Chi Town Skirt in Corduroy for The Fabric Guys

In an effort to spark some motivation to sew, I put together a small sewing plan to round out my fall wardrobe. I included a Chi Town Skirt, a couple pairs of pants and some easy to make tops.

I’m working through the bottoms slowly and have pretty much given up on the idea of making the tops. I guess making a plan didn’t really work to get the fires lit under my sewjo after all.

 

I did add a wonderful rust corduroy skirt to my wardrobe though. Here’s a sneak peek of the Corduroy Chi Town skirt that I made for the Sewcial Network blog featuring corduroy from The Fabric Guys. You can read the full details here.

 

 

On the topic of corduroy, I needed a refresher on sewing with it, so I compiled all the tips I gathered up into one helpful post to share. Click through to see.

11 Tips for Sewing with Corduroy

Until next time,

Melissa E of mahlicadesigns

Lily Wrap Skirt- Let’s Sew Together

Designer Stitch is developing a set of Let’s Sew Together patterns that are designed to be sewn with a novice or friend that you can help along the way and share the love of sewing with.

The concept of having a line of patterns that are beginner friendly and bring people together is so lovely and Ann of Designer Stitch really hit the mark in the first implementation of her idea- the Lily Wrap Skirt.

Why the Lily works.

The design is interesting with the two sides that fold over each other, reminding me of origami and there’s something about the shaping that brings to mind mathematical curves and lines.

The Lily is not only a beginner friendly pattern but it is thoughtful in its design to make it easy to help someone brand new to sewing. For example: 1. A 1/4in seam allowance is used along the curved edge with the tab. The narrower seam allowance removes the need to clip along that curve saving time and construction steps. 2. Using hook and loop as a closure is simple and easy to apply and much quicker that other types of closures.  3. The need for fitting is minimized. You may need to adjust your darts, but no alteration to fit the width of your waist or hips is needed in this design.

The Lily also works because it’s a great project to use fun fabrics with and heck, a reversible skirt is fun for all ages.

Take your Lily to the next level

After making the Lily, I have a few notes on how to add some of your intermediate sewing skills to the project. 1. Upgrade your closures. I used buckles and a hidden slide clasp because I’m not planning on wearing mine as reversible. Sewing with D used some really cute buttons on hers. 2. Add a facing or interface your waistband edge. The waistband is a turned over edge, I think this is probably fine for most, but I just feel like I need a little more support in my waistband.

How to partake in the fun without a “novice” to sew with you.

The timing wasn’t right for me to work with someone who would need a little help learning to sew the Lily skirt, so I explored two other options. Firstly, I paired with Diane of Sewing with D to talk through the process using video chat in facebook messenger. Secondly, since Elizabeth of Elizabeth Made This and I live in the same city, we arranged to do a sewing meet up to work on our skirts together.

In the initial chat with Diane we talked about the pattern, fabrics, and ideas we were considering. We were able to work out any questions we had about the pattern, get a second opinion about fabric choices, and of course just chat about whatever. Our second video conversation took place after we both had most of the construction completed. We talked about what we might do differently the next time we made the pattern, shared pictures of button and buckles we were deciding on and gave our opinions, and of course more sewing chit-chat. Most of my sewing friends are online, so I really liked having the video chats with Diane, whom I’d been acquainted with for some time, but never actually spoken to or met with in person.

Meeting with Elizabeth in person was another fun way to work on the project. We shared some tea and cinnamon rolls and then as two moms with limited sewing time are want to do, got right down to the business of sewing. Now neither Elizabeth or I need hand holding, but it is really nice to be able to say “what are you doing here”, or “how are you coming along on this step” and so on. So much better than talking to myself in my sewing room.

Thanks Elizabeth and Diane for being my sewing buddies on this project!

The Pattern: Lily Wrap Skirt in size 4. I shortened mine by 4in to hit above my knee.

The Fabric: Navy cotton sateen and a cotton wax print from my stash.

 

As always, thanks for reading today.

You can follow me on instagram, Bloglovin, or by entering your email in the right side bar.

