FINISHED! Gathered spring skirt with a splash of fluro

This year really is the year of the skirts.. and here is another one!

When I went to Addicted to Fabric the other day (and came out with the fabric for my Tokyo jacket and O'Keefe skirt) I originally went in there to buy this fabric. At the time I didn't end up buying it as it is a very light weight voile (not what I had remembered) and of course I got distracted with the other fabric.  But it stayed in my mind until finally I decided last week that I had to buy it. Just in time too as I bought the last 1.5 m.

Due to it's lightweight nature, I thought a simple gathered skirt might work well and now that I have my Cami dress I am feeling slightly more comfortable with the silhouette. Anyway, forget how it looks, they just are fun to wear.

It is a pretty basic skirt. It has side seam pockets and is lined in a very cool aqua voile - I should have taken a picture of it.

I made up the pattern with major reference to Gertie's tutorial (and I used my Cami pockets). I used this Colette tutorial for attaching the waistband (I prefer the zipper to go up through the waistband rather than having a fold over waistband (if that makes sense)).  I thought about making the Zinnia which I have bought, but didn't think I'd have enough fabric for the way the pattern pieces are cut and I'll admit that I was just looking for a quick and easy make and didn't feel like printing out the pattern and taping it together. I am supposed to be doing fete sewing - not selfish sewing!

In general it is a nicely put together make and I surprised myself by hand sewing the waist band and the hem. There was no way I could match thread with this fabric for the hem.  The only thing I'm a bit disappointed about is the inside of the invisible zipper.  With my Charlotte skirt I handsewed the lining onto the zipper but for some reason I followed incorrectly the instructions for the Zinnia and thought I could sew the lining and the outer fabric together.  I shouldn't have been mixing and matching my instructions! By the time I realised the mistake my lining was already beautifully sewn into my waistband and I wasn't sure how to back out of the situation I found myself in.  I didn't take a photo of the innards.  It doesn't look bad - I did tidy up in there but it could be a bit nicer.  Is there a way of sewing the lining onto an invisible zipper?

Apart from that I made a lot of ''I'm thinking about too many things and I should be doing them rather than this skirt - but I really want to make this now'' errors, so the unpicker got a workout. It is always the way when I think it's going to be a quick and easy make!  But all's well that ends well and I have a fun spring skirt to wear.

What I really want is a stripy tee to wear with it. But out of the 8 stripy tops I own - none of them quite worked - can you believe it! The 8 tops? Or that none of them were exactly right? Both probably. I also popped by the shops this afternoon running other errands and to the moans of my boys who I dragged along with me - couldn't find the right top there either. I guess I'll just have to make one!
OK, no more selfish sewing. Got to get onto sewing for two fetes (first one this saturday if you are in Canberra), organising a 5 year old birthday party and getting ready for a Halloween morning tea.

Wanted! A pattern for this skirt!

I'm a bit down on the sew jo at the moment. I can't seem to decide on a project.  But... I just saw this skirt by Richard Nicoll on The Outnet.  I just love this skirt (and how about those shoes :)). I love the sewn down pleats.  A lot more flattering on me I think than just a straight circle skirt.  Sadly, this isn't in my size.
Does anyone know a pattern that would sort of match this so I can make my own?   

All photos courtesy of theoutnet.com

Karma

the offending Diane von Furstenberg skirt, photo from the outnet.com

Last week, after giving my green cord skirt away I bought this skirt from theoutnet.com at a heavily reduced price.  I felt a bit bad about it.  I know I could probably make this, actually probably not, but couldn't help myself.  I easily convinced myself about how well it would go with ALL my clothes.  I fell in love with the colour, the buttons, the way it fit the manequin... which of course meant it is going to fit me perfectly.. even though the mannequin is 5'8" and I'd be lucky if I was 5'2". Anway,  I was sold. So bought it and waited anxiously for it to arrive on my door.  I tracked that skirt all the way from London to Canberra where it arrived in record time at 5.08am on Monday morning.  Yes!  I only live about 5 mins from the courier depot, so thought that the skirt might even arrive before I go to work.  Yes! Yes?  No.  No it didn't arrive on Monday, and no it didn't arrive on Tuesday.  Someone rang and asked what suburb I live in, they had the postcode but not the suburb.  Surely they could have looked it up, but, now they have the suburb surely it will arrive in the afternoon. No.  Not Tuesday, not Wednesday, not Thursday.  I've rung everywhere trying to find my poor little lost skirt but no-one knows where it is. Please turn up little skirt - and please fit when you finally turn up!