FO: Black Fiore Skirt

 

Shortly after finishing my first wrap style Fiore skirt, I had the idea of how nice it would look in some black linen I had on hand. The idea ruminated for a while until a few days before my 20th Highschool Reunion and I thought how nice it would be to wear that. I sewed this over just a few nights and I'm very glad I did :)

So this is the Fiore Skirt by Closet Core Patterns. I used some beautiful medium weight black linen from Fabrics-Store.com - this fabric has their signature finish and I have to say it's my favorite from them. I've used this in white and black and I've washed and worn the items several times and it's just a lovely flow to this fabric. It's heavy enough to not see through but light enough to drape and flow beautifully. It's also extremely comfortable - both soft and breezy. Love it. 

This version is a wrap skirt that is just held on with 2 buttons at the waist. The wrap covers the entire front so I don't have any fear of drafts and flashing things. 

The single pocket is the only thing I'm on the fence about. It's not that I don't like it - this pocket is huge and I can put heavy things in it without any distortion to the skirt outside, which I love. The only hard thing is getting used to having just one pocket and it being on the left side. I tend to favor the right pocket most of the time, so it takes extra brain power to not go for the right out of habit when I wear this skirt.

This lighter weight linen definitely lends itself better to the drape front than the heavy weight linen I used the first time. The other one is fine, but the drape always seems to want to pull away from the skirt in that version I think because the edge is so thick with the interfacing and a facing and whatnot. This one hugs a bit better, which I like. I used an orphan vintage black button from my stash on the outside and I used a clear button on the inside since no one would see it and it sits very flat. Things I've learned since the last skirt.

And this was my completed outfit from my High School Reunion. I wore this skirt with my White Gable Top and this amazing silk butterfly wing printed jacket I got at a thrift store. It's Chicos brand and I have no idea if it's new or vintage - it could be 90s judging by the tag, but I'm not sure. It's a size small, but it fits me wonderfully, so I guess it was intended to have a looser fit. While I was at the reunion, a girl came up to me and said, "Well clearly you are doing very well for yourself. You look very put together," and seriously that made all this effort worthwhile, lol. It's funny that we can still fool those around us by dressing well. I did love this outfit and I felt great in it. I love having this skirt in my wardrobe as it's such a nice basic with a little something special about it. 

Summary:

Fabric: 2 yards of 5.3 oz black linen (signature finish) from Fabrics-Store.com = $ 25.38

Pattern: Fiore Skirt by Closet Core Patterns

Notions: 2 buttons - Free, black thread - $ 1.00

Time: 5 Hours

Total Cost: $ 26.38

FO: Natural Linen Fiore Skirt

 

After the success of my Mustard Fiore, I immediately wanted to try out the version with the drape front. I had a mental image of a chocolate brown linen one, so I tried dying some of the same heavy weight linen from my mustard version only to have it turn out a strange purple color. Since I really wanted to get this made up, I decided to just make one in the original natural linen color while I worked out my dying problems.

This skirt is unique to any other I've made in that it is deliberately designed with only one pocket. It's a wrap design (which I actually didn't know until after I was making this, lol), so one side has a massive pocket but the other side has the button closure. The fit of the back and side are the same as my previous version, which is nice.

This skirt was a beast to cut out. I have a 3x3 foot table I use for cutting that has 2 leaves and folds out to be 3x6 feet - very handy - but this particular pattern was still a pain. My fabric was 60 inches wide, so I needed 2 yards for this skirt, which would normally be no big deal, but given the asymmetry of the design it meant that this entire pattern had to be cut flat. There are only 2 pieces that are identical and mirror each other (the back pieces), unlike every other skirt I've ever made where both sides are mirrored. The pieces are almost all on different grain lines too, so I couldn't just lay the pieces straight and cut them out. I don't think I've ever stuck so close to a cutting diagram in my life, but in the end it was the perfect layout to get all the pieces in the space. The big problem was the 60 inch width on a 36 inch wide table. I wanted to pin all the pieces in place before I cut any out just to make sure I fit them all fine, but the skirt back piece had to be cut out twice, so I had to start by cutting one of those and then moving the pattern piece, which meant sliding the fabric back and forth on my cutting table. The whole cutting process took over an hour and a half, which just feels nuts, but I managed to get it all cut out in one evening so it was ready to sew the next.