This post may contain affiliate links, if you purchase through my links I get a small commission to help pay for my sewing hobby.

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Pin this image, so you can come back when you’re ready to start sewing your version.

Laela Jeyne Summer Collection has landed

After making my two sets of the Comfy Cozy pajamas, I knew I wanted to try more from Laela Jeyne patterns. Then she started giving hints on instagram of a new collection including a cool looking swim suit. Can you guess what’s next? Oh, yes. I’m hopping on a blog tour to show off the new Summer Collection from Laela Jeyne.

I’m not ready to take on sewing a swim suit yet; but, inspired by Mallory of the Self Sewn Wardrobe I decided to take a big step out of my comfort zone and chose to make the cropped Dahlia tank top and Rose circle skirt*. Did you see me say cropped?

The axiom with cropped tops is balance your coverage: If you show a little abdomen, then have more coverage elsewhere like with a higher neckline or sleeves on your top. Full coverage on your bottom half; like a maxi skirt or pants is a good counter balance too. I’ll be honest, I had a big fear about showing too much skin and I was pretty anxious that a cropped tank top and a knee-length skirt was not going to give me enough balance between reveal and coverage.

Well, sometimes you just don’t know until you try. I made up the tank first and was elated at the fit and coverage. Yes-coverage in a cropped tank. First off, the Dahlia tank comes with cup sizes A-E, so you’re saved an FBA to avoid a tight fit across the bust, the front and back hem line scoops very nicely for a more subtle cropped look, and a good neckline and sleeve width give good coverage up top.

With the tank complete, I moved onto the Rose circle skirt. The skirt partners perfectly with the cropped tank since you choose your skirt size by measuring where you want it to sit on you. Wear it low on your hips if you like or wear it high for more coverage. I made my Rose to sit right at my natural waist. I’m showing less skin this way and most of my mommy tummy is hidden.

The Rose comes in quarter, half, and full circle options; as well as multiple length options ranging from mini to maxi. I went with the quarter circle and the 20in length and it’s just the look I like. I’m so glad to have this versatile pattern at the ready. A circle skirt pattern is a wardrobe basic that I’ve been missing.

I love how the outfit turned out and my fears about being too revealing where resolved by the design of the Dahlia tank and the fit options of the Rose skirt. I can’t believe how fast these patterns sew up and how little fabric I used. I think I spent about an hour on each of them and about 1 yd x 30in for each pattern.

So are cropped tops for you? I didn’t think they were for me, so maybe you should give it a try. If you don’t like it for streetwear, a cropped tank would be great for summer sleepwear.

Please, would you take a minute to look at what the other bloggers in the tour have made up from the Summer Collection? I’m sure they’d love you to stop by and share your thoughts.

Monday Anna’s Heirloom Boutique – Swimming in a Sea of Estrogen – Olive Ashby

Tuesday MahlicaDesigns – Pear Berry Lane – Sewing with Sarah

Wednesday Sewn at Seams – Nini and Ash – The Crafting Fiend – Sew a Piece of Joy

Thursday I am Mami de Sofiona – Sew and Tell Project – My Heart Will Sew On

Friday LoveThings! – Idle Sunshine – Lovely for Life – Neva Couture

 

As always, thanks for reading today.

You can follow me on instagram, Bloglovin, or by entering your email in the right side bar.

*Laela Jeyne provided the Dahlia and Rose patterns to use for my post. These are my straight up opinions.

This post may contain affiliate links, if you purchase through my links I get a small portion to help pay for my sewing hobby.

Ally Skirt and Onyx Shirt for the Knock It Off tour

Today I’m sharing an outfit I made for the Knock It Off blog tour hosted by Lulu & Celeste and Sprouting Jube Jube. The mission: Knock Off a look from a designer or rtw.

The challenging part of the tour parameters was finding my inspiration. I hadn’t followed designers or Ready To Wear (rtw) companies at all, but this was the perfect push to broaden my view.

