Chartreuse Skater Skirt

Well I have a love affair going with the Skater skirt add on from Jocole. Honestly it's the best. I'm not a big fan of box pleat skirts on my body. I just don't think they flatter my body type even though I love the look of them. The skater skirt has body and movement while not adding bulk to my mid section. That, my friends is, wonderful. I've made three of these skirts so far. Two for me and one for a friend. My latest version is chartreuse. Now this may not be the color for everyone and it's maybe not really a flattering color to anyone. Have I sold you on it yet? But it's fun and funky and looks great with black and white (my favorite color combo of all time!) and chambray/denim, which is a trend that is still going strong. Just take a look at these pins that had been lurking in my boards.

via pinterest

via pinterest

via pinterest

See I'd been crushing hard on chartreuse. So I knew I wanted to get some when I was fabric shopping online.

Quick note: The last few times I've been online fabric shopping I do so while also going through my inspiration boards on pinterest. It's easy to get distracted by pretty fabrics but then sometimes I buy them and don't know what to do with them or they're not me... I find that looking through my pinterest boards gives me a visual reference for what I like lately and so I can aim to get fabrics to create things that I'm already inspired by... does that make sense? Hope so.

Back to my chartreuse fabric. I bought a ponte leggero from fabric.com that is not available anymore. It was a lighter weight and stretchier than some ponte's and just seemed wonderful. I think I bought a yard and a half and eeked a skirt out of that... it was close.

When I construct my skater skirts I cut a medium size and high calf length. I'm tall... so that may or may not be too long for you. It's just right for my preference though. This skirt pattern also has like 8 (give or take) length options. Gotta love Jodi.  She likes to give us options. For my waistband I add a wide piece of elastic to the inside of the waistband which helps hold up the skirt. I like to use 1.25'' athletic elastic. It's my favorite because it's soft and has great recovery, and it's not too wide or narrow. I cut my elastic about an inch smaller than my waist measurement and sew it closed. Then I nest it into the fold of the waistband and sew the waistband to the skirt like I normally would. If you're familiar with Jocole patterns you can use her waistband instructions and measurements from other skirts like the pencil or A-line maxi... that's what I do.

Geez I didn't think I'd have much to say for this post... oops ;) Here are the rest of the pics... that's what we stop by for anyway right?! And thanks for stopping by my little part of the sewing/blogging/internet.

 

Not Every Witch Lives in Salem

By His grace I've got my confidence back and look at what I've done with it.

A few weeks back I was thinking I just wanted to make a good witch costume that I could wear every year. I knew it would be a huge undertaking so I planned on only making a few pieces each year. This year I chose to make the skirt and hat.

For the skirt I was inspired to make this skirt and used these instructions for adding a "hoop." For my skirt though I made things a little easier and just cut panels that were wide rectangles. I figured out how big I wanted the bottom circumference of my skirt to be, added 3 inches for seam allowance and then divided that by 6. That gave me 16 inch wide panels. To bring them in at the waist I just put both layers together and then added large pleats at every panel seam. I made sure the opening was large enough to pull on over my hips. Instead of using a zipper I added a yoga waistband/knit waistband. I did this because there is the possibility we'll have more children and I wanted the skirt to fit under a pregnant belly or on a postpartum belly... dressing up for Halloween is important, you know ;)

For the hat I was going to build one from scratch but my first two attempts didn't work out so I scrapped that idea and bought a $3 hat from Target and then added on to it. I added burlap on the top and bottom of the brim, and wrapped the cone in burlap. The fringe on the sides of the cone were a happy accident. Really the burlap on the hat just evolved as I was gluing it. The decorations were all found at Michael's and I made a little spider to add to the mix. The pin was just as simple as gluing and hand sewing some decorations to a piece of felt and using safety pins to attach it to my coat. The bird... ah that bird. I saw it at the store and knew that I needed a pet. It was quite a fun detail that didn't go unnoticed at last night's Witches Night Out.