The sewing of this was extremely straight forward - I had to keep the pattern pieces with my cut out fabric pieces while I was assembling it because my fabric has no front and back and I didn't want to accidentally flip the pieces the wrong direction, but other than that it was kind of mindless. The sewing itself went by without a hitch and I had the whole skirt assembled and seams finished off in about an hour. Then I had to make buttonholes. I really love my new sewing machine, but my one HUGE complaint is anytime I need to sew buttonholes with it. You wouldn't think a machine that could stitch an image of your face onto something would have such a hard time with something as simple as a buttonhole, but it seems to screw up royally if I need buttonholes in any slightly thick area or close to the edge of something. I've never seen another machine use this type of foot for buttonholes, and I can absolutely tell you why - because it sucks. This whole project made me even more motivated to learn how to use my old mechanical buttonholer and my featherweight machine next time I need buttonholes. 

We got there in the end with the buttonholes, but it took me as long to sew these 2 buttonholes as it took to sew the entire skirt together. Now that they are done, I love how they turned out. I just don't ever want to look at the holes themselves too closely ever again. I used buttons from my stash, which incidentally are the bigger version of the same buttons I used for the mustard version. What can I say? It's a good button. These are 19mm and solid metal, so I know they will hold up for the life for this skirt. The pocket is also absolutely fantastic - it's big enough to hold whatever I want, but nothing shows from the outside - no pulling or sagging fabric of any kind - it's all completely hidden inside. Love it.

I have to confess that I was very skeptical of this skirt even as I was making it. .I didn't know it was a wrap, which I've never gone for before because I'm always worried of a swift breeze exposing me, but now that it's done... I absolutely love this skirt. It feels so swishy without being too fancy for daily wear. The wrap covers the entire front and I have never once felt in danger of exposing anything (not even when I sit with my legs crossed). I love it with the top in these photos, but it's such a neutral color that it goes with a lot of tops in my wardrobe. This skirt is comfy but feels very put together. I'm already planning a black version in a medium weight linen and I can't wait to have that. I bought this pattern for the button front version, but this one just has that little extra ~je ne sais quoi~ that you can get from home-sewn clothing. I definitely recommend sewing this up if you haven't yet!

Summary:

Fabric: 2 yards of 7.1 oz Natural Rustic Linen - $28.54

Pattern: Fiore Skirt by Closet Core Patterns

Notions: Pellon SF101 Interfacing - $1.00, thread - $0.50, 2 metal 19mm buttons (La Petite style 938) - $1.00

Time: 5 hours

Total: $31.04

FO: Fiore Skirt in Mustard Linen

When I cut out my linen Cielo Top, I cut out this skirt at the same time. I had hoped to have a complete linen outfit, and while that didn't quite work out that way, I do still love both pieces individually. 

This is the Fiore Skirt by Closet Core Patterns - another piece of the Rome collection I bought last Thanksgiving. I knew I wanted to make up View C - the button front with big pockets - and the other view with the drape front is also on my list to try in the future. I sewed up a straight size 16 based on my waist measurement since that's really the only fitted area and this worked great.

For this version, I used some heavy weight linen (7.1 oz) from Fabrics-Store.com in the Sand colorway, which is a lovely deep mustard yellow. This was in their "doggie bag" section where they sell remnant pieces at a discount, so I got it for a cheaper price, but that meant I only got the 1.5 yard cut.

