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Here is the black skirt that I made. It’s the skirt part of a dress pattern from Ottobre Women 5/2011. There’re three dresses in there that are variations of the same pattern. I made one at craft camp but haven’t gotten around to photographing it, but I wore the skirt today so I asked my boyfriend to take a few photos, since he was around. It’s totally boring, but I’m trying to record what I made so that I remember things, and also so I feel like I actually do stuff.
Please excuse squintiness – it was bright – and the general garden malaise. I’m in the process of sorting it out from winter neglect, and there’s s*&t everywhere, frankly. Not that there isn’t always, but it’s even more terrible than usual.
It is so, so comfy. I wish I could remember buying the fabric, but it’s some kind of stretch cotton, almost certainly from spotters. I lined it with a stretch satin from goodness knows when/where. I had juuust enough. I just cut out the skirt portion of the pattern with no seam allowances, whizzed it together on the overlocker, overlocked the top of the skirt and the lining together, hemmed it and top stitched the waist. I didn’t bother adding a vent or slit, because it’s stretchy. I was worried that was a mistake but it’s fine. I’m planning another couple of quick skirts in non-stretch wovens, and I’ll certainly draft a vent in that case.
Butt view. I don’t know if you can see – maybe if you peer even closer at my butt – but there’s crinkliness happening at the waist. I won’t bother with this one but another time I’ll do a mini sway back alteration, aka chop off a curve from the back.
Bonus chicken photo, avec rubbish. Because.
I was going to wait to get better photos of this, but I need to write down what I did before I forget.
This is Kasia, a free pattern from Burdastyle. I’ve been eyeing it off for a while, but was a bit intimidated by it because the construction is a bit complex, burdastyle’s instructions aren’t super great, and also it didn’t go up to my size. I ended up grading it up three sizes, and was very nervous about the fit but the grading worked really well. On the other hand, it actually was too big – I think I probably could have gotten away with making the original size, with a smaller seam allowance – you get 1.5cm on this and I finished it by overlocking so I didn’t really need that much. I would grade the hips out one size though, because my waist:hip ratio is no longer exactly what pattern companies say it should be. There goes my hourglass privilege…
The front bit is actually a flap which unbuttons, with a fly zip behind it. You can see the effect in this person’s project here. A LOT of people on the burdastyle site say they skipped that bit or would next time. I followed the pattern because I wanted to figure it out as a puzzle, and because I do like following the instructions the first time, to see what the result is. For science! However. It’s a pain in the arse – it’s clever in theory, but not very neat in execution. My slightly dodgy zip insertion didn’t help, but the inside yoke and the outside flap are designed to be the same height, so the inside peeks out the top sometimes. I also had to put press studs right at the edges, because my stomach is round and so the edges stuck out. So to get in or out of it, I have to unpress the studs, unbutton one or two buttons, and unzip it. It’s a pain in the arse – and this fabric is slightly stretchy, so if I made it in something with no stretch, it would be worse. There’s a back seam anyway, to allow for a slit, and another time I would just whack in an invisible zipper and sew the front closed – it would sit neater, and make the pockets more functional.
I was quite pleased that I managed to match every seam up – especially the side pocket bits, which were a bit fiddly. Except that then I ended up taking it in – about a 1/4inch on the waistband and 5/8″ on the rest. Using old money numbers because that’s what the marks on my overlocker are measured in, and I just brutally serged down the side. Not as neat as it could have been, and it did make one of the pockets not match up slightly, but I wasn’t investing any more time in what was essentially a wearable muslin/practice run. This one involved my first even buttonholes (there was some swearing, and then some confusion when I vented on facebook and a family member thought I was referencing buttholes. We’re a refined lot.) and my first really successful blind hem. Blind hems are great! I think I might invest in a proper blind hem foot – I just treated myself to a proper invisible zipper foot because I just could not make my brain understand the generic plastic one I bought.
Overall I’m very pleased with it, and I’ve worn it to work twice. A valuable addition to my wardrobe.
(I’m going to steal the Sew Weekly run down points, because I personally find them interesting and useful to read)
The Facts
Fabric: Stretch drill, and cotton. I’m pretty sure the drill was a remnant, although I can’t remember buying it – I’ve had it mentally earmarked for this specific project for about a year, and I bought the stripes specifically for it.