Since I didn’t even know where to start, I had to work backwards. I knew I wanted to make a red skirt for summer, so I started looking at companies I’d heard people talking about- Anthropologie, Mod Cloth, and Urban Outfitters. I searched for red skirts and pinned the outfits I liked. Success! I found this outfit on Anthropologie that I wanted.

Photo from Anthropologie

Putting together the Knock Off was super easy from my pattern stash. The Ally Skirt and Onyx Shirt had the right silhouettes and I quickly hashed a plan to hack the Ally to get the look.

I made the Onyx in a size 4 using a cotton woven (an IKEA sheet from their clearance bin). Simple enough since I’ve made the Onyx before (here).

For the Ally I made a size small again (first Ally here) using a cotton sateen from Joann Fabrics, drafted an angled pocket, added 1.5in in height to the waistband, and added a zip fly and clasp closure.

I’m very pleased with how my outfit came out. It harkens to the inspiration photo and it’s my style and color scheme. I’m gettting better and better at hacking the patterns I own to get a look I want. It’s a learning process and of course there are goof ups like this one:

I forgot to extend the waistband to account for the zipper fly extension. Whoopsie. I made it work by tappering it a bit.

I was a little short on fabric after drafting my hacks, so I was able to stashbust a little more of my quilting cotton stash for the waistband facing and fly shield.

I’m really happy with my outfit and that I can make myself a look instead of shelling out the $150 it would have taken for the Anthropologie version. Yikes!

My cost: Total: $13   Fabrics $9    Notions $4  Patterns: $0 Stash

If you’d like me to write up a tutorial on my Ally Skirt hack, let me know in the comments.

 

Now I’d like you to pay a visit the my fellow bloggers to see how they Knock It Off 

Monday, April 24  Lulu & Celeste – Call Ajaire – Paisley Roots – Adventures with Bubba and Bug

Tuesday, April 25  Sprouting JubeJube – mahlicadesigns – Sew and Tell Project

Wednesday, April 26  Lulu & Celeste – SewSophieLynn – Nini and Ash – Little Heart Threads

Thursday, April 27  Sprouting JubeJube – sewingbyti – Inspinration – House of Estrela

Friday, April 28  Lulu & Celeste – Duchess & Hare – Creative Counselor – FAM

As always, thanks for reading today.

You can follow me on instagram, Bloglovin, or by entering your email in the right side bar.

Ally Skirt from Blue Dot Patterns

Frankly, I was very happy to let the current “denim everything” trend pass on by me. If I followed the trend back in middle school, I just don’t want anything to do with it.

And yet once again, my mind was changed by a pattern. The Ally Skirt is a six gore skirt with contoured waistband, length options, flap, pocket option, and top stitching.

Two ideas struck immediately when looking at the Ally; denim with copper snaps and yellow top stitching or corduroy in a camel/caramel color for that 70s feel. So very on trend right now. The new Ally Skirt just called out to be made up in denim.

I tested the Ally Skirt pattern for Blue Dot Patterns. Blue Dot Patterns may sound familiar. I’ve made up two Georgia‘s (here and here), hosted the Creative Sewing Challenge last fall, and one of my ideas for the Margo Blouse is on my sewing table now.

I used a lightweight 7 oz. denim from my stash to make up my Ally in a size medium. With some pattern piece Tetris and using an extremely tight lay out, I was able to get my skirt cut out of 5/8 yard x 60in wide. If you have a directional print, fabric with nap, or narrower fabric; you’ll need more.

Why I recommend the pattern: 1. Oh my is it so easy. All the pieces could get confusing, but the way they’re labeled and notched makes it no problem. 2. Diane, the pattern designer, even includes fitting as part of the pattern directions. Instead of a 1/2in seam allowance at the sides, I used a 5/8in seam allowance: Fitting Done! 3. A contoured waist band. I’m a pear shape so that’s perfect for me. 4. The style is classic and very on trend right now too.

Get yours! Get your Ally pattern for 30% off, for a limited time, directly from Blue Dot Patterns or from UpCraft Club.

I chose snaps that were bigger than the recommended button size, so I skipped the top stitching at the outer edge of the button placket.