My skirt is a between length as far as the pattern goes. I cut my pieces out as long as I could with the 1.5 yards of fabric I had. To squeak out the length, I used my scraps to make bias tape for the hem. My bias is pieced from smaller bits - there are probably 8 seams in my bias binding - but this is a great trick I learned from altering thrifted clothing and it saves the day all the time. I'm frequently using a limited amount of fabric, so knowing how to squeak by has been incredibly handy. Because of using bias tape for the hem, I only lost 1/2 inch of the length, and I'm pretty happy with that. Would I have liked it a smidge longer? Sure. But it's still a comfy length and covers what I need it to. And I got this out of 1/2 a yard less than the pattern calls for, so kudos to me, lol. It was touch and go while cutting out, so I'm just happy I could make it work.

I do absolutely love the pockets on this pattern - they're a fantastic size and shape. They can fit my phone easily, which is always a nice bonus in any pocket. My one and only gripe about this skirt is the pockets though, but only due to my lack of forethought. Linen tends to bag out in general, but given the shape of these pockets and the weight of the things I need to put in them at work, they bag out kind of ridiculously. I wore this skirt to work once before taking these photos and the pockets looked really saggy by the end of the day. I ironed them before taking these photos, which helped, but they still bag a bit. 

I followed the button layout for the front, and I had my usual problem of it gaping between the upper buttons. This is something I have happen in every button skirt I own, so this is just the shape of my abdomen. I've accepted it. To remedy this, I just added a snap between the top buttons and you can't even see it from the outside. 

These buttons worked out so perfectly for this skirt - they were in my stash from YEARS ago from the clearance section of a sewing shop here locally. They are solid metal 5/8 inch buttons with a kind of vine design on them. Lovely. I only had 6 in this size plus 2 more that were 3/4 inch, but thankfully i was able to just use the 6 smaller ones and not use a bigger one at the top. I just love that these buttons add just the right touch for a simple yet different skirt.

While my original outfit idea didn't work out with the Cielo top, it does work really well with the 3 shirts I made just after this (one of which is this white Gable top), which is really nice. This color goes well with a lot of things I already had in my wardrobe too. I just love a good mustard yellow. So that's my first Fiore! There will definitely be more of this skirt in the future. I wear skirts everyday, and a flowy A-line like this is my favorite shape. I've also made view B with the drape front, so stay tuned to see how that one turned out :)

Summary:

Fabric: 1.5 yards 7.1 oz Linen in the Sand colorway Fabrics-Store.com = $24.72

Pattern: Fiore Skirt by Closet Case Patterns - $12.00

Notions: Pellon SF101 fusible interfacing - $1.00, thread - $0.50, 6 buttons - $2.00

Time: 7 hours

Total Cost: $ 40.22

FO: Cielo in Bleached Linen

Friends - I kind of can't believe I'm actually typing this sentence, but... I'VE BEEN SEWING MYSELF SOME CLOTHES! I've been wanting to get back into sewing clothing for SO LONG. My weight has been so up and down (and extreme) for the last few years, plus I've just been spread so thin with time that I couldn't make it happen even if I wanted to. This past July, I used my Sewing Studio trip as the kick in the pants to actually make myself some clothes. I bought a big cut of this lovely bleached linen and decided I would finally make the Cielo top as my first foray back into sewing for myself with entirely different measurements than I ever had before when I was sewing, so it's like starting completely fresh.

So this is the Cielo Top & Dress from Closet Core Patterns. Obviously I'm really late to the party on this one, but last Thanksgiving I bought the whole Rome pattern collection (Cielo Top, Pietra Pants, Fiore Skirt) and I was really excited to try them out even then. So when I decided I was officially going to make something for myself, this was an obvious first choice back. I combined it with a fabric I was also excited about: medium weight linen. I've become slightly obsessed with the idea of converting my wardrobe to natural fibers, especially linen. I hunt for it at thrift stores and buy fabric online. I made this up in a 5.3 oz bleached linen from Fabrics-Store.com that I got on their 38% off introductory deal when you give them your email. Just going by my shopping in a store at the beginning of July and then comparing online, their regular prices on their linen are fair, but when you add 38% off - I was all over it. It's weird - I'm still a very "cheap" person in terms of how much I'm willing to spend on fabric and clothing in general, but this past few months I've had a switch in my brain to being willing to pay for quality natural fibers that will last. I'm still cheap - still shop in thrift stores and all that - but I have been more mentally ok with spending the money on linen and merino and silk - all the things on the higher end of the price spectrum. Not sure what happened there. Anyway - this fabric is a lovely, medium weight that is not too sheer. I wear religious garments, so white shirts can be problematic when the fabric shows more than I want it to. This weight of linen is perfect for me, but I will confess their 3.7 oz is a little too sheer for my comfort (just in case you wanted to get some for yourself). 

