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Sunday, June 13, 2010

Skirts, Skirts, Skirts

I'm on a skirt kick right now. Skirts are fun to sew, easy to fit, and comfortable to wear. They can be dressed up or down. I love to wear skirts, especially in the summer, and so I decided to sew a few for myself. Both these skirts are made from the same pattern, and yes, it's from Ottobre.

Pattern: Ottobre 05/07 Design #4
This easy to sew lined skirt has a curved, fitted waistband and closes with an invisible zipper down the center back seam. The magazine gives three variations of this same pattern. I like that it only takes one yard of 60" wide fabric.

Skirt #1: I made this blue floral skirt first.


Fabric used: I used a stretch cotton that I discovered does not really have enough drape for this pattern. The skirt tends to stand out from my body, but hopefully after I wash it a few times it will hang better. One way to fix this problem would be to take out some of the flare from the pattern, but I don't feel like taking it apart to do so. So, I'll leave it alone as is. The skirt is lined with lining fabric from my stash.


Changes and Construction details: I like my skirts to fit about 1" below my natural waist. I think this pattern must run big because I had to take bigger seam allowances to make it fit right. I should have compared my low-waist measurement to the pattern pieces instead of just going by the pattern measurement chart.

I interfaced both the waistband and the waistband facing to give the waist extra body and to prevent the waistline seam from stretching out.

Oh, I just love my Pfaff invisible zipper foot. For years I sewed invisible zippers with a generic plastic foot, but let me tell you, the "real" foot works 100% better.

Skirt #2: What do you think? Is this next skirt too little-girl or too "homeschool mom" for me? My 2 older daughters at home seem to think so. I kind of like it, though. Casual for summer and hey, just about any color top matches.

Fabric: The fabric is a lightweight denim with appliqued flowers. I bought this fabric at Hancock's because it was marked down at a good price. This fabric is not something I normally would choose for myself, but I found that I love this skirt in this fabric.

Changes and Construction details: I took off some of the fullness/flare of the a-line skirt by taking off two inches at the side seam hem and tapering up to the original waistline. Also, the lightweight denim does not require the wearing of a slip, so I did not line the skirt. The waistband is faced with a red floral print. I stabilized the waistband seam with twill tape to prevent stretching.


Conclusion: I love this pattern, I love both skirts, and who knows, I may make another one...or two....

Coming soon: With the remaining fabric, I made this sweet skirt for Emily using a delightful pattern from Sew Blessed Designs. I'll tell you about it next time.

Happy Sewing,



11 comments:

  1. Cute, Cute and cute!!! And no, the denim skirt isn't too "homeschool mom", it would have to be lots longer with no cute flowers on it.....(hee-hee)
    Blessings,
    Linda

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  2. AnonymousJune 14, 2010

    Nice skirts, I love to wear them too!
    Greetings from Switzerland
    Chnuesi (Iris)

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  3. Very cute skirts. I think the denim one is darling.

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  4. The denim skirt is perfect for summer and doesn't say "homeschool mom" at all. It says fun mom!:)

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  5. Cute!! I love them both, no homeschool mom vibes here either, haha. :D (ps, I love that pattern too!)

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  6. I love the denim skirt! It reminds me of the stuff they sell on the Boden website and their clothes are definitely very cool! Nice job!!!!

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  7. I love skirts, too. Your skirts are cute. I especially love Skirt No. 2.

    Trudy
    www.sewingwithtrudy.blogspot.com

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  8. I like them both. The second one looks fun and great for going almost anywhere! I'm not a homeschool Mom and I'd wear it :)

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  9. Both skirts are great, especially the denim. I like a-line skirts because they're flattering and more practical than straighter skirts, especially for homeschooling moms, hehe.

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  10. Very cute! I like them both!

    And I agree with the others, the second one does not say "homeschool mom". I think you need a denim jumper dragging on the ground to convey that message. ;-)

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  11. Adorable skirts! I love that you can throw on a pair of flip flops or sandals with a skirt and top and just go.

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