Sewing a Skirt

Hello Lovelies, 

I've got a different sort of ta-dah to share with you today . As I mentioned in my previous post I've been inspired by this lovely blog to do a bit of dressmaking..............

When I ordered this pattern I thought I would make the dress , but when I sat down and studied the instructions I realised it was quite a tricksy project that may end in frustration . I needed a do-able project, that would not end up half finished, to satisfy my garment making goal.

Another reason for making the skirt on this occasion was lack of fabric. I wanted to use up something from my stash and the skirt only required one and a half yards of fabric.......there was just enough of this pretty floral design I picked up in a charity shop ages ago..........

I don't have a lot of modern sewing gadgets like cutting wheels , but I do like this air erasable pen I bought after seeing one used by the supremely talented  Fiona at Marmalade Rose...........

My sewing skills are pretty rusty. I learnt at school , and then carried on making my own clothes at home in my teenage years and early twenties. In those days it was a good way of saving money as shop bought items were relatively expensive in comparison. These days the opposite is probably true. Fabric is expensive as are all the extras like patterns and thread etc.
But still I think there is something lovely about wearing a garment made by yourself, or making a garment for a loved one.
Though I would of liked more shop bought clothes when I was growing up I'm glad that necessity made me learn how to cope with the basics of dressmaking.........

I really enjoyed making this skirt. Any bits of hand sewing I did in the garden.........

Here is the finished object, Ta- dah.....

It took me quite a long time for such a simple project, I needed to use my brain a lot to remember skills that have not been needed for many years .
 I read and re-read the pattern instructions many times to try and avoid any mistakes. I stitched slooowly on mums old sewing machine to try and get a neat finish.
I'm especially proud of my stitching " in the ditch" where the waistband meets the skirt, you can barely see it at all.........

And the zipper turned out ok considering I didn't have a zipper foot for the machine.......

the pattern actually called for an invisible zip placed in the side seam , but I had no idea how to do that so I modified the pattern it include a back seam and placed the zip there ( to avoid the pockets )

Here is the inside hem and side seam.........

One of the things I liked most about this pattern were the roomy pockets . I used some pretty contrasting fabric for the lining .........

Sorry , there does seem to be rather a lot of close ups :0)... this is the waistband fastener...........

And finally ( phew ) I had a bit of fun adding an exclusive designer label :0)

I've had these labels  lying around for ages.

Here it is being modelled by me ( photos courtesy of Mr BM ) .........

It's very comfortable to wear and I think ( hope ) it looks flattering.......

Love those pockets......

I enjoyed making this skirt and I'm happy and relieved that it will actually get worn  . I'm even tempted to make another , now I'm familiar with the pattern. But then again maybe I ought to get back to one of my  crochet WIP's .
Jacquie x