The pattern is a boxy top with a few sleeve options (hint: this sleeve isn't one of them). The top itself just has some darts at the front and a back shoulder yoke - that's the only shaping. I do love the back yoke and it really helps for telling front from back when getting dressed. I'm not usually one to go for the boxy silhouette, but I had seen some versions made up in a drapey fabric and thought I could make it work for myself.

After looking through lots of Cielo tops on Instagram, I decided I wanted to hack this to have a puffed short sleeve. This was very easy to do - I just used the gathered long sleeve top piece for the volume, then I made a straight cuff for the hem and gathered the bottom into that at the length that I wanted. Easy peasy. 

The pattern certainly did come out very boxy. I'm fine with the looseness, but what I don't love is how far the armscye drops on me or how wide the shoulders were. As I've been getting used to sewing for my "new body", I've noticed that my shoulder area is usually a much smaller size than the rest of me - Example: this top was sewn to my size in the chart - 16 - but I took the shoulders in 5/8 inches on each side and then are still a bit too wide. That's several sizes smaller in the shoulder than the body. I made a different top shortly after this and laid my finished (i.e. shoulder narrowed) top on the original pattern and I went from a 16 body to an 8 shoulder. Crazy. Anyway, I couldn't do anything about the armscye at the time, but if I make this again I think I will have to make the same type of change and raise the arm hole up to a different size. 

Personally, I think the boxy shape looks good on people if the other areas fit perfectly, so next time I will make sure the shoulders and armscye are spot on and see how that effects how I feel about wearing it. I also need to make sure of the length before I cut next time. 

This was the shirt version, which is designed to be a bit cropped so I deliberately cut my pieces longer, but given my long torso it still came out very cropped indeed. I had to make bias binding with the scraps so that I could preserve as much length as possible. I don't love how this made the hem pull away from my body, but it's better than it being too short for sure. I just don't think I can tuck this version into any bottoms without it being lumpy. I do love the overall finish I achieved on this - my only gripe is that I failed to read through the pattern first, so I didn't even think about using bias for the neckline instead of a facing. It's been a few years, folks. Bias is my preferred neckline method and I can't believe I didn't think of it. Because I used a facing, I did make extra sure to finish it off nicely and top stitch it around the neck, so at least it doesn't flop around.

 

I do think this fabric worked beautifully for this pattern. Structured, but flowy. Nice drape. Not too see-through. Very soft. Really a beautiful fabric to work with in general. 

All in all, I'm really with how this came out considering it was my first time with this pattern. I think it looks fine while my arms are down, but when I lift my arms it turns into a very low arm-holed box on me. I don't even think it's the boxy shape that I don't like so much as the arm hole being so low that it looks sloppy. I don't see this happening with any other versions I've seen of this pattern, so I guess this is a me thing? But it's not an adjustment I've ever had to make before on anything else. Next time I would do a hollow chest adjustment, narrow the shoulders a bit more (maybe 3/4" each side), see about raising the armscye, and lengthen the hem. I was hoping this shirt would be a go-to woven t-shirt pattern, but I think I'm going to try a few others before I hack this one so much.

Have you made the Cielo top? I know it's been a popular one for the last few years and I'm glad I was finally able to try it out myself. It made for a good first step back into sewing after a several year hiatus.

Summary:

Fabric: 1.75 yard 5.3 oz Bleached Linen (IL109) from Fabrics-Store.com = $21.11

Pattern: Cielo Top & Dress by Closet Case Patterns = $12.00

Notions: Pellon SF101 fusible interfacing - $1.50, thread - $0.50

Time: 5 hours

Total Cost: $ 35.11