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: Yaletown Dress

This post could also be called: The Dress That Almost Wasn't or I Should've Known Better. I'm not usually one for wrap dresses or tops because they always gape like crazy on me in ready to wear, so I thought maybe it was just that they were not sewn for my body and that I could possibly wear this previously sworn off style if I just got the right pattern. Now I'm thinking I was right in the beginning, lol. I managed to make this wearable, but it's certainly not the most flattering thing on my body (hate that word all you want - if I feel something is unflattering, I will never wear it). So let's delve into this, shall we?

This is the Yaletown Dress by Sewaholic patterns. I saw it around the sewing web when it was first released and it seemed kind of hit or miss even then with who liked it and who didn't. Some people had it turn out great for them and others were not very happy. I filed all that info away and a while later (quite a while, actually) I came across a kit during a Craftsy sale that included the Yaletown physical pattern and 4 yards of poly crepe to sew it with for $28.78. This wasn't dirt cheap, but it was certainly a good value for what I got and I was interested in the pattern anyway, so I bought it. And then it sat in my stash for a few years, lol. I put this dress on my official Make 9 in 2018 list, so I decided this would be the year I finally made it up. I was trying to decide if I wanted to make it up in this fabric or another poly crepe as a muslin, and in the end I decided to just use this fabric and go for broke. Technically that makes this my most expensive muslin to date, lol.

I decided to go ahead and make some of my usual pattern adjustments to this before cutting out the fabric. I lengthened the bodice by 1.5" for my long torso, and since I fell outside the waist on the size chart I added 2.5" to the front bodice pieces. That seems like nothing now, but I was so stressed about the adjustments at the time. Once I was cut out and committed, I just started sewing it together. I managed to get it completely made except for the sleeves - tried it on - and felt like a dumpy mess :/ It was way too big, way too blousey, and very unflattering. Like really. I was so bummed. I was still determined to finish this, so I added the sleeves before I set it aside to muster up the courage to undo the entire waist (which was a self enclosed elastic waist - so that's 3 seams to undo) and side seams. I just couldn't move on and sew something else while this waited, so after almost a month of it haunting me I finally cut it all apart. I took out all the width I added at the side seams (so 2.5") and sewed that back together, then redid the waist. It doesn't sound like much to type it, but just the unpicking took an hour. I had to shorten the bodice by 5/8" because I accidentally picked a hole in the fabric, but I think that was for the best. This made things much more acceptable looking overall - I just had to deal with the drape next.

The pattern tells you to put a single button at the cross point in the neckline for security, but I didn't love that you would see a button there. I decided to sew on some snaps instead, but figuring out where to put them was a lot of trial and error. I can see now that the neckline goes lower than I wanted it to anyway, so it doesn't really like to sit right on me after pulling it up to where I wanted it to be. I didn't trust just that one snap to hold everything, and the drape was hanging funny anyway, so I added another snap under my boob (I'm touching both snaps in the above photo). After wearing this out in public, I definitely need to change to the button - I had 2 wardrobe malfunctions in church with the top snap coming undone *whoops*. So this will change sometime. But it made things at least wearable and the drape didn't stick out so much that it looked like I was storing fruit in there.

The fabric is a very nice quality poly crepe with lots of drape. I was a little worried (as I am with all polyester fabrics) that it would be too warm for Florida, but this is so drapey that it wasn't a problem and I was not hot at all. In fact I almost have a little issue with it feeling too light in the skirt - it feels like nothing on my body which makes me nervous. I like to feel a solid cloth covering my butt at all times, lol. I think I'll have to finally make a slip just so I don't feel like I'm going to expose myself all the time in my lighter weight dresses.

