FO: Starry, Starry Skirt

We all need a quick win sometimes, don't we? I've had this Starry Night printed cotton canvas since the summer and I was putting off sewing it up because I am still trying to lose a bit more weight, but after having a particularly bad time in October/November and I just wanted something that was quick to make and guaranteed to be a successful project. So I decided to just grab this fabric and make it up and I can just take it in later if need be :)

This is my beloved Hollyburn Skirt from Sewaholic. I'm not sure how many of these I've made at this point, but a skirt where the only place you have to make sure fits is at the waistband is a major winner in my book. Also I adore these pockets. 

This fabric is a cotton canvas print from when Joann had a canvas sale for $5 a yard in July (I think). I ordered 3 yards, but being an online store they sent me a 2 yard cut and a 1 yard cut :/ This meant that I could barely fit my skirt pieces and I could not lay them out in any way but how I did, which meant that I did not get a single moon on my skirt, just star swirls. I made sure that a moon was on the center of my waistband, but that area isn't wide enough to show it off, which was pretty disappointing. After I finished making the skirt itself, I decided to fussy cut the only moon on the remaining 1 yard piece and us a satin stitch to appliqué it to the bottom left of the skirt. The pattern is busy enough that you honestly don't notice this piece is added unless I point it out, but I still get to see a moon when I wear it, so I'm happy.

The satin stitch is a smidge wavy no matter what I do with my iron, but like I say - you really don't notice it due to the busy fabric. I like the placement of it - low enough for me to see but in the middle enough to blend in well. 

The back is great, as always. I did my usual lapped zipper and I think it just looks so classy. Why did we ever get away from doing it this way? They are so easy and look so nice.

As usual, I used a contrasting but coordinating colored zipper from my stash. This is called Temple Gold and it is a quintessential color of the 70s. I have a bunch of these and I use them for muslins because the color never seems to go with my makes, but this time it was spot on for the colors in the starts. I love this detail even if no one gets to appreciate it but me.

So that was my quick and pleasing make for November :) I've been wearing it often ever since and it looks great with my favorite Swedish Hasbeens yellow sandals, which is always a plus. Gotta love a quick and useful project!

Summary:

Fabric: 3 yards of Painterly Moonlight Cotton Canvas from Joann - $16.02

Pattern: Hollyburn Skirt by Sewaholic Patterns

Notions: Zipper - $0.10, Thread - $0.50

Time: 3 Hours

Total Cost: $ 16.62

FO: On Point Hollyburn Skirt

 

Now that I'm sewing again, and now that I'm smaller than I was previously when I sewed clothes, it was time to recreate a few favorite patterns I've worn all these years. I've made 5 Hollyburn skirts over the years and I wore every single one of them all the time unless I sized out of them. Now I'm down to 2 - my original green one that was too tight at the time and my purple one - but these are technically too loose as well. I could take them in, but I just haven't wanted to mess with that yet. Why not make a new one instead? 

The Hollyburn skirt is a very simple design from Sewaholic patterns. It's knee length, a-line, and has huge pockets. Sewaholic designed all her patterns for pear shapes, so this skirt works particularly well for me. The pockets are simple to construct, but they are secured in the waistband seam, making them very sturdy and easy to access.

I made this one up using a Cotton + Steel print linen/cotton fabric that I was given by a friend who was destashing back in March. Can you believe it? She is a quilter and she had a 3 yard cut of this fabric and I jumped on it immediately. The print is from Melody Miller's Mustang collection and it's a dusty mint green with arrows and metallic details all over. I knew the arrows would accentuate the center seam line and come to a bit of a point there and I think it worked really well for this design. The only qualm is that this fabric has some slightly faded crease lines from how it was stored in my friend's stash, and since I was working with just 3 yards of 44" wide fabric, I couldn't avoid them. They are angled right across the center front, but honestly I don't think anyone else notices them but me. I'm hoping that washing the skirt a few more times will relax the creases out - at the moment, no amount of ironing will touch them since they were folded and had other things stashed on top since 2014.

