Monday, December 31, 2012

I'm a dork.

I just have to have everything filed away neatly!  I have one more finished object from 2012, and since today is the last day, I want to get it entered.  Silly, I know, but I just can't help myself!

Today I don't have time to put this on and model it, because I'm busy making Alice Medrich's Gateau Royale and some Turkish Borek to take over to a friend's this evening.  But I did take pictures the other day when the sun was out, so I can at least share those.

This is my second go with the Inverted Pleat Skirt pattern from Burda magazine.  This time I made it in Anna Maria Horner's Loulouthi Velveteen, in the bronze colorway of a design called Summer Totem.


The first time I made this skirt, you may remember, I was not pleased with the fit - the pattern as designed is for a skirt that sits on the hip.  So before starting, I took a half inch off each side seam and repositioned the darts.  This version sits just below the waist, which is where I wanted it to be.  Score!

I only had one yarnd, and the AMH velveteen wasn't quite wide enough to accomodate the very wide panel for the pleat, so I ended up having to remove an inch and a half at the center front as well, and sewing a shallower pleat.  But this doesn't affect the fit at all.

Another thing I wasn't crazy about with my first version was that the lining was a little too flimsy for my wool outer.  I thought about lining this one in cotton lawn, but in the end I decided to forgo a lining altogether and just draft a facing.  After wearing my first skirt a few times, I felt like the lining just made everything shift around too much.  This fabric is quite heavy already and I didn't want to add any more bulk, especially since I always wear a slip, whether a skirt has a lining or not.  This was my first time drafting a facing, and even though it's a pretty simple thing to do, I was proud of myself for doing it - I'm usually very lazy about that kind of thing!


You can see that I also hand-stitched the hem to make it truly invisible, and only folded the hem allowance back once because the fabric is so bulky.

I was surprised that the velveteen was more difficult to work with than I'd expected it to be.  The layers wanted to shift sideways, so it was hard to get my seams even - I even ended up picking out the left side seam and re-doing it.  Of course on the very last seam I decided to switch to my brand-new roller foot and that worked wonders!  Lesson learned!

I'm really in love with this fabric, and very happy with how my skirt turned out.  After I took these pictures, I spent some time trying lots of different sweaters with it - there are so many colors in this print, it goes with a lot!


OK, now that that's taken care of,  2012 can end, and I can come back tomorrow and tell you what I'm thinking about for 2013!

Have a safe and happy New Year's Eve, everybody!

30 comments:

  1. I love this fabric, too! And you're not a dork ... it's important to mark the end of one year and the beginning of another! Big hugs!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Isn't it funny how we impose these imaginary boundaries on our lives? I know it's silly, but I can't seem to stop, LOL!

      Big hug to you!

      Delete
  2. That skirt looks gorgeous, I've admired that fabric on several blogs. You're going to be able to wear it with so many tops, all those you've pictured look great!

    Have a wonderful New Year, I can't wait to see what you're planning for 2013.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Sam! I used the same fabric but in a very deep teal to make my best friend a large cowl - it's so lovely. Honestly, I haven't seen an Anna Maria Horner fabric I didn't like!

      Happy New Year!

      Delete
  3. love the velveteen! that's the perfect pattern to showcase such a cool print.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I was hoping to make a skirt that had even more pleating in front, but now I'm a little worried the fabric is too heavy. I'm going to make some more tee shirts while I think it over ;-)

      Delete
  4. Oh wow! The skirt DOES go with everything! That looks like one of those pieces of clothing that you will pull out of the closet time and time again. I wish you a happy new year!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Pumpkin! Happy new year to you too!

      Delete
  5. I see you're learning right up through the last hours of 2012 ! !
    Just think of the growth you've experienced this year of 'dressmaking'
    makes ya wonder, What WILL 2013 bring ????

    holiday hugs

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hehehe - I'm hoping it brings a little more knitting! Poor knitting got a little shoved aside this year with all the sewing!

      Big hugs to you too!

      Delete
  6. Happy new year! Your skirt looks lovely, especially with the bottom right stripey top - but I am a sucker for stripes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Kirsty! Happy new year to you too! I also love mixing patterns, so I'm hoping the striped sweaters look good in real life when I try these on!

      Delete
  7. Don't worry about it!
    I'm going to take a wild guess and say that a fair portion of the people reading this blog are also dorks ;)

    Nothing wrong with that!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I do know I'm not alone in my love of list-making and organization! LOL!

      Delete
  8. Oh yay, how cute! What a versatile little skirt! You can make so many great pairings! Perfect!

    P.S. I grew up eating burek (Serbo-Croatian sp)-- yummy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! Isn't borek the best? I used my last package of the pastry leaves, so I'm going to have to stock up again.

      Delete
  9. Oh that fabric is amazing! Modelled pics please! :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. That looks like a boden skirt! Well done Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You caught me! Yes, it is heavily inspired by one in the catalog!

      Delete
  11. What a cute skirt! Well done for sneaking it onto the blog in 2012 (I didn't quite manage it with a couple of FOs!). I like your idea of always wearing a slip under skirts. I don't always want to sew a lining but then winter rolls around and I want to wear tights without the whole skirt stuck to tights issue. Perhaps I need to make myself a slip :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! I do find that skirts and dresses just hang better with a slip, whether they have a lining or not. Also, I'm kind of old-fashioned. Or just old. Take your pick!

      Delete
  12. Cute! Can't wait to see it modeled! But which top will you choose first?!?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! My favorite was the turquoise sweater in the top row, but you never know - sometimes things look different once you put them on than they do laying on the bed!

      Delete
  13. LOVE that fabric-- adorable skirt! Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Nicely done Gail! That print really is versatile and I'm so glad the second time with this pattern worked out. Have you worn it yet?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I haven't worn it yet, but I'm hoping to soon! I can see making this pattern over and over. Of course, that's not unusual for me, LOL!

      Delete
  15. It's real cool how you like texture and pattern. Velveteen is so soft and wonderful to the touch. I like how this fabric has all of the Pantone Fall 2012 colors in it and how you can wear it with lots of your wardrobe and even some cute boots or ankle ones besides heels.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, yeah, I did that Pantone thing on purpose!! ;-) hehehe

      I'm dying to wear this with some orange and pink flats I have :-) Or my brown motorcycle boots.

      Delete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.