Pattern: Kasia from burda.
Year: Contemporary.
Notions: 6 cheap buttons ($1 each), short zip.
Time to complete: Probably about 9 hours all up, including unpicking, and scratching of head. Took about a fortnight, real time.
First worn: To work.
Wear again? Yep, I’m wearing it right now.
Make again? Yes, with the zip in the back, etc, as outlined above. There’re a couple of neutral coloured versions on the burdastyle site that I like a lot – I think there’s enough going on in the skirt to make it not boring in a simple colour, and I could use some simple bottom separates.
Total Cost: Who knows, since I can’t remember buying the fabric. $20 ish?
I Ma(y)de a skirt. A month late.
Well, it’s been cut out since May.
Another Ottobre yoked skirt. I just love this pattern. This one is in red cord, with some funky red fabric in the facing. It came together really fast and I only made two mistakes – did some weird improvised zip thing that I had to unpick, and sewed to front to the back the wrong way around the first time – that were both easy to fix.
I’m going to say that I Mayde it, though, because I made five partial skirts in May. I fixed the two black skirts, one of which needed multiple hemmings and unhemmings before I got it right. And I ‘fixed’ two drill skirts that had gotten wear marks by dying and painting them. Well, almost, the last step is yet to be completed. Jeez, I’m organised.
Well, whatever, it’s been busy over here. My sister has been visiting from Ireland. She came for my grandma’s 90th, which was great, and she leaves tomorrow. I am sad to see her go – it’s been so great having her here – but also kind of glad to have my life/house back. She’s been going through the stuff she left in my shed and the whole back half of my house is basically impossible to enter. On the plus side, not much of it is going back into the shed, but…
These photos are courtesy of her, which is why I am pulling weird faces in them. I have a different exasperated expression when S takes my photo. (Must practice photo face.)
I took some time off of work while she was here, to hang out with her and to get some stuff done. I had VISIONS of all the things I would achieve. Of course, I didn’t. But I DID hang out with my sister, and relaxed, both of which were amazing. I also went through my mending pile. It is now all but gone. All the is left is two things to hem – I’m trying to get my inherited coverstitch machine to work first – and a coat with fallen apart lining that I am not proficient enough to reline, but I can’t let the coat go.
I finished sticking together and tracing the pattern for Kasia last night. But my hips are one size too big and my waist two and a half too big and it was too late for pattern adjustments. That one might have to wait for a weekend because it’s hurting my brain slightly more than it should.
PS please ignore all the %*&)@ soursobs in the garden. I am tackling them from the other side of the garden, and haven’t gotten to that bit yet. Oh, how I hate them.
I made a petticoat last night!
I’m having an un-birthday party this Saturday. I was going to have an afternoon tea party for my birthday, planning it for some time in January. But what with all the dramas, I really didn’t feel like it at the time. I was also thinking of having an Alice in Wonderland themed party… just cos. And since the un-birthday theme falls under that umbrella, I decided to combine the two! There are a couple other people combining with me, which is nice as it means that the focus is off of me, which I like, and also I don’t have to do ALL the work 
So it’s a dress up party, either in high-tea appropriate clothes, or as a character. I picked the Queen of Hearts since 1) I intend to make some tarts and 2) it’s the only character I felt I could inhabit for more than a half hour without getting irritated. I mean… Alice might be an obvious choice, but she’s a bit of a whiner for my taste.
When I first started planning the party, I figured I’d make a costume. There seemed like there was plenty of time then! I was going to go the whole hog. But as time slipped away and life carried on the way it does, I scaled back to the bare essentials. Petticoat, poofy skirt.
I know, it’s a shite photo. I took it in a mad dash this morning, because I was DETERMINED to blog it, and who knows when I’ll be free in the daylight again?