Hey, I’m pretty proud of my top stitching here.

That pocket flap is purely decor. I don’t need pockets in everything, so I’m cool with it. If you are in the pockets on everything camp there’s a pocket option for you.

I styled the Ally skirt with a cowl neck tee; with my banded Kirsten Kimono tee and RTW jacket; and a RTW sweater.

The Ally should take you about 3.75 hours to complete. In a size medium with creative layout I used 5/8 yard of fabric.

Total cost: $6.50           Fabric: $3      Notions: $3.50       Pattern: $0*

 

*I received the Ally Pattern for free as a tester. Do I have to explain that these are my own thoughts about the pattern? They are.

I took a leap this week.

I’ve been making a few navy tops lately and didn’t really feel like they paired up well with the bottoms is my wardrobe. After a little brainstroming, I got an idea.

Goldenrod Yellow – Meet my toned down color palette and work some magic!

I’ve had it in my mind that I cannot wear yellow because of some bad color choices in the past that made me look sickly. I’ve also been wanting a yellow jacket for the longest time and kept hoping to find the right yellow tone that would work for me.

Enter a TNT skirt pattern and this goldenrod fabric from my destash pile and a small prayer that this idea would work.

I think I have a small victory here. I can wear yellow and my wardrobe is now better rounded.

The pattern: Simplicity 2451 view D with front pleats removed in size 14. Removing the pleats was the only alteration. I simply folded/pinched out the pleats from the pattern tissue before cutting.

The fabric: I pulled this cotton(?) woven out of my giveaway/sell stack. I inherited it some time ago and it was so close to being donated.

Notes: My first time making a lapped zipper; oh my, so much easier than an invisible zipper. Despite reviewing my notes from the last time I made this skirt, I forgot to add some length. I had a narrower hem to work with than I’d like, but really no big deal.

Styling: I’ve paired my Goldenrod skirt with a charcoal Union St. Tee (unblogged), my lace Georgia hack, and a rtw blouse (meh).

Simplicty 2451 view D should take you about 3 hours to make. A size 14 used 1yd of fabric, hem tape, and a purchased zipper.

Total cost: $2.00    Fabric $0-stash     Notions(zipper) $2        Pattern $0-stash

Have you been making any bold sewing moves lately?

Quilted Jade Skirt for SV Design Crew

I made up a modified version of the Jade Skirt from Paprika Patterns using a wonderful quilted double knit from Sew Vagabond. I recently joined the SV Design Crew**.

The Pattern: I’ve made the Jade skirt before here, so I knew it would be perfect for making a mini skirt to show off the quilted texture of this fabric. To skip the folded front, I used the front lining pattern piece as my shell instead. I also lengthened the front and back pattern pieces to 16in. The Jade’s waistband is one curved piece, so to conserve fabric and keep the textured pattern of the fabric a little more lined up, I pieced the waistband instead.

I made up a size 5 again, lengthening it as I said above and then, because the fabric has a good stretch, I end up using a 3/4in seam allowance on the sides instead of 1/2in given in the pattern.

I’ve done an exposed zipper before with only a so-so result, so I wanted to try one again to give the skirt that extra something and to get a better hold on the technique. I struggled getting the zipper in without having little tucks and wrinkles at the bottom corners. I finally got it after a few tries and changing the order of construction. Now I know what I need to do to nail it next time.

The Fabric: A natural fiber quilted double knit in navy from Sew Vagabond Shop (available late summer) for the shell and a navy jersey knit from my stash for the lining. I’ve actually used a similar fabric before, but wow what a difference between the two. My Jasper dress made in a quilted jaquard made it into my February Fail post because the fabric was just an absolute disaster, it has that slick polyester feel and is snagging and pilling like crazy. This navy quilted knit is holding up so well after washing and even after having to rework that exposed zipper many times and a little seam ripping too.

I’ve styled my new Jade with a rtw blouse and my Burda 7140 faux leather jacket, with my Melly Sews Peasant Blouse, and a rtw plain white tee.