The pattern also includes a waist tie - which I lengthened by about 10 inches after reading other reviews saying it was short. To be honest I almost didn't make the tie. I completely forgot about it, did all my other fixes to the dress, and then while putting the pattern away I saw the fabric still pinned with it. I'm pretty sure I said, "Aw man..." in a whine in my sewing room. So I sat down and made the tie. I even forgot about the tie again when taking these pictures - I took all the pictures I would need for this post, then saw the tie sitting in my sewing room after I had already changed and put the camera away. I was not happy, lol, but I put the dress back on an retook the photos - thus why you see the belt in some pictures and not in others. With this fabric I don't think the tie is a necessity for the design anyway, but I do feel a bit more secure with it tied at my waist. It kind of keeps everything in place since my elastic is not super firm. After taking these pictures, I was putting the dress away I noticed that I forgot to sew the hole in the tie I left to turn it right side out, lol. That poor, unloved tie.

Here are the snaps up close. It was really a challenge to figure out where to put them. I sewed on the one at the neckline once, tired it on, then realized I needed to make it a 1/4" lower. So I picked it off and tried again. It still doesn't sit perfectly, but it's passable, so I left it.

Now if you're wondering why I felt this was unflattering, these side photos will show you. It's not bad from the front and back, but the sides aren't doing me any favors with all the blousey-ness. You can see how the snaps close up the gap at the drape though. Before I redid it, that whole area under my boob stuck out like a hammock. Because of the interfacing in the facing, the drape wants to pull away from the body. It also adds weight to pull it downward - thus looking like your own personal handfree shopping bag at your waist. When I tightened things up it definitely helped, but that snap below the boobs really was the fix.

Not as bad from this side, but still not great. I always try to accentuate my waist to avoid feeling like a big lego brick, and I tend to avoid gathered skirts to not make my hips look larger, but I thought that this thin fabric and the elastic waist would help with that. I was really happy with my Mayberry Dress, so I figured this would be the same. I think I shouldn't have added that extra length and it might have made it a little more to my taste.

I do love that this has pockets though :) Everything should have pockets! I also like the sleeves. Normally I steer away from anything called a "flutter sleeve", but this is more subtle and just a little roomy - the perfect combo. Also it's really not bad without the tie - the channel for the elastic is narrow so I don't feel like it's unsightly or anything. So I will probably wear it both ways.

So that's my dress that almost wasn't, lol. This one really fought me, but I'm glad I stuck with it and now have something to show for my time. I have already worn it and I think it will be a nice summer dress - nice enough for church, yet overall a more casual look, plus breezy enough for the excruciating heat that is fast approaching. I don't know that I will make this pattern again, but it was a good learning experience and a test in my determination :) Also I've finally made something on my make 9 list during the year I first committed to it! Woo hoo!

Summary:
Fabric: 3 yards poly crepe - from Craftsy Kit
Pattern: Yaletown Dress by Sewaholic Patterns - $28.78 total from Craftsy Kit
Notions: Pellon SF101 interfacing - $0.50, navy thread - $2.00, 1 yard of 1/3" elastic - free,
Time: 12 hours
Total Cost: $ 31.28

OAL2017: Mint Twig Renfrew

To see Part 1 of this series (my sweater), click here.

To see Part 2 of this series (my skirt), click here.

Here's my final piece for the Outfit Along! Part 3 :) 

After I decided against my newly finished black and white striped Renfrew for the Outfit Along, I had to quickly plan an alternative top to pull the other two pieces together. I pulled out any cut of knit fabric that I thought might coordinate and laid it inside the sweater itself, then wrapped the front pieces over to get an idea of the finished look. I posted 4 options on Instagram and Ravelry, asking opinions on which to choose. In the end I went with the one I thought would go but that I would also want to wear a lot, which technically was the most popular choice of others as well :) Always nice when that happens so I don't look like a jerk, ha ha.

So this is another hacked Renfrew - this is exactly like the black and white stripe Renfrew ended up, I just didn't have to reconfigure things on the fly with this one since I already did all that trial and error with the first one. Hoorah! I measured my black striped Renfrew and transferred the new neckline to my pattern and cut this one out. Easy :) I love easy.