I may have gotten a bit carried away with the petticoat. I made the first layer, and it didn’t look poofy enough, so I added a second. Now it is SUPER poofy, and since the skirt is just a light artsilk… it’s a bit mental. I was originally thinking of doing an overskirt thingy, open at the front, and I might need to still so that I don’t freze my delicate buttocks and/or flash someone by accident…
The petticoat was fairly easy, although fiddly. I had previous practice in working with the tulle and a small amount of proof of concept, because a couple of weeks ago I made a friend a tutu. Here is the only photo I took of that:
I am SUCH a neat crafter… I must take some good pictures of my crafting space. I have a WHOLE ROOM. Well, also for computer. That’s the computer chair on the right. You can just see the massive desk on the left. It is mostly clear, with my sewing machine on one side and space for cutting and measuring on the other. Please note the heater, which I guiltily used, since I needed my fingers to have sensation, and the ironing board and iron safely on the chair. Hey, guess what I learnt? My iron is better at heating up my room than my actual heater!
So, anyway. What I did for the peticoat was this. I measured my waist. Then I cut a strip of lining acetate about ten centimetres wider, and about 20 cm long. This is the base of the petticoat. I hemmed it both sides and then folded over about two inches to make a waist band, and sewed that. I cut elastic to go in there that was about 10cm smaller than my waist. I didn’t thread it till the end, though. So now I have a mini mini skirt.
Then I cut a piece of tulle twice the length of this base piece, and 20 cm wide. I pinned that to the waist bit, and sewed it down. The gathering is not super consistent, but it’s pretty good. Then I got a piece of tulle twice the size of the first piece (so four times the base) and pinned them together, and sewed.
At this point I tried it on and it didn’t look very poofy, so I repeated the process. I think one layer actually would have been fine. Or else, I should have made the pieces 15cm wide, and done three. I’m leaving it for now, because I like how mental it looks, but I think I will unpick it after the party. I think I will actually get some use out of it – I have some skirts and dresses that would look nice poufed up.
And that is how I made the petticoat!
It’s hardly professional (and I still haven’t sewn in all the ends in…) but I think it’s pretty good for what is one of only a handful of actual garments that I have ever made.
For the skirt I used this tute. The maths turned out perfect. I was so pleased! I cut the skirt and made a seperate waist band and put elastic in it. I started to hem it, but I buggered it up, and I can’t find my frapping quick unpick. I was having a hissy fit about it until I realised that it was my own damn fault for never putting anything back where it came from, and that it was past 11, which is my official cut off for doing anything that needs attention or decisions. So I put it down and I’ll go buy another one tonight. Also, in throwing things around the room looking for it, I found something I searched for for about three hours last week. So we’ll call it even.
As for knitting, I’m giving my cousin’s Juno a break.
It’s a TAD bigger than this now! I was thinking it looked super long, I musnt’ have much to go… the plan is to knit it until I run out of time (I’m giving myself till the end of August then I need to start the pattern bit) or there is 25g left in the ball. So I weighed the ball….
90g left. URGH! It’s super boring, but not dull enough to not pay attention. Plus, I think I’ve mucked it up a bit, have the wrong number of stitches in the wrong places. That isn’t so big a deal, but I need to pay it some attention and get it back on the right track. Plus, I mentioned the wanting to touch wool again thing.
It’s coming up to Bendigo time again, and I was thinking about what I will be packing. Last time I’d just finished my CPH, and I wore it the WHOLE time. I didn’t want to wear it again, buit I don’t have anything similarly warm and practical. So my mind drifted to the Cascade 220 I’ve had in my stash for… oh, over a year now. It is bound and dtermined to become Rogue. And now it is!
I cast this on last Wednesday. Not bad for a week’s worth of knitting, no? I’m racing Emma, who has been knitting hers for… how long now, Em? She’s split for the neckline, anyway. I reckon I can catch her….
The yarn is super smooshy, and the colour is simply glorious. It’s a sort of peacock, with that blue you can see in the photo, but also a shimmer of emerald green. Mmmmmmm bliss. And the cables are so fun! The first bit zoomed by because it went knitknitknit concentrate for twenty stitches, knitknitknit concentrate for twenty stitches. Repeat. Now I am doing the cable repeats for the waist, and it’s dragging a bit because it is not interesting at all… I’ve done three and a half, the pattern calls for five, and I’m going to up it to six for extra snuggliness… Sigh. Hopefully I’ll get some knitting in tonight and knock that on the head.
I’ve also cast on for some genmaicha for me, in baby camel, but I got up to the fiddly bit where you seperate for the thimb gusset and start the cabling while I was drunk one night, so they’ve been put away for when I have brain again…
It feels so good to be back on the horse again.