Making a modified Jade skirt should take you about 3.25 hours, assuming you get an exposed zipper in on the first try. In a size 5 with a pieced waistband I used 1/2yard of the quilted knit and 1/2yard of the jersey knit lining.

Total Cost: $3   Pattern: stash   Fabric shell: Free**  Lining: $1   Notions: $2

** When I make a qualifying purchase as part of the SV Design Crew, I receive 2 free yards of fabric to make what ever I want and Sew Vagabond Shop gets to use my pictures to show off their fabrics.

Burda 6928, the most boring skirt ever.

The last piece I’m sharing from the Sew With Me challenge is Burda Young #6928, a pieced straight skirt.

Burda Skirt

I ordered this fabric for its ivory/vanilla/putty color to fit in with my Core Wardrobe color palette. What I got looks exactly like unbleached muslin, it even has some of those flecks of color like muslin. I was under a deadline and sending it back didn’t make $ense, so I used it anyway. The resulting skirt is perfectly fine as a basic and fills a hole in my Core Wardrobe, but it’s resemblance to muslin and shape make it a pretty boring piece.

Pattern Notes:

Burda #6928 View A, Size 12. Bottom weight cotton/lycra twill in Vanilla from Fabric mart (sold out)

Apparently the “Young” part of the pattern means no shaping through the hips. If you are straight up and down this pattern is for you, I am not. A pretty stretchy fabric and altering the waist band redeemed this pattern.

I added 3in in length to make this mini a workable length for me (I’m 5’4″ and modest). The back waistband gapped a bit. Two 1/4in darts positioned right above the two back seams did the trick. I was not loving this skirt from almost the start, so I did not bother redrafting and recutting the back waist band. With the stretch of the fabric I was able to eliminate the zipper altogether. I also skipped the piping detail, which may have made this a little less boring but I was not inspired to do so at the time.

Burda 6928 should take you 2.75 hours to make, but honestly find a better pattern.

Pattern $1.99 Fabric $4.75  Total $6.75

Never Ending Summer with a Pin Peg Mini Skirt hack

When thinking about how to bring a summer feel to clothing that I can wear year round, I kept coming back to the idea of using fabrics with a summery print or colors for a fall/winter garment. The best I was coming up with was a floral lining in a jacket, but it just wasn’t what I was wanting to accomplish for Never Ending Summer.

Thanks to The Monthly Stitch’s August theme of “2 is the magic number” I got to thinking about making something reversible and viola the Reversible Pin Peg Mini idea was born. Summery on one side, wintry on the other.

Just a few details: I used an abstract stretch cotton sateen from Fabrics & Trimmings and a stretch cotton twill called Stingray from Felinus Fabrics (sold out). The Pin Peg Mini is a newer pattern release from Sew This Pattern. I paired fabrics with a similar stretch, weight and opacity.

I would resolutely insist that you make a muslin first. I’m glad I did because there was some weirdness with how the pattern printed. (I didn’t see anyone else report problems when researching, I’m sure I goofed it up) The size chart puts me at a size 10, but I sized up to a 12 on my first muslin and it was about 1in too narrow on the back and 3in too narrow at the front. Whhaa? I reprinted on some A4 paper I have, made sure there wasn’t something happening with the scaling, and got no difference in the pattern pieces. Unfortunately there are no finished garment measurements to help out either. I started my second muslin at size 16 and worked down from there. I ended up using size 12 for the back and size 14 pieces for the front and grading one size smaller at the waist. All this too say, measure your pattern pieces for fit and do a muslin.

Getting the right fit took a little work, but I’m really pleased with my reversible version. I was most excited about the black Stingray fabric, but I’m only meh about the finished look. I think a black zipper would not have distracted from the vertical print, so I’m considering painting over the metal on that side. I’m liking the watercolor side much more.

I haven’t thought through how I’m going to style it in the cooler months, but I feel good about my Never Ending Summer creation and I’m glad I can share how I made a reversible version.

