Skirts

One day I’ll stand on the beach and look at the pier whilst I eat a stick of rock, a Graham Greene novel in my hand.

~ Rhiannon ~ Leave a comment

Perfecting my stick of rock look

For Christmas this year, I asked for a copy of the most recent book written by Wendy Ward, A Beginner’s Guide to Making Skirts. I follow Wendy on Instagram, and had seen a couple of the pictures and designs at the point of publication. They’d grabbed my attention and I was intrigued, particularly by a button-down skirt I’d seen.

I’ve been after a decent pattern for a button skirt for a while; I really like the versions of the Sew Over It Erin skirt that Gabby and Vicki have made, but wanted something with a bit more swoosh to it. Step in the Brighton skirt (all the skirts are, rather beautifully, named after places that have a special association for Wendy), which ended up being one of my Make Nine patterns for the year.

It took a while for me to sit down and actually sew, but boy, am I pleased that I did!

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Sparkly mermaid skirt

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Sparkly mermaid skirt

Remember that time I went to London and got enabled into buying several metres of sequin fabric?

I knew at the time that I wanted to make it into a super sparkly skirt for my work Christmas do, and so it was that one evening in November, having used the super handy By Hand London circle skirt calculator, I found myself on my hands and knees in the dining room, preparing for the flood of sequin babies that even now we’re sweeping up…

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What is it?

A teal green sequin circle skirt, which Elle has christened a mermaid skirt (and who am I to argue?)

Is it blue?

No, although pretty close on the colour wheel

What’s the fabric?

SEQUINS!

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What’s the pattern?

A simple full circle skirt

Where’s the fabric from?

One of the first bricks and mortar shops you come to in Walthamstow Market, although I can’t remember what it’s called…

What was good about making this?

The shininess and testing out the swooshiness once it was sewn up (although I’ve no GIF for you this time as my trusty assistant was visiting friends)

What was bad about making this?

I read Lauren’s incredibly helpful blog about sewing with sequins. And promptly forgot everything I read, apart from the bit about using a teeny needle. So whilst I didn’t suffer a broken needle at any point, I did have to endure a LOT of snapping threads. Cue frustrated face.

Would you make it again?

I would make a circle skirt again; I like that it’s swooshy and big without being quite so gathered. I would sew with sequins again too, as now I’ve done it once, it can only get better. Would I make a sequin circle skirt though? I’m not so sure (but I don’t think that’s a bad thing)

x

 

 

Polar bear skirt

~ Rhiannon ~ 1 Comment

Polar bear skirt

What is it?

A dirndl skirt COVERED IN POLAR BEARS!

Is it blue?

Yes

What’s the fabric?

POLAR BEARS! Or, more calmly, Polar Bears by Kobayashi Canvas

What’s the pattern?

The Clemence skirt in Love at First Stitch, this time with a 50cm drop

Where’s the fabric from?

Tomato in Nippori Textile Town, Tokyo

What was good about making this?

Did I mention this skirt had polar bears on it? Polar bears.

What was bad about making this?

Unpicking gathering and basting stitches (again…)

Would you make it again?

Yup

Green skirt

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Green skirt

What is it?

A bright green dirndl skirt. I think of it as being my apple skirt.

Is it blue?

No!

What’s the fabric?

Incredibly cheap polyester. Amazingly it actually works really well!

What’s the pattern?

The Clemence skirt from Tilly Walnes’ Love at First Stitch. I made it 60cm long as I wanted something  that hit below rather than above the knee

Where’s the fabric from?

The Fancy Silk Store in Birmingham

What was good about making this?

It was so quick and easy! Definitely a go-to skirt; I like how easy it is to change the pattern

What was bad about making this?

Unpicking three rows of gathering stitches and a row of basting stitches. I hate unpicking stitches.

Would you make it again?

Yes. Lots. See the polar bear skirt as the first of what I expect to be many other versions.

Spotty denim skirt

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Spotty denim skirt

What is it?

An asymmetrical denim skirt with side button opening

Is it blue?

Yes

What’s the fabric?

I used an indigo denim cotton spandex with spots for the outer and some blue gingham I had lying around for the facing

What’s the pattern?

The Arielle skirt by Tilly & the Buttons

Where’s the fabric from?

The denim was from Guthrie & Ghani in Birmingham

What was good about making this?

I discovered I can be pretty resourceful if I need to; at the time I bought it, they didn’t think they’d get the denim back in stock so I had slightly less than I needed for the skirt. I altered the pattern to make it shorter (but not mini skirt length) and used different fabric for the facing. I liked how quickly it came together

What was bad about making this?

The top buttonhole. I’d not done buttonholes before and it took about six attempts to get the top one to work as there more than anywhere else the amount of fabric the buttonholer had to deal with meant it got pretty thick. I very nearly gave up completely. Also, the spots were white when I bought the fabric but went blue when I prewashed… And haven’t gone back yet….

Would you make it again?

Yes, not least because it’s a fantastic skirt for cycling in. I quiet like the idea of making one in red. I think I’ll make it full length this time (i.e. buy enough fabric!) and also tackle lining it.