The winning fabric was this cotton interlock from the Doodles line at Joann's. It has occurred to me that this is the most popular fabric in my wardrobe since it's really the only brand I'm loyal to as I love the softness and fun prints as well as the price and availability. This print is called Twig Floral in Mint and it's still available to buy. While this fabric line is technically designed for kid's clothes, I find this fabric really bridges the gap between toddler and adult. The pattern would be cute as a kids dress or onesy or t-shirt, but I think it still looks fine on this 32 year old. Also I adore the color - mint is one of my favorite colors to wear and this fabric is a bit brighter in real life (less pastel).

I deliberately made this shirt a bit longer than normal because I know this fabric tends to shrink up a bit more with time. This is also long enough for me to tuck in without it popping out all the time (a constant problem in this long torso'd life I lead). I actually don't feel it's too long even untucked - in fact I'm wearing this top untucked with my gray Melissa skirt as I type this :) So it can be worn either way and I love that.

And again let's take a moment to appreciate that neckline. No bra in sight! Love it. I did the same neckline finish as the black version and it worked out wonderfully. I just love being able to just sew something without worrying about the fit aspect. Because I had just made up this pattern a few days before, I was able to cut AND sew this top in less than 2 hours. That is record time for me. Gotta love a quick and reliable project that will get worn a lot.

So that's my whole outfit for this year's Outfit Along :) It was lots of fun as usual, and now I have 3 (actually 4, lol) great pieces to wear. Interestingly I just realized that all my pieces this year coordinate with all my pieces from last year's challenge. I guess I'm a bit predictable. Ah well, it makes for a cohesive wardrobe.

I can't wait for next year's Outfit Along to come!

Summary:
Fabric: 1.25 yards Mint Twig Floral Interlock from Joann's - $7.50
Pattern: Renfrew by Sewaholic Patterns
Notions: white thread - $0.50, woolly nylon thread - $0.10
Time: 2 hours
Total Cost: $8.10

FO: Striped Renfrew Hack

Back in my Outfit Along Planning post, I mentioned how I wanted to make a boat neck Lark Tee out of a black and white striped knit in my stash. After my wearble muslin of the Lark turned out to be a looser fit then I originally hoped, I had a choice to make. Do I do more work to that pattern in hopes of eventually getting a shirt I like, or do I decide not to reinvent the wheel and just use a similar pattern that I already know fits me well? Can you tell where I'm going with this? Since I would have to alter the Lark neckline anyway to sit how I like, I might as well just do that same alteration to a well fitting pattern (so said my logic, anyway). So I grabbed my trusty Renfrew pattern and got to work.

This is the Renfrew by Sewaholic patterns, but with an altered neck. I used my standard size 16 top, but I tried drafting a slash neckline by following this tutorial by Heather B on Pattern Review. I understood it in theory, but I when it came time to draft the changes I just couldn't see adding extra ease to the bust and neckline. I have a hollow chest and always have to remove excess fabric from this area, so I decided to just use that ease I would normally have removed and call it good. Yeah... I shouldn't have done that. I did the drafting, spent all the time cutting out and stripe matching my lovely knit here, and sewed the neckline first as I usually do when making knit tops. I could barely get my head in the whole. Whoops! I mean, I could squeeze it in, but the tight side neckline plus how high up it came on my neck made the neckline look so closed up that I felt ridiculous. At this point I had nothing to lose, so I just marked where I wanted the neckline to hit, drew the scoop by hand, added 1/2" seam allowance and chopped off the unfortunate slash neck issue. I measured around my new neck hole (25") and cut out a neckband that was 21" long. I applied the neckband in the usual way (right sides together, lightning bolt stitch 1/2" seam allowance, trim down excess), then instead of the methods I usually go with (from the Renfrew or the Plantain by Deer + Doe) I folded the other side of the band in half and then folded it down into the shirt. I top stitched this with a twin needle and used woolly nylon thread in the bobbin. I absolutely LOVE this neckline! You would think it would be bulky with 3 layers of fabric folded right there, but the top stitching really flattens things out. I really dislike not having a neckband on a knit shirt (like on my Lark Tee - that neckline is just folded down and stitched), and having a traditional neckband out on display around a boat neck would just look silly, so having it tucked under like this makes it a little more classy. I highly recommend it :) This was an extremely easy change to make, and the resulting neckline is the perfect size for me. All ready to wear boat neck tops show my bra and garments. ALL.OF.THEM. But this one covers everything up very nicely. I'm hooked, folks!

