite measuring all the pattern pieces carefully, the resulting dress was far too big and hung on me like a rag. Even after pinning it for a closer fit it felt like I was wearing some kind of glamorous dinner ladies overall! The dress was stuffed in a bag and forgotten about for most of the summer until I re-discovered it last week. I immediately knew I couldn't bear to waste such lovely fabric, so decided to see if I could hack it into something else instead.

The version of the shirtdress I originally intended to make was view C which has a narrow skirt with darts to the back, pleats to the front and inseam pockets. I really wanted to keep those skirt features so decided to turn the dress into a slim, drapey skirt instead. After removing the bodice and pinning the centre front together, I realised that I could actually get the skirt on and off without any openings. Aha! All I did then was to sew the front plackets closed and attach a wide elastic waistband to the top (I used my own Easy Elastic Waist Skirt tutorial for this). One finished skirt!

The only problem with the skirt is that you can't see any of the pleating details (or even the placket for that matter) amongst the bamboo print. I know it's there though! Because the print is so busy I can only really wear it with a plain top. Unless I'm feeling particularly brave of course, in which case I could pair it with my Pussy Bow Blouse and swan around in double bamboo! Needless to say I haven't tried this yet...

I think this skirt will be a great transitional garment for autumn: light and drapey for warm days yet smart enough to wear with tights and autumnal knitwear once the weather turns cooler. It's a shame the original pattern didn't work for me but sometimes it's easier to accept that and move on. I'm just pleased I managed to salvage such a chic little skirt out of the wreckage. Happy Sunday! x