The pattern that keeps on giving...

Hmmm, what pattern could I possibly be referring to? Why New Look 6217 of course! I've made two versions of the top (here and here) and I'm now going to bore you to death about the skirt. The decision to make the skirt happened slightly by accident… my friend Emma wanted me to help her make a very simple pencil skirt and asked if I knew of a suitable pattern. I immediately thought of the New Look pattern - just two pattern pieces, no waistband and an easy side split, perfect for a beginner.

I took Emma's measurements and decided to make a quick muslin before we were let loose on her precious fabric. There's quite a bit of ease in this pattern, so I went down one size from her actual measurements and made up a size 12, which also happens to be my size... I tried it on to check it wasn't wildly off and discovered it was a perfect fit on me. This was too good a sign to ignore, hence the decision to make one myself!

I used a piece of lovely stretch cotton yellow gingham from my stash. I bought the fabric as a vintage remnant so it was only 85cm long, but it's quite wide (150cms), so was easily large enough for a small, knee length skirt. I made no adjustments to the pattern at all, not even to the length, so the skirt you see is a size 12 straight out of the envelope. As expected it was quick and easy to make: just two darts to the back, an invisible zip in the side seam and twill tape to finish the waistband. 

The twill tape is suggested in the pattern for both the skirt and trousers waistbands, and I think it's actually a better option than bias tape. Unlike bias tape, there's no stretch to it, so it should help prevent the waistband stretching out over time.

The skirt turned out slightly looser than the muslin due to the stretch content of the cotton, the drag lines on the photos are just from me sticking my leg out! As the skirt is supposed to sit an inch below your natural waist this doesn't affect the fit, in fact it improves it in my opinion! There are no front darts, just back ones, so it's fitted but not skin tight. And the side split lends a air of dignity when getting in and out of the car! 

I can see a few more of these skirts in my future sewing plans. Keep your eyes peeled for my friend Emma's version, which I'll put on the blog as soon as it's finished. If you like the look of my skirt you'll love hers - it's made from budgie fabric! Have a good weekend. x

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Another blue skirt...

Ah, lovely Simplicity 2451! Gorgeous incarnations of this pattern have been popping up on my radar for years - here, here, here and here - the last one even uses leather rescued from one of my old skirts! Despite admiring the skirt greatly, I always disregarded it as a pattern to wear myself as I didn't think the tulip shape and front pleats were really me. Wrong! After making my Anna 6696 dress last year and having to add waist gathers out of necessity, I've since become a convert to a bit of extra room in the front! So when I was in need of a simple, easy-to-wear summer skirt, this pattern came calling.

For fabric I used some lovely Andover Chambray in Indigo from The Village Haberdashery. I can't link to it I'm afraid as I bought it as a bolt end. The piece was 115cms long and it was just enough for this skirt. The chambray is lightweight but still crisp enough to hold a pleat and was very nice to work with. It's also a great neutral colour and matches almost everything I own - which is handy!

The pattern includes some interesting design details such as a curved waistband, pleats to the front and slash side pockets.

These details add a bit of interest to the skirt but it's still relatively easy to sew together. The instructions  were perfectly clear and I sewed it up in an afternoon. The only two changes I made were to substitute a lapped zip for an invisible one and to eliminate the back vent. Based on feedback from other reviewers I went down a size from my actual measurements, cutting a size 12 of view C. This turned out to be a wise move and the fit is great - it sits lower on the waist than I'm used to which makes it super comfortable to wear.

I'm mightily impressed with this pattern, in fact this is the pattern I should have used when I made my herringbone skirt. Instead of faffing around like a halfwit, trying to convert the Kelly skirt into something it wasn't. Ah well, I'll know better next time. And there will definitely be a next time - I'm already thinking of a shorter wool version for autumn…. x

Finished: Arielle Skirt

As is often the case, not one but two of my favourite handmade skirts have had to be retired due to being thoroughly worn out. They were my beloved denim Ginger skirt and my navy-with-red-buttons Beignet. Both were made using Colette patterns during my first year of sewing and have been on constant rotation ever since, so they were well and truly worn to death. I needed to make replacements, and fast!

