I used Simplicity 5914 - an old favorite of mine. I believe this is the fifth time I've used it.
I made view "F" without the belt carriers (upper or lower right corner). Here are a few details:
I constructed the skirt with "quick flat-fell" seams, from the instructions in The Complete Book of Sewing Short Cuts, by Claire Shaeffer. I favor this seam because it looks very similar to the traditional, double-stitched, flat-fell seam found on ready-to-wear garments, yet it is self-finishing (note:I did not use this technique to sew the side seams, due to the zipper).
I finished the hem allowance and raw facing edges with a plaid fabric from the scrap box. I love the way color can be added to the inside of a garment by using a bright fabric strip for a hong-kong finish!
The seams were so thick that I finished the raw edge of the hem allowance and top stitched the hem in place, rather than folding the allowance under and stitching through a triple thickness.
The only changes I made, aside from the top stitched hem, were using an invisible zipper instead of a lapped application, and lengthening the skirt pieces at the cutting stage. This skirt is simple to make, goes together quickly, and the style seems to flatter a variety of figures. I like the smooth fit of the top, combined with the flare of the gores.
On a slightly different topic, I still haven't cut out the coat dress, but I did preshrink the fabrics. I steam pressed the linen, and to preshrink the silk organza, I shut it in the bathroom for an hour, hanging over a tub full of hot water. I'll post more about this project as it progresses.
3 comments:
I LOVE this skirt. The changes you made look so clean and smooth. I'm taking note of the pattern and saving your changes so I can refer to them, when-if I get the opportunity to sew a few things for myself before cool weather arrives!
Thank you, 'Ailina!
Oh yes, I remembered two things that I forgot to mention when originally writing this post:
1.) I cut the skirt in the size that corresponded to my measurements, yet I had to use 1/2" seam allowances on the side seams, rather than the intended 5/8," in order to make it fit. I believe this is because I had forgotten to enlarge the seam allowances to 3/4" for the quick flat-fell seams on the side/front and side/back seams of the skirt (extra fabric tends to be absorbed in the folds of the seams when a heavier material, such as denim, is being used). So this skirt may have had a slightly looser fit in the top, had I remembered to add extra width to the seam allowances (I hope I'm writing this so that it makes sense!).
2.) The thread I used for all of the stitching on the right side of the skirt is a sort of thread that is made for sewing with denim. It's a multi-colored blue thread that is slightly thicker than all-purpose thread.
wow! you do beautiful work. so perfect!
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