 

At first I tried to follow the true directions for the pattern and use a slot seam zipper insertion, but friends ... it's been a long time since I put in a zipper, lol. It did not go well. The original zipper looked like garbage and I decided to just follow my heart and do my favorite - the lapped zipper. I had a little struggle with this too, but in the end I used the directions on the vintage zipper packaging and I think it turned out lovely. 

I serged all the seams inside the skirt and hand stitched the waistband as well as the hem, which I think turned out very nice. I used to avoid hand sewing like the plague, but I find that I'm more prone to choose it nowadays for the added control and the invisible finish outside. Here's another look at the lapped zipper - gosh I just love this method. And I happened to have the PERFECT colored vintage metal zipper in my stash. I still can't believe I had this because it's such a muted mint green, but my stash came through this time. Love it.

So that's my new Hollyburn skirt :) I'm thrilled to have one that actually fits me like it should and I already have a stash of fabrics in line to make more. This is such a quick and satisfying project, and I love wearing these skirts, so I don't mind making them at all. Hooray for a lovely fabric and a great pattern pairing!

Summary:

Fabric: 3 yards of Mustang "Leap and the Net Will Appear" mint arrow print cotton linen fabric by Melody Miller for Cotton & Steel Spring 2014 - Free

Pattern: Hollyburn Skirt by Sewaholic Patterns - at this point, it counts as Free

Notions: 9 inch metal mint zipper, $0.10, thread - $0.50, Pellon SF101 Interfacing - $0.25

Time: 4 hours

Total Cost: $0.85

FO: Tigeröga Hollyburn Skirt

Guys - I made a whole outfit! This is a rarity with me, but I knew that I wouldn't have any tops to wear with this skirt fabric. I've had this skirt planned ever since Katharina of Fröbelina posted hers over a year ago :) I'm glad it's finally a reality!

I always love to look at Ikea's fabric, but I can never figure out what to make with them other than skirts. I've bought a few cuts over the years, but this is the first one I've made into something. It was entirely Katharina's fault. I liked her skirt so much that I made sure to grab this fabric from Ikea next time I could get over there.

I went with the Sewaholic Hollyburn pattern again, this time trying a new way to do my alterations. I needed extra room at the waist, but in this stiff fabric I really didn't want to add to the hem. So I measured out 1" from the pattern at the side seam, but I angled back down to the original hem. It was so simple, but it really made a difference in how this feels. I really like how this version lays :)

I went with a lapped zipper again (my fav), and this time I used a vintage 7" metal zipper from the stash. I went with the 7" because 1) I didn't have a 9" like recommended and 2) I have the problem of my previous Hollyburn (or two) being a bit too open when I'm trying to zip the skirt up (meaning they actually fall off and I have a hard time keeping them up over my hips). So I just took my black Hollyburn, opened the zipper 7", and made sure I could get it over my bum - which I could :) So 7" it was. The fact that it's metal is just because I liked the color of the zipper tape better than the others I had available.

And no lapped zipper of mine ever goes without a close up photo, lol. I just love them so much. Isn't it the perfect red? I love when that happens with stashed stuff, don't you?

Then, of course, there's the ever beloved pockets. I could seriously wax poetic about these pockets all day. They are so awesome.

And the side view. I love the shape you get with this pattern when you use a fabric with a lot of body. It keeps its shape well. I also love the length of this skirt. I always try for knee length, but sometimes I'm guilty of going a bit too high. I'm talking a 1" difference here. It's crazy how much that 1" can affect your comfort. This one is just long enough and stiff enough that a gust of wind does not trouble me - something that I never really thought about until I lived on the river. It's so windy here! I love that I don't have to constantly worry about any Marilyn moments with this skirt. I want my clothing to be worry free.