For the lace gloves I used scraps of stretch lace I had on hand and watched a few youtube tutorials and they came together quickly.

Leather Look Pencil Skirt

Here's an old project I have never shared. It's the Ladies Knit Pencil Skirt from Jocole Patterns. Another one I tested. I'm not going to review it today, but just let you know it's a great pattern that just pulls on, because it's a knit, and has a yoga-style waistband. I used a knit fabric that looks like leather. Pencil skirts are a favorite thing to sew because they sew up super quickly. They're also my favorite skirts to wear. 

~ ~ ~ Risa ~ ~ ~

DIY Pencil Skirt

So remember my inspiration skirt? Well here's my version. I found the fabric at Joann's and drafted the pattern myself. Here's how:

1. I laid out my Kraft paper and used the side edge because I wanted both sides of the skirt to be symmetrical so it's best to cut on a fold. The side edge would serve as my fold.
2. I marked the top of my skirt to the bottom and then added markings for seam allowances. 1.5" at the top for my elastic and 1" at the bottom for the hem.
3.  I measured my waist to the widest part of my body, or lower hip, and marked that distance down from the top of the skirt. Not the top seam allowance marking but what would be the finished top.
4. I made a marking of how wide the widest part of the skirt needed to be.
5. I drew a straight line down to the skirt bottom and then pegged the bottom of the skirt in 5cm, or so and marked that.
6. I used a curved ruler to draw all connecting side seam lines. I didn't add seam allowances to the sides since I was working with a knit and wanted the skirt really fitted.
7. I drew a straight line down the whole length of the skirt 1" from the edge, or what would be the fold. When cutting my skirt pieces I cut the back piece on the fold from the pattern. Then folded that pattern piece along the mark an inch from the edge and cut the front piece. So the front piece is an inch less wide than the back piece. This was to help my side seams be more centered on the side and also made it more fitted... negative ease remember.

Don't sew? The skirt is available in my etsy shop as well. 

Do I need to make a quick video on how I drafted the skirt pattern? That might be more helpful than those typed instructions...

Then I sewed up the sides and it fit perfectly. This knit isn't super stretchy so it didn't need more taking in. I think a knit with more stretch might have needed taking in at the sides to get a more fitted look. I added elastic at the top and hemmed the bottom and I was done.

~ ~ ~ Risa ~ ~ ~

Halloween Double Ruffle Skirt

I'm a sucker for the holidays and holiday crap! I love it. So the minute holiday themed crafty supplies start hitting the stores I'm a happy lady. As soon as I saw this Halloween print I knew it was too cute to pass up and it was time for me to make my girly girl some holiday skirts. We'll do a Christmas one whenever I can find the perfect fabrics ;)

Buy it Here!

I used the Double Layer Ruffle Skirt Pattern from Jocole. I tested this for her years ago and haven't made the pattern for a couple years. It was a great one to come back to and I was able to whip this up in almost one nap-time. I broke out my ruffler foot for this one. It was my first time using it so I definitely need to figure some things out but it gave me a good base with those ruffles. Also I don't pay too close to instructions once I think I know what I'm doing... so I don't know if you're supposed to ruffle both layers together or separately but I did them separately so this skirt is rocking some great volume. I just love how it turned out. My girl does too!

Pattern Description: Double Layer Ruffle Skirt. A super cute skirt featuring a double layer ruffle and a dropped waist. It's fun to mix and match prints and colors. 3 different length options make this pattern versatile (above the knee, at the knee and below the knee). Full elastic waist for easy dressing.

Pattern Sizing: I made the 4T and it fits perfectly.
 
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done with it? Yes.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes! Her instructions are great. She has instructions with pics and a page of instructions all typed out so you can just reference if you need to, but don't need all the pics. I like to print that page and taking down to my sewing area.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I love how easy it is to sew. If you can sew a straight line you can sew this. Also it's a great place to start because you can learn about elastic insertion and gathering fabric. I'll be using the pattern again when I make a Christmas skirt.

 ~ ~ ~ Risa ~ ~ ~