Butterick High-Waist Skirt

Here are few photos of a skirt that I actually started long before my coat project, but recently finished with a hem late in December. This post is a little overdue, but I didn't have any photos for until this past week.

This skirt comes from an old 1950's Butterick pattern; I followed the instructions closely, with the exception of a few minor changes.

Originally this skirt was for myself, but I'm not too sure it works for me. I had cut this one out long before I started considering designs that flatter short-waisted people, and the high-waist visually decreases my torso :-(  Fortunately for my sister, it's just her size and she wears it well! She was kind enough to model it for me:

The fabric is a black wool gabardine. The pattern does not mention lining the skirt, but I added one for a nice finish on the inside.

Originally, the skirt was quite long - at least mid-calf. I trimmed and hemmed it to end just below the knee.

Because the skirt is very full, a bit of structure is required to uphold the midriff and prevent the weight of the skirt from pulling it downward. For this, the pattern calls for canvas interfacing and boning. I used scraps of hair canvas leftover from a jacket project, along with covered feather-weight boning. The casing for the boning is stitched the to the interfacing so that it lies directly behind the "princess" seams of the skirt. In the photo below, I've turned up the facing to show the interfacing and boning:

Once the top of the skirt is faced, a ribbon waist-stay is stitched to the facing at the waistline. The fit of the stay is very snug so that the skirt is anchored at the waist. I also added hanging loops, as the top the skirt is shaped in such a way that it fits awkwardly onto a skirt hanger.

Nice little details like these are typical of vintage patterns, so this was a neat project . . .  even if I'm the one wearing the skirt in the end ;-)

Simplicity 4233 . . . a Skirt "Refashioned"

I can't believe it's been over six months since I've last posted any updates here! Things have been a bit busy for me, as other aspects of my life have been consuming my time, making my sewing projects somewhat sparse. Within the past month, however, my pace has started to pick up a bit, with efforts toward using my ever-increasing pile of scraps, experimenting with alterations on ready-to-wear clothing, and remaking old items to be more wearable. This particular project is a skirt that I recently remade using Simplicity 4233 (which is now out of print).



The original skirt (pictured above) was one that I purchased at a consignment shop a few years ago, thinking that it might be cute to wear, but after trying it on, I found it to be less than flattering; the heavy gathering and wide sash only seemed to create bulk in the hip area. It had quite a bit of fabric in it, though, making me wonder if I couldn't possibly turn it into something else - especially since the Simplicity pattern had been waiting in my "stash" for some time and offered a way to use the embroidery at the fabric's border. After dismantling the skirt, I found enough material for the pattern pieces, and this is what it looks like now:



The pattern went together easily, though I have to confess I didn't really follow the instructions much. I needed to insert a lining, an invisible zipper, and a hem facing, which changed the construction process considerably. For the interfacing, I actually basted a scrap of woven shirting fabric to the yolk pieces. Even though the color of the interfacing is a little lighter than the the fashion fabric, it doesn't show through when the skirt is being worn. . . yet strangely enough, looks like it must have been illuminated by the flash of the camera ;-)





The original skirt was lined, so I reused the lining by cutting the top of it to fit the bottom of the yolk pieces. With all of this re-cutting, however, the skirt panels actually ended up being slightly longer and the lining panels slightly shorter, so I tried to make the lining hem as narrow as possible. The pictures above and below also show the hem facing that covers the embroidery on the interior. This was salvaged from the original, too, as it conceals and protects the wrong side of the embroidery while providing a nice finish for the hem. In addition, I understitched the seam that attaches the the facing to the lower edge of the skirt to make the seam roll slightly inward and prevent it from showing on the outside of the garment.



For the most part, this project was rather enjoyable - it can be interesting to take a garment that would not have otherwise been worn and use the fabric to make something wearable, not to mention being able to try a new pattern, as well.

Brown "Trumpet" Skirt

This post is really about more than one skirt, as this skirt design didn't come from a commercial pattern, but is a copy from a ready-to-wear garment. It all started when I bought this skirt I found on a sale rack about four years ago. . .