Another thing I did a little differently this time was try out a Hong Kong finish inside. As you can see I vastly underestimated the amount of bias tape this would take, lol. I had the idea because this fabric has so much body that you wouldn't see the thicker seams when worn, so why not try it out? I went to my thrifted stash of bias binding and picked colors I thought worked ok, then I'd run out and pick another, lol. I have 5 different bias tapes on here, most of which were sewn with my nifty bias binding foot - which I've never used before but I surely will now. It was fun to try something new. It took hours longer than my other Hollyburns, but it's a fun result even if only I will ever see it. 

I bias bound the waistband inside and then stitched in the ditch to close it. I really like this effect :) I also finished the hem with bias tape and then hand stitched it down. I didn't need the extra length, I just was going for consistency inside the skirt - well, as much consistency you can get with 5 different bias tape colors, lol. 

So there's my latest Hollyburn :) Check back soon to find out about my shirt that I made to go with it!

Summary:
Fabric: 2 yards Tigeröga cotton print fabric from Ikea - $ 13.50
Pattern: Hollyburn Skirt by Sewaholic
Notions: 7" metal zipper - $0.10, various lengths of bias tape - $1.00 (thrifted), thread - $1.00
Time: 6 hours
Total Cost $15.60

FO: Black Hollyburn Skirt

I've been very good about buying fabric lately. I got on a kick of trying to catalog my stash on Trello à la Camille of Attack of the Seam Ripper. This was such a great idea when I read it last year, and I have added any new fabric and info to my trello board as soon as I can, but guys - my stash is massive. I used to think it was massive before I moved, but I got rid of more than a bucket full at my estate sale last September so I thought I was good. Then Hancock closed ... and I went to The Sewing Studio ... and I found more fabric at thrift stores then is probably good for me (but I was on the hunt for my Medieval dress and was in costume making "oh this could come in handy" mode at the time). The result has been that I have so much fabric that I am not nearly as tempted by the new and pretty as I have previously been. My stash is outgrowing my closet where it lives, which is my biggest wake-up call.

Anyway, what does that have to do with this skirt? In light of my non-fabric-buying-mood, I knew I would be safe to go on a button trip to The Sewing Studio. I was extremely close to finishing my Alecia Beth cardigan, and I wanted to have buttons on hand so I can call it done when the time came. I has looked at Hobby Lobby (my only local-ish store) but came up empty handed. So I decided to venture to Orlando and run a few errands one day, one of which was go to my favorite store :) I hit the mother load on buttons (they were clearancing entire tubes of buttons for $2 and $3), and I restrained myself on fabric except for just this one piece. In their bargain Annex there is a table of garment industry remnants that they sell for $5 per yard. This fabric was just too cool at the time, and it was a great price, so I decided to buy enough to make a Hollyburn skirt. I cut the skirt out within days, so that makes this fabric not count as stash :) Hooray! lol

I know this looks like a very boring skirt, and you'd be partially right in assuming that. The fabric is a black matte polyester with slubby lines all over. When I was in the store with the fabric, something about the fluorescent lighting made the slubs really stand out and look cool. I thought it would make a cool basic skirt - but in real life the texture isn't anything super exciting, lol. But there was something else this fabric had going for it - the party here is on the inside: this fabric is satin backed! Imagine a satin backed crepe but heavier and with a nice texture on the outside and that's this fabric. I knew it would be a great basic item with just a touch of something special, and I am always in need of a black skirt (who isn't, right?), so the satiny back side made this have no need of a lining but still feel like it has one.

I used the trusty Hollyburn skirt pattern from Sewaholic. I've made this pattern a few times now, so I knew the adjustments I needed to make. This one I did slightly different, but it still turned out with a good fit :) I need a bit more at the waist than the largest size of the pattern, and last time (on my Deep Purple Hollyburn) I added about a half inch to each seam, but that feels like a bit too much in the center front. So this time I only added to the side seams. I was slightly afraid it would put the pockets in a weird place, but all is well.