The shape and style of the Tilly and the Buttons Arielle Skirt seemed to be the perfect solution. And as there was now a denim-skirt-shaped hole in my wardrobe, I decided to make my version in denim. The fitted silhouette and cute button detail of the pattern also reminded me of my Beignet skirt, so I felt like I was channelling my two old skirts into one new one!

The instructions for the Arielle pattern are very clearIy written, with good, explanatory photos to guide you through the process. Unlike the Beignet pattern, it didn't take very long to sew at all (I made it over the course of two afternoons) and there are very few pattern pieces, especially if you make the unlined version. The side seams are contoured to fit around your waist and hips, making the skirt very close fitting - using a stretch denim was definitely a good move as it really does yank you into place! Size-wise, I made a size 3 and the only adjustment I made was to the length - I took about 10cms from the length of the longer version. I didn't adjust the waist and hips at all and the finished fit is great. I think it's an ideal pattern for a confident beginner to tackle, perhaps as a second skirt project.

The fabric I used is a stretch denim in a very dark blue from Ditto Fabrics. I pre-washed it, but it still feels quite stiff - hopefully it will soften up after a few washes. Because of this, the overlapped front edge doesn't lie completely flat, but that's just me nit picking. My version is unlined as that's what I've always done with denim skirts (I think of them a bit like jeans!) I would also normally use a lighter weight fabric for the facings to reduce bulk, especially when sewing with denim. In this case, however, I did actually use denim facings and I think the skirt benefits from the extra support. 

I'd planned to simply overlock the outer edge of the facings, but once I saw this post on finishing a facing with bias binding, I had to give my skirt a polka dot edge. I love how the inside of the skirt looks now, it has such a neat, professional finish.

Talking of polka dots, do you like my buttons?! They were given to me by Kerry a few years ago (I think!) and I couldn't resist adding them. Hopefully, the plain, functional denim stops them looking too twee. 

I have a feeling I'll be wearing the Arielle skirt a lot. It seems to be a good match with every single top half I throw at it (as evidenced by the unusual amount of costume changes in this post!), which I'm  taking as a good sign!  I'm so happy with it - I've ended up with a gorgeous, retro looking skirt that was born to live in my wardrobe.  x

Skirt making on a slightly smaller scale

As the mother of boys, I rarely get to make children's clothes. I've made them PJ bottoms in the past, but that's about all they'll tolerate from me. If I'd been sewing when they were babies or toddlers I could have kitted them out to my heart's content, but they were just that bit too old. They're now racing towards double digits and teenage years respectively, so anything made by me is out of the question. It's a different story with girls though…

I saw some simple little girl's skirts at an event recently that were beautiful, but they looked so easy to make I just couldn't bring myself to buy one (they were about £30 each). With my niece Hannah's birthday approaching, I thought I'd have a go at making one myself. The skirts I saw were made from vintage fabric (which is probably why they were so expensive) but I think I can get a similar effect using a linen-look cotton. Linen-look cotton is fab, it's 100% cotton, with the appearance and feel of linen but without all the pesky creases. It's actually more hard wearing than quilting cotton, so  ideal for children's clothes. It looks a little like vintage barkcloth, which is what made me think of it for Hannah's skirt. I've chosen this darling dog fabric from Plush Addict:

I couldn't decide between the colour ways so bought both - maybe she'll get two skirts? Or a skirt and a cushion!

I used linen-look cotton to make myself a sundress last year and I'm pleased to say it's been getting lots of use during the recent sunny weather.  I'd definitely recommend it for summer dressmaking. If cute doggies are a step too far for you, Plush Addict also stock a good selection of classic patterns (polka dots, gingham and stripes!!) in their linen-look cotton range.

