FO: Burgundy Melissa Skirt

It feels like this project has been a long time coming, but technically speaking it was only waiting for a few months. I am always on the look out for "Melissa Skirt Fabric" everywhere I shop. My brown version is still a beloved item in spite of its fading and tattered condition (I will be dying is soon just because I love it so much). I made that out of some brown mystery fabric I got from a thrift store and it turned out to be the best possible fabric for this skirt. The fabric feels like a cotton but it doesn't wrinkle much at all, plus it is heavy enough to not show every bump on my body, plus the fit is great and doesn't bag out throughout the day. I've made many other versions trying to replicate the love I have for that brown skirt, all to have them be disappointing due to the fabric. A couple months ago - in another thrift store - I found some fabric that was the closest I've seen. I actually bought an entire comforter bag full of fabric just to get this one piece and I donated the rest immediately back to the store, lol. I knew it was going to be a Melissa skirt, but I just had to wait until I had the time to get it sewn up.

I seriously love this pattern. It's the Melissa Dress and Skirt by Muse Patterns. I really should make up the dress version sometime since that is really the main attraction of the pattern, but I just love this skirt so darn much, guys. It's a lovely gored skirt with a flared shape and awesome pockets. All the skirts I've made with this pattern have been solid colors, so the neat shaped pockets really stand out (and I get compliments on just the pockets all the time). I do have to widen the pocket panel pieces by a 1/2" on each side to get my hands in them comfortably, but with these straight panels it's a super simple adjustment to make. They are even wide enough to fit my very large new phone, which is wonderful. My buttons had to be purchased just for this skirt - it is crazy that with as many buttons as I own tha tI didn't have anything suitable, but in the end I just bit the bullet and bought some new from Hobby Lobby and I'm very happy with them. They are metal and have a filigree design so the burgundy of the fabric shows through them.

I've also perfected the fit of the pack over all my versions - I do an on-the-fly sway back adjustment by angling 1" out at the upper center back seam. This version is the best fit I've ever achieved on the back. This is the first time I've made this pattern up since I got my serger going and oh man, did that make it go faster! Normally I overcast all the seam allowances with my sewing machine and then top stitch them down, which is super time consuming when you take into account how slow overcasting is with a regular machine. This time I just zipped it through the serger and then top stitched without having to change everything on my machine each time. So quick.

And now onto the disappointment of this version :/ I guess it was a trade off since the back fits so nicely - I'm sure you've noticed that the front does not. I technically know why this happened - my waist angles down from my hip over a very short span, not a nice gentle line like most patterns are designed for. This time that meant that my waist turned out a little too big but it's a bit tight over my high hip, causing a rather unattractive dent in my abdomen at the second button. I know how to fix this in theory, but it would take a ton of unpicking and redoing, which I flat out do not have the time to do right now. Maybe sometime in the future I will remove the waistband, increase the curve to the waistband at the sides and on the front gores, then reattach the waistband. Ugh, I am sick of it just typing that up, lol. So we shall see.

Overall, I still enjoy this skirt :) It may not be perfect, but I rarely wear my shirts tucked in so the issues are mainly covered throughout the day meaning I can wear it in spite of its issues. And what a great thing it is to have this skirt! It goes with a surprising amount of tops in my wardrobe, and this fabric is fantastic. It doesn't wrinkle, it drapes away from the body, it's hefty enough to withstand a strong breeze without exposure, and it's still soft and breathable. I have more of this fabric, so maybe down the road I can address all my fit issues and make this again - or maybe just suck it up and fix this one so I can make something else with the excess, lol. Anyway, I'm glad I have another Melissa in my closet and in the perfect color for fall :)

Summary:
Fabric: 1.5 yards mystery cotton blend twill - $1.50 (thrifted)
Pattern: Melissa Skirt by Muse Patterns
Notions: Pellon SF101 fusible interfacing - $1.50, 8 metal shank buttons - $4.27, thread - $3.00
Time:
Total Cost: $ 10.27