The pockets are always my favorite feature of this pattern, and these are just great, lol. They really are the perfect pocket. I always want to put my hands in them. One change I did make with this skirt is that I cut the fabric on the cross grain. When I bought it, I just figured the slubs went along the grain of the fabric, but they actually go on the cross grain. There was literally zero difference in the stretch (or lack thereof) from the grain to the cross grain (since this is totally polyester and such a tight weave), so I decided to just go with the cross grain. I can't tell any difference whatsoever in the fit, so it all worked out. I just really didn't want the slubs to go horizontally across my hips, and I'm happy with their direction this way.

I decided to go with a lapped zipper on this skirt because I think it looks a bit dressier plus I love them. They just look classy and I've really developed a knack for sewing lapped zippers. It's funny that I avoided them for so long because I just didn't understand how they worked, but now that I do I can't stop sewing them, lol.

Here's a close up of that lovely zipper :) I used a thrifted 9" zipper from my epic stash, and in this super slick inside fabric that is a little too long. As in it actually is difficult to keep the fabric up on my hips to zip it up, so I try not to open the zipper up all the way, lol. Is that a first world problem, or what? And of course the I had to add a close up of the lovely pocket :) Man, they're great.

Here's the satiny inside :) I overcast all the seam allowances because this stuff loved to fray. Another change I made was to sew the waistband as two pieces instead of just one that is folded over. The slubby texture is slightly rough, and I wanted to take full advantage of the satin side for lining, so I used two pieces of waistband to ensure I had the satin side touching my skin. It worked out really well. I even hand sewed the waistband closed! I hate doing that, lol, but since it was so nicely finished inside I decided to go the extra mile there.

I also decided to hand stitch the hem. I have a hard time hemming this skirt by machine unless I'm top stitching it, but again I wanted to keep things a bit smoother outside so I just went for it. It's a bit wavy outside, but to be honest I can't remember if I pressed it after sewing the hem, lol. So it may even out when I steam the heck out of it.

So that's my new skirt :) I know it's not super exciting to look at, but I find it very exciting. I'm always on the look out for a good black skirt! I didn't realize until I was taking photos of my recently finished makes, but this skirt looks really cute with my Sailor top. I actually managed to unintentionally make a mini capsule wardrobe out of the Sailor top, this skirt, and then another skirt and shirt that will soon be blogged. Always nice to have choices that work together!

Summary:
Fabric: 1.5 yards of black textured poly with satin back - $11.25
Pattern: Hollyburn Skirt by Sewaholic
Notions: 9" black zipper - $0.10, black knit stay tape - $0.10, black thread - $0.50
Time:
Total Cost: $11.95

OAL2016: Deep Purple Hollyburn Skirt

This project was a bit of a splurge for me (definitely guilty of retail therapy). I was going through a hard time in my personal life (I was still living split between two places and things were breaking at both locations plus a bunch of personal life junk), and I had a 15% off code to Fabric.com (affiliate link) that my mom and I planned to use together. I was already making my Hetty cardigan out of my stashed coral colored yarn, and when I went to pick a fabric for my Hollyburn skirt I kept coming up with nothing but less than thrilling options in my stash. This is ridiculous since my stash is ridiculous and I still can't believe I didn't have anything. Maybe it was my mood, maybe it was the planetary alignment - I don't know, I just knew nothing that somewhat worked seemed like anything I wanted hanging in my closet and I didn't want to waste time and resources sewing something I wouldn't wear just to fulfill an online challenge. It was about to be my birthday, and I had a coupon ... so in spite of my strict budget I splurged on some Robert Kaufman Brussels Washer Linen in a lovely deep purple color :) I adore linen skirts and wear them quite a lot, and this fabric is a 55% linen and 45% rayon so it had a lovely drape that would be great for this pattern. Elegant drape plus cool and breezy linen? Sign me up, friend. So, it may not be quite as eye catching and exciting as the dress I made last year for the Outfit Along, but this is a great wardrobe staple that will mix and match with a zillion things I've already made or thrifted so I find it very exciting :)