A brief tutorial on how to make your Pin Peg Mini reversible:

Note: I’m just giving high level instructions so you can make your own. Good sewing practices like marking, trimming seams, and pressing are assumed. Also I’m assuming you know how to install a zipper.

1. You will need the two front pattern pieces, back piece, two front waist band pieces and back waistband piece. (Set the facings and zipper flap pattern pieces aside)
2. Determin your new zipper length. Abutt the left front and left front waist band pieces and measure along the zipper edge. Subtract 2.5in to account for seam allowances. Or wait until you’re to ready to insert the zipper and measure.
3. Cut your fabrics separately. Cut main fabric right side up with pattern pieces right side up. Cut second fabric right side up and pattern pieces wrong side up.
4. Sew all darts. Press the main fabric darts out, press the second fabric darts in.
5. In main fabric, sew front 2 pieces to back piece at side seams. Repeat for second fabric.
6. In main fabric, sew front waist band pieces to back waist band piece. Repeat for second fabric.
   

   **Note that the right waistband piece includes extra length for a button closure, I just trimmed the extra off after attaching the waistband to the skirt.

7. In main fabric, sew the waist band to skirt body. Repeat for second fabric.
8. Right sides together, line up the main skirt with the second skirt along the waist and hemlines. Sew the two skirts together along the waist band. Press. Sew the hem line together leaving a 10in opening along the back piece. You should now have a tube, open at two ends and a 10in opening at the hemline on the back piece.
9. Sew in your zipper along the shorter front piece. Turn things right side out if it helps, then line up the other side of the zipper in the opening on the long front piece. Sew the zipper in the other side and the bottom of the longer seam closed at the same time.
10. Now you’ll need to turn things right side out through the 10in opening in the bottom hem and hand stitch the opening closed.

Jade Skirt from Paprika Patterns for Summer Crush week

Meet my Summer Crush, the Jade Skirt from Paprika Patterns. (LinkUp your Summer Crush here)

My interest was piqued last fall when the Jade came out, but it wasn’t until spring that I decided what fabric to use. Thanks to #sewlongsummer the Jade is finally taking up residence in my closet. I can really see this being a key part of my Core Wardrobe. The length is good for summer and paired with some colorful tights will be cute in fall and winter too.

I used a  Maggy London ponte from Fabric Mart for the shell and a cotton jersey from Girl Charlee for the lining. I’m very pleased with both fabrics for this project. The ponte is a good quality and the jersey has the right stability needed to support the folds on the Jade. The color is not as saturated on the jersey as I would like, so it may only be used in supporting rolls in other garments.

The pattern is not as difficult as those front folds make it look. There’s a tutorial video and a practice sheet to make sure you can do the folds correctly. I watched the video a couple of times and followed the tip to use colored pins and had no trouble with the folds. In fact, I got it on the first try.

Once you tack down those folds, the rest of the construction is elegant in its simplicity. The instructions include options to add an exposed zipper or an elastic waistband. I didn’t need to do either.

The Jade Skirt should take you about 3.75 hours cut to finish.

Pattern: $7      Fabric: $9    Total: $16

Kirsten Kimono Tee and the Lindy Petal Skirt for Indie Pattern Month

I’m diving into the Indie Pattern Month contest over at The Monthly Stitch. This weeks contest is all about separates. Hey, that’s what I do! This time though, I’m aiming to make them play nicely together. Let’s see.

I’m putting together the Lindy Petal Skirt from Itch to Stitch in a size small (blogged here) and a new work up of a personal favorite, the Kirsten Kimono Tee from Maria Denmark with a small modification, in a size medium.

The Lindy was made using a wonderful French terry in charcoal gray from Raspberry Creek, one of my Core Wardrobe colors. I made a size small and shortened the length by 1in. Next time, I may slim down the hip area to reduce some of the lumpiness there. The pattern is well put together, with easy instructions for making alterations. The Lindy is easy to make, a great stash buster at less than 1 yd (for me anyway), and looks so smart.