It has eight identical panels that are trumpet shaped - starting very narrow at the waist and curving out to form a flared hemline. I liked the way that the skirt fit so much that I wanted a second one. I decided that it couldn't be too hard to take a pattern off the skirt and make it myself, especially after I'd met a girl a week or two before who had described to me a method for doing it.

I didn't take any pictures at the time, but I'll describe it the best I can: I found a piece of corrugated cardboard that was at least as big as one of the skirt's panels and placed it inside the skirt. Smoothing one of the panels out to be completely flat and centering it over the cardboard, I inserted sewing pins in all of the seam lines along the edges of the panel. Pushing the pins into the cardboard created a series of holes that outlined the shape of the panel. I then removed the pins, pulled out the cardboard, and used a marker to "connect the dots" preschool-style with the marks the pins had left. After that, all I had to do was re-trace the shape onto pattern paper and add seam and hem allowances.

It was very easy to do because I only had to copy one panel and there were no darts in it. Eager to test my new pattern, I made this skirt:



This brown skirt is the most recent garment I made with this pattern, when I needed a basic brown skirt this past February/March. The construction is super simple! Seam eight panels, add a waistband and a zipper, hem the lower edge, and it's finished.




I finished the inside of the waistband with a cotton print to add a bit of color.

Black Gabardine Skirt

I've finally got a few pictures of a black wool skirt that I had worked on and completed in December of '08. I meant to post about it sooner but hadn't taken photos until just now. At any rate, here's a view of the front:





For the pattern, I used Simplicity 9825; I've used it once before to make a denim skirt and pulled it out again to use up a generous scrap of black gabardine left over from another project. I modified its design this time by adding hip pockets and flaring the hemline. Here's a side picture; if you look closely, you can see the pocket opening:



To make the pockets, I drafted a simple pattern by using the dimensions of a pocket on a ready-to-wear skirt. The hemline of each panel has been flared by 4 to 5 inches at the side seam. I would have liked to flare them even wider, but I was somewhat limited by the size of the fabric scrap ;)



Other modifications include an added lining, an invisible zipper instead of a lapped zipper, and swing tacks connecting the skirt and lining hems. The construction was fairly simple, but the wool gabardine did not hold creases especially well, so I catch-stitched some of the seam allowances in place when working on the yolk. I also recommend this blog post by Dawn of Secret Pocket; I found her hemming tip very helpful when stitching the hem into place =)

More Fall Sewing

Several weeks ago, I finished another denim skirt for fall.





I used Simplicity 5914 again; I must be one of those "pattern repeaters"!

I lengthened this skirt by 5 1/2 inches to make it super long for the cold-weather months. This caused the gored panels to become even more flared than they would have otherwise been, resulting in a very, very full hem (great for the twirly-skirt-loving people). Here are a few more details:

Materials and Notions Used:
- Medium-heavyweight denim. I pre-washed and dried it twice to discourage shrinking, then I soaked it in a salt and vinegar solution to help prevent crocking or bleeding, and finished the process with a machine rinse and dry. This is the first time I've tried this method of sealing the fabric's dye.
- Denim colored thread (black for the bobbin)
- Navy invisible zipper
- Bias cut strips from my fabric scrap box (used to bind facing and hem edges)

Seams:
For the side front and side back seams, I sewed welt seams. I used them not only to add detail, but also to minimize bulk and to prevent the seam allowances from being ruffled about when laundered. The side seams are plain seams.

Hem:
I hemmed this skirt the same way I hemmed my other denim skirt, except that this hem is deeper (a telltale sign that this skirt is not ready-to-wear! Generally, on a RTW garment, the fuller the hem, the narrower it will be).


I also made a jean skirt for my sister, which is identical to my last denim skirt, except that it's ankle length (sorry - no pictures!). Having used this pattern seven times, it's needless to say that it's one of my favorites when it comes to sewing skirts!

A Skirt for Fall

Here's a denim skirt that I finished a few weeks ago, made in preparation for fall:







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.

Simplicity 9825 {pictures}

Here are some photos of a jean skirt I made using Simplicity 9825.

Front:


Back:


Zipper detail:


Yolk detail:


Inside detail:


Hem detail:


Details of the construction can be found here.