Marji Made Me Do It!

In yesterday's comments Marji said: "And Lou should really let you have your new red skirt soon! How can you stand having not worn it yet?" I had read comments before getting ready for work. I responded to Marji that it had been too cold since I finished it to wear it. But this week the weather was beautiful and cooperative. So, today I took the skirt from Lou and wore it work with a white tee (look familiar?) and red cork-heeled flip flops I bought in Hawaii. I was very comfortable all day. So comfortable in fact, that I haven't changed out of my work clothes yet. Thanks Marji - Lou would still be wearing my skirt if it weren't for you.

I Won!

So, in case you're wondering - I won the battle with the sewing machine. In case anyone is wondering - when the problem is on the top of what you're sewing - it's always an issue with the bobbin. If the problem in on the bottom - it's the needle thread. Backwards of what everyone thinks - but true. So, I finally got it sorted out - thanks to a tiny set of screwdrivers designed to repair eyeglasses. That little tool is now living in the accessory box of my machine. The pattern is one of my favorite skirt patterns. (Jess did I send you this one? If so - make it!) It's Kwik*Sew 3337. I have made a few modifications to this pattern, but not many. The fabric is the first piece to be sewn from my New York Shopping Spree - lined with white muslin.

The first modification is that I cut the front panels on the fold. The very first time I made this skirt, I made it out of an Amy Butler print and made it according to the pattern. If you follow the link you will see how the skirt sticks out in the center front. I love this skirt and still wear it often, but I'm not thrilled with how the center front hang. So, I now cut it on the fold - laying the top 5/8" from the fold and taking out the smallest bit of fullness down at the hem. I like it much better this way.

This time, I folded the waistband to the inside and top stitched it down. I always wait until the skirt is finished and ease the skirt into the waistband finished to my measurements.

What you can't see from either of these pictures is that the red bled into the white a little bit. Isn't there a product I can wish this with again to remove some of the bleeding - or did I blow that by drying it already?

Cut

Kwik Sew 3777. Skirt and lining cut. Sewing progress soon?

Back in the Studio

While on vacation, I picked up this beautiful piece of red cotton. You can see the width of the fabric here while Kashi is cutting it.

Because the print is so large - both Carolyn and I decided it needed to be a full skirt. I am loving the look of the skirt in Simplicity 4045. What do I like about it? Well I like that it a tiny waistband, rather than having the skirt hang from a yoke. On me, having all those pleats hang from a yoke does 2 things - it places a horizontal line in a very unflattering place and then it also releases the pleats in the most unattractive place. The pleats I can deal with by just changing where they release - but a yoke? I don't know how to deal with that.

I'm not sure that this pattern is a good choice for this fabric due to all the pleats - I think it might break the pattern up too much.

My other option is Kwik Sew 3337. I have at 5 skirts from this pattern. The first version was a lined amy butler cotton print. this pattern has 2 front pieces, 2 sides and 2 back pieces with an invisible zipper in the center back. That first Amy Butler skirt was made exactly according to the pattern. After that, I modified the skirt by placing the front piece on the fold and taking out the tinest bit of flare at the bottom. I like the later versions better - but I love this pattern. I have made it both with and without the border band.

An advantage to using this pattern is that the pieces are basically unobstructed - so while there are 5 pieces to the skirt, the large print of the fabric would still be intact. However, I'm not sure it's full enough! Maybe I need to look for a circle skirt pattern.

So, ideas, opinions? Should I go for broke with the new Simplicity, stick to the tried and true Kwik Sew, or look for a fuller skirt?