For my second try at the Kirsten Kimono I sized up to a medium. (first version here). I like my summer tees a little looser, so this fit is better. For something a little different this time I wanted to add a 2in bottom band. I reduced the tee length by 4in when cutting as it was looking pretty long, and then added on the 2in band. The Kirsten Kimono pattern does not include seam allowances, argh, so I trace mine with 3/8in seam allowances for serged seams. The sleeve has a 1in hem allowance added and is sewn down with a stretch stitch.

I used a light weight mystery knit for the Kirsten Kimono, a prize from Elizabeth Made This during Sew Mama Sew’s giveaway day. It’s a bolder color than I would normally choose but I’m so glad I got to try it out.

I like the two pieces together, but tucking in the tee gives a little bit of lumpiness under the skirt. Untucked is fine, but only just fine.

Take a look as I pair it with my Cobalt Shorts. I like these two together.

You can check out what others are making for the contest over at The Monthly Stitch.

Lindy Petal Skirt from Itch To Stitch; Core Wardrobe Building

A lot of times I hem and haw when deciding on a pattern and then spend even more time on fabric. As you may know, I’m slowly working on building my Core Wardrobe. One of the items on my list is a summer weight skirt in charcoal gray. I associate charcoal gray with the winter season, so it’s been a challenge to find a pattern and fabric inspiration for this piece.

Lindy Petal Skirt

The Lindy Petal Skirt pattern was released a couple weeks ago and gave me that ah-ha moment I needed. The Lindy is a knit skirt, which I hadn’t thought of doing, and I had just enough of this rayon terry left over from one of my Jaspers to use. The length, silhouette, and wrap look of the petals all said spring/summer to me.

If you’re looking for a quick and easy sew that ends with a great look the Lindy has what you need. The pattern is free from Itch To Stitch and it looks like she takes care to make quality patterns.

I used a medium weight terry knit, I think using a lighter weight knit like a jersey with a little stretch would be ideal so you don’t get some of the lumpiness at the side seams like mine. Shortening by 1in was my only pattern alteration. I’m 5’4.

So what do you think? Did I get a spring/summer success? I feel pretty good about it.

Oh, and yeah I got a hair cut between photos.

The Lindy Petal Skirt should take you about 1.5  hours.

Fabric $8  Total Cost: $8  Yea, more stash busting.

Orange Zip Skirt Simplicity 2451

Vintage 1972 Zip

Dots Maze Sateen

I came across this vintage zipper from my grandmother in my stash and thought I’d use it as an exposed zipper in a project. I was drifting off to sleep, often when inspiration hits me, when I thought about pairing it with this cotton sateen I saw at Joann fabrics.

I was hoping this knit red top would be a natural outfit, but meh, I’m liking it much better with this blue blouse.

I’ve sewn up Simplicity 2451 view B in the past and really like how it fits me, so I chose view D feeling confident on a good fit. I had to lengthen the back darts an additional 3/8in for a better fit, but nothing else needed alteration.

A couple new techniques for me on this skirt. I sewed the exposed zipper using this tutorial from Pattern Runway as a guide, next time I might try to figure out how to encase the end of the zipper tape for a nicer interior finish. I also used a stretch lace hem tape for the first time. I wanted to avoid the bulk of a double folded hem and keep as much length as I could. The tape worked perfectly.

Overall I’m pretty pleased with my Orange Zip skirt. The fit at the waistline and hips is spot on. On the down side, the cotton sateen is a bit stiff at the front pleats and poofs out a bit more than I’d like, but that’s not going to stop me from wearing it.

Awkward arm posing

Here’s to more stash busting. I used a pattern, zipper, and hem tape from my stash.

Simplicity 2451 View D should take you about 2.75 hours to complete.

mahlicadesigns is now at Thread: A Denver Handmade Consignment Boutique

Were you able to guess what’s up from last times little teaser?

Folded Front skirt in navy w/ orange

I’ve been working on a small selection of Folded Front skirts to go on sale at Thread in Denver.

Medium Folded Front skirt in Navy w/ yellow

The Folded Front skirt is a high waist wrap skirt that features draping across the front and interesting folds at the button closure.