After my neckline hack, I sewed this up just like you're supposed to. This is my first time using the 3/4 sleeve and it turned out to be the perfect length. I did tighten up the sleeve hem area since I originally planned this to be worn under a cardigan so I wanted the sleeve hems to stay in place. I was very careful with my stripe matching, and this really paid off. I know you can't see it because I forgot to take a picture, but my side seams are matched beautifully. Also check out my stripe matching on the sleeve in that first photo. Oh yeah! lol I'm not very good at pattern matching yet and it always feels like a tedious chore, so I'm pretty thrilled when it turns out how I hoped.

Another fantastic benefit of having a living person take your blog photos - they can smooth out the back of your shirt and get all your stripe lined up. Thanks, babe! You can also see my stripe matching across the upper back at the sleeves. I'm pretty proud of that, I must say. I also made sure to hem this along one stripe. Usually my hems would be slightly curved, but I wanted to keep everything level for aesthetics. I'm pleased with the result. My fabric came from Walmart of all places! After reading on Lauren's Blog that she found some decent knits there on the cheap I couldn't resist checking it out myself. I came away with 3 fabrics including 3 yards of this one. It's 80% polyester, 17% rayon, 3% spandex, which would normally put me off but this had a nice medium weight to it. I find that thinner poly knits cling in unflattering ways on me so I avoid them, but this is super springy and is thick enough to hide bumps but not so think you can't wear it in Florida. Also the stripes are yarn dyed, so everything was wonderfully on grain. I'm really surprised at how much I like this fabric :) The recovery is fantastic, and even though it's a snug fit I don't feel self conscious. Also in spite of it being a horizontal stripe, I think this shirt is quite flattering because it hugs my narrowest areas.

With all my on-the-fly neckline slicing, I did end up with the stripes slightly uneven at the center front of all places. Thankfully I was able to fudge that area when I top stitched the neckband and I couldn't be happier with how that turned out. Let's all just take a minute to appreciate that neckline. Horizontal just at the base of the neck, no bra show on the sides, discreetly top stitched. *Ah* It's a beautiful thing. I seriously want to sew a million shirts with this neckline now. Prepare yourselves.

So the unfortunate part of this shirt is that I did not like it with my other pieces for the Outfit Along (womp womp). After finishing this top I excitedly put on my skirt and sweater only to just not feel right with everything together. Maybe if this shirt was a scoop neck it wouldn't be so bad to me, but mostly I think it's that the bold stripe looks odd against the girly lace pattern in the sweater. Also the V neckline on the sweater goes so deep that it just feels like too much stripe on display. Maybe if it was a scoop neck I wouldn't be so put off by the combination, but as it is now I just don't see me wearing all 3 pieces together. I do love this top with the skirt though, so that's a partial win :) Thankfully I had other knits in my stash that matched the sweater style better, so the Outfit Along entry was saved. So this shirt is a nice bonus to the challenge :)  I love this shirt and I still have plenty of this fabric left for future projects. Hooray!

Summary:
Fabric: 1.1 yards of black and white stripe poly rayon knit - $4.00
Pattern: Renfrew by Sewaholic
Notions: black thread - $0.50, woolly nylon thread - $0.10
Time: 4 hours
Total Cost: $ 4.60

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