My dilemma now is which pattern to use. Hannah lives in Australia so I'll only have her measurements to rely on. She's always climbing trees and flying through the air on broomsticks (sort of) so I think a simple but practical design would be best. I'm tempted to just use my own elastic waist skirt tutorial, or I might make a casing and insert the elastic for a neater look. If anybody can suggest a skirt pattern or tutorial suitable for a seven year old, please do let me know. This is a real novelty to me - I can't wait to get started! x

Minerva Blogging Network: easy elastic waist skirt

This month's Minerva Craft Blogger Network project is an easy peasy skirt. All that's required is a rectangle of fabric and a length of elastic. And what's more I'm going to show you how to make it.

The decision to make this skirt was made when I bought a couple of metres of awesome two inch wide polka dot elastic from Walthamstow market. I was with So Zo, who was looking for wide elastic to make her husband some undies. I spied it amongst the selection and had to have it, despite having no clue what to make with it.

Whilst I was thinking of clothes to take with me on holiday last month, I realised I needed a simple skirt I could pull on over a swimsuit and suddenly thought of the perfect use for my elastic. A gathered skirt with an elastic waist may not be everybody's idea of fashionable elegance - whilst I was researching methods of making it, 90% of the skirts I saw were for toddlers… But for a quick, easy holiday make they're great - no fiddling with fastenings at the pool and comfortable to wear over a swimsuit. Yes, I know summer's over now but I got my months mixed up when I was planning my Minerva sewing projects so here it is now in sunny er September! 

Like the idea? Good, here's how to make one.

You will need

One metre of your chosen fabric*

One metre of two inch wide elastic

*I chose a cotton jersey for my skirt as I wanted a stretch version, but this would work equally well with a cotton woven too.

1. First you need to measure your hips. Multiply this measurement by 1.5 and you have the width of your fabric. My hips are 37 inches, so the width of my fabric is 56 inches (I rounded it up). Then decide how long you want your skirt. I wanted mine pretty short, so the skirt in the tutorial is 19 inches long.

2. Finish one of the bottom edges of the rectangle (I overlocked mine). Turn up ½ inch, press and hem.

3. Fold the rectangle of fabric in half widthways with right sides together, so the two shorter edges meet. Sew this seam using a half inch seam allowance. You now have a tube skirt!

EDIT: As I used a knit fabric for this tutorial, I didn't need to finish the top edge of the skirt, if you're using a woven fabric, you may wish to finish the top edge now to prevent fraying. You can finish it using a zigzag stitch, an overlocker or simply turn and hem. Thank you to Scruffy Badger for bringing this to my attention, you can see what a finished top edge looks like on her post here. 

4. Sew a row of long, gathering stitches along the top, unhemmed edge of the tube (don't backstitch at each end!) Divide your tube of fabric into quarters with pins. I did photograph this step but you can't really see anything so you'll just have to imagine it.

5. Now we need to attach the elastic. Measure your waist, add ½ inch and cut the elastic to this measurement. Sew the two ends together with a zig-zag stitch using a ½ inch seam allowance. 

Press open. You may also wish to backstitch a few times for security. 

Divide your elastic into quarters with pins.

6. Put your skirt and elastic together - you want the wrong side of the elastic to face the right side of the skirt. There will be a lot more skirt than elastic at this point. Your goal is to match up the four pins on the elastic with the four pins on the fabric tube. Gently pull up your gathering stitches so that the fabric is evenly distributed. Pin together using as many pins as necessary.

This is what it should look like once the fabric is evenly distributed

7. Sew right around the waistband with a zig-zag stitch, keeping close to the bottom edge.  

Outside view of sewn waistband

Inside view of sewn waistband

Ta-da - you have yourself a skirt!

If you fancy making a similar skirt for yourself, or indeed, your toddler, Minerva Crafts have put together a simple kit. The kit comprises a metre of red cotton jersey and matching thread, which you can purchase here. They don't stock polka dot elastic, but they do stock standard two inch elastic which you can find here. Happy sewing! x

The kit was given to me free of charge as part of the Minerva Crafts Blogger Network. All views my own.