The waist line can be folded over to reveal the colorful lining, and why wouldn’t you want to do that since it plays off the buttons so well?

Small Folded Front Skirt in Navy w/ Cornflower

I used these three coordinating cotton prints from my stash for the linings that peak out at the waistline. Each skirt is still one of a kind, but there is also continuity that will display nicely in the store.

Check out my new labels.

Check back next week for a little more on Thread.

Want a sneak peek?

I’ve been working on a project for the last week or so. Here’s a teaser until I can reveal more.

The Obi Belted Skirt in minty green by mahlicadesigns

I created one of my Obi Belted Skirts this weekend as a custom order from my etsy site. This one is in a lovely minty green.

I would never have thought to pick this color myself, but it really is pretty.

The Split Front Skirt by mahlicadesigns

The Split Front Skirt is here… after much rumination.

 

I pretty quickly assembled the skirt and then set it aside once I got to the peak seam at the bottom. I added a lining in a lightweight pink cotton that was to be the peak of color through the opening I left in the front seam. The pink lining was too light and just looked like a slip showing by mistake or bad taste.

So the skirt was on hold while I auditioned more pinks, decided if I was going to insert a godet or ruffles into the lining in the new color, and if I was going to make a top to go along with this.

Well last night I was just fed up at looking at the sad stack of the unfinished project. Decision time. I chose a pink print, a godet as the insertion, and to forget about making a coordinating top.

Then to wrap things up I used a new-to-me technique from the recent edition of Threads Magazine to attach the lining to the zipper opening in the back. Essentially the raw edges are staggered, so the lining is offset from the zipper to avoid it catching in the teeth.

All done…right.  Well, not quite. With the lining, the bottom really flared out looking quite trumpet like.

As a final update I cut out the bottom portion of the lining and inserted the godet into the split front of the denim.

Pretty cute, I think. I love the pockets and the peak of color at the hem.

Coming soon to my etsy store.

The Rocchetta Alta Wrap Skirt by mahlicadesigns

The Rocchetta Alta is a shorter version of my Rocchetta wrap skirt. I combined my desire to offer a shorter version with some requests for additional colors for the body of the skirt. I use a single color family to trim the skirt hem.

This design is available in my etsy store. Rocchetta Alta

Folded Front Skirt

My Folded Front Skirt is the first of several experimental pieces working with folds, pleats, and pintucks. I also wanted to create an unstructured waist area that could accommodate several waist sizes

The color combination of the skirt, facing, and buttons really works for me. The unstructured waist area has the look of a nicely finished skirt and gives some flexibility in the waist size.

If I were to make this again, I would shift the folded area a bit more towards the hip. I might also curve off the lower corners so those edges don’t look so harsh.

Tab Waist Pencil Skirt

I’m loving high-waisted skirts right now. The elongating effect of the pencil skirt is just what this shorty needs.

This went together quite easily as I am getting pretty quick at darts and a lot of the curves are built into the pattern.

I have this item in my etsy shop as a custom item.

 

Curvy Pintucked Skirt

I had been wanting to integrate some free form pintucks into a design and this cute pattern from Stitch Magazine hit the spot.

The pattern was pretty easy to execute though pinning all those pin tucks was time consuming.

The fabric color and hand are wonderfull. This particular fabric continued to shrink when pressing all those tucks, despite washing hot, drying hot, and pressing hot to prep the fabric. I had to sell this one as it shrank too much to fit me. Darn.

The Obi Belted Skirt by mahlicadesigns

 

I really love the look of Obi sash belts and envisioned a full skirt with an obi sash like waistband. I created this design by modifying a simple apron pattern.

 First I modified the waist band shape to mimic an obi sash and widened the ties. Next I extended the body of the apron to make the complete skirt body and inserted an invisible zipper in the back.

This design is available in my etsy store with some new colors available.

I like the shaping of the waistline and the fullness of the skirt. I think the bow tie is pretty darn cute too.

 I used a beautiful print, but the detail of the sash is hard to see from a distance in this particular fabric. Maybe the ties could be a little shorter.