Given the fit issues I had with my first Hollyburn earlier in June, I added to the waist of the pattern. I made the waistband finish out at 40" so I would have a little bit of ease (I'm actually around 39" at the waist) and I added 1/2" to the sides of each panel piece before cutting. After sewing up the whole thing and inserting a beautiful lapped zipper, I tried it on to discover it was too big :/ It just sagged and really looked dumpy. *Sigh* such is my old bad habit - thinking I'm bigger than I am when it comes to sewing. Because of the order of construction, I was able to fix this issue by just taking out the lapped zipper (sob) and pulling the excess in at the center back seam. This worked out better for my body anyway as my front is longer than my back as far as my waist goes, so this made the side seams actually sit where they should on me. I took out 3/4" on each side and re-did the lapped zipper and it was great :)

I went with a lighter purple zipper because it was all I had in my stash. It turns out that purple is the color that I am lacking, so the choices were slim to none and I was lucky to have this lavender one in the right length (you can see it a bit at the top of the waistband - oops). As far as the finished skirt - I absolutely love it. This fabric is kind of magical and I'm so glad I decided to take the plunge with it. It drapes beautifully! Don't believe me? Check this out:

Look at how fluid it is! Ah, lovely. Interestingly enough, the drape seems to make this skirt fall a bit more like a circle skirt would when I wear it. Also the dark color completely hides the center front seam, so you know I'm happy about that :) The pockets are great too - as ever. Man I love these pockets...

Details! There's a close up of the lapped zipper - seriously my new favorite technique. It just feels like magic. And you can see the lavender zipper when it's open. I think it's kind of a cool touch, like it's close enough to the color family but not the same because it's cooler than you. I had to show off the pockets because they are just wonderful. The last pic above is of the hem that I HAND STITCHED. Good golly that took forever, folks. I also hand stitched the waistband closed, so you know I was really dedicated to this project. The invisible hem adds just a touch of classy to the skirt and makes it borderline fancy for my wardrobe :) All my inside seams are just pressed open and overcast (you can kind of see one there).

And let's look at that drape one more time ... Love it. I'm really happy with this skirt in case you can't tell, lol.

And here's me showing how it swishes. I feel down right girly in this skirt even though it's just a basic solid color and doesn't seem like much to write home about.

So there is Part 2 of my outfit :) Check back for the final installation very soon!

Skirt Summary:
Fabric: 2.5 yards of Brussels Washer Linen in Dark Purple - $16.50
Pattern: Hollyburn Skirt from Sewaholic Patterns
Notions: light purple zipper - $0.10, thread - $1.50, knit stay tape - $0.25,
Time: 6 hours
Total Cost: $ 18.35

FO: Grassy Hollyburn

Dude I made something! lol. Like I said in my sweater planning post a week or so ago, I am participating in the Outfit Along again this year :) This year's sewing pattern is the Hollyburn Skirt by Sewaholic Patterns (Tasia - I miss you already!) which coincidentally has been at the top of my "to sew" pile for months now. I held off buying this pattern for years since it's such a basic silhouette and I already have a zillion patterns, but after years of bloggers singing this skirt's praises, I finally succumbed when Craftsy put their Hollyburn Skirt Kit on deep discount a few months ago (I got it with a different fabric than that link shows). While I'm still deliberating what stash fabric will go with my sparkly coral cardigan, I wanted to try out the pattern to check for fit issues and whatnot before using my kit fabric anyway - technically this would qualify as a muslin, but in all honesty I went into this project expecting a wearable item with no problems (first sign of a problem right there). Things didn't quite turn out that way, but I was able to make it wearable. First, let's look at my new skirt:

Knowing this pattern calls for drapey fabrics, I came across this thrifted grass green colored linen-look fabric in my stash and knew it was meant to be. I've waxed poetic about linen-look material before when I made my first Peggy Skirt (which was made under similar conditions with wanting a wearable muslin and grabbing some thrifted fabric). Guys, this fabric seems to have it all - nice drape, good weight for a bottom, the flowy feel and breath-ability of linen, wrinkle resistant. All great things in my book. 

So on the pattern - I think my favorite feature is the pockets - they are just a great shape and size. They're at a good angle too so they are still flattering on hippy bodies. Frankly, I think the skirt looks better across the front when my hands are in the pockets - not sure if that's a good or a bad thing, lol. 

The thing I don't really love about the front (which I suspected when the design was first released) is the center front seam. I just try to avoid them at all costs. Something about a line down your middle really messes with my head. It would be one thing if the seam would lay flat, but since the panels are cut on a bias and the fabric has so much drape there is always a congregation of fabric right there and it kind of bugs me.

See - hands in pockets flattens out that seam and makes it less obvious. I can absolutely see why this seam needs to be there, but in a perfect world I would try to get rid of it (which I think would just mean I'd be making a half or quarter circle skirt).

So what went wrong with my muslin? I got the whole thing put together and I was adding the zipper (one of the final steps) only to try it on and discover it was in no way big enough for me. Like, even the seam allowance held out all the way would hardly meet. There was nothing I could do at that point because the waistband was only so long. I made a quick decision to still use everything and make this fit - make an "exposed zipper".

By using the entire seam allowance plus the width of the zipper tape, the skirt just barely fit. And I do mean barely, lol. This is certainly not a skirt for a large meal - or any meal at all really. To make this work, I folded the zipper opening so the raw edges were just barely tucked under, then I used Wondertape to place the edges along the outermost edge of the zipper tape. I top stitched with a zipper foot as close to the edge as possible. Once it was done, I noticed I missed the zipper tape along the waistband area, so I had to go back and hand sew that on both sides to make sure. Then I went back just for security and top stitched as close as possible again. It's not incredibly attractive, but who's going to look that close at my lower back?

I got pretty creative with my iron to angle the bottom toward the center back seam, but it's not too bad. I'm calling this a "design feature", lol. I will say I'm pretty pleased with how level I got the top of the zipper tape at the waist edge - hand sewing was the only option there. Generally I don't love how I finish that area off simply because I don't know how, but this one is nice and even.

My jerry-rigging got the skirt to wearable status :) I totally adore the color of this skirt, plus it looks amazing with my multi colored Swedish Hasbeens AND my yellow ones. Plus it will go with my crazy Parrot Miss L Fires too. Score!

Realistically, this is how I will wear the skirt. The above shots took some sucking in of the tummy to look ok, lol. It looks alright with an untucked shirt, but it would be better if I could get it to drop a bit in the waist - which will occur when the waistband isn't so snug. If it drops a bit, you can see the pockets too which really are what makes this skirt interesting. As far as other details go, I did hand stitch the waistband closed (shocker for me, seriously), and I tried a machine blind hem but this fabric is so bouncy that it looked horrible. I just went with a top stitched hem and I think it looks fine especially given my creativity at the zipper.

So, even though this project didn't turn out exactly as I hoped, I still have a fun, wearable item to wear on occasion :) I love the fun color and that it's a solid because it makes this a blank canvas for fun accessories and sweaters (I'm wearing an enamel cuckoo clock necklace, lol). Plus it's nice and swishy! Here's to learning lessons to be fixed on the next version! And please think good thoughts for me deciding on a fabric for the outfit along, lol.

Summary:
Fabric: 3 yards of grass green linen-look fabric - $1.00
Pattern: Hollyburn Skirt by Sewaholic Patterns
Notions: 9" zipper - $0.10, thread - old stash (free)
Hours: 6
Total Cost: $1.10 - Woo hoo!

*Craftsy links are affiliate links, but I purchased this pattern with my own money and all opinions are 100% my own.