Herringbone Kelly skirt

I was decidedly on the fence when I made my first Kelly skirt, but it's since become one of my most worn me-made separates. Who'd have thought it?! In fact I like it so much, it was the starting point for my latest skirt. I say 'starting point' because it veered totally off piste during its creation, but the bare bones are definitely from the Kelly pattern, so the name stays.

A lot of the changes were purely down to necessity because of my fabric choice. Well, not necessarily my fabric choice, more my lack of yardage. I bought a metre of this Organic Cotton Herringbone from Ray Stitch during my pattern cutting weekend thinking it would be perfect for a simple A-line skirt. However, between buying it and gearing myself up to cut into it, I changed my mind and decided it had to be a Kelly skirt. The trouble is, the Kelly skirt pieces are quite wide because of the pleats, and the pattern requires slightly more than a metre. I managed to cut my first version out of a metre by placing some of the pattern pieces upside down, but the herringbone design is directional, so that wasn't an option.

In the end, I decided to keep the pleats in the front of the skirt, but not in the back. I also couldn't be bothered with all the buttons and buttonholes, so decided to lose the button placket and add a central back zip instead. To do this, I followed Busy Lizzie in Brizzy's tips from this post. I cut the front piece on the fold, using the buttonhole markings as the centre front seam and the back as two separate pieces, adding a seam allowance to the fold line for the zip. Behold, no buttons or placket!

I didn't have room to cut the pocket facings in the same direction as the rest of the skirt, so they face the opposite way. I'm calling it a design feature.

I even managed to include some scraps from my Chambray Bow Blouse for the pockets, yay!

The herringbone fabric is pretty heavyweight, which is great for holding a pleat, but also means it's quite scratchy against the skin, so a lining was needed. I used navy satin left over from my Lace Laurel top for the lining using this tutorial. When adding a full lining, you can often get away with not finishing seams as they're all hidden away, but not in this case! Both fabrics frayed terribly, so all seams were overlocked to within an inch of their lives.  

I did make quite a major error at the cutting out stage - I folded the pleats in on the the back pattern piece, but really should have added more width for my backside. The back is now very slim fitting across the bum - almost like a pencil skirt. In fact, the finished skirt looks more like Simplicity 2451 than a Kelly skirt - the A-line shape has totally disappeared!

Back view…ahem

Because of this, it's not quite the skirt I was hoping for, mainly because it's so tight fitting across the bum, but that's my own fault for lack of foresight. It's not a total win, but definitely not a fail either. It's still a lovely, cosy skirt for winter and the blue and cream colourway seems to go with every conceivable top and cardigan in my wardrobe.

I did try to get some shots of me without my hands in my pockets but was continually photo bombed. Ah well, Happy Monday! x

I couldn't resist him, he's too cute! 

Cressida Skirt - the jury's out

Let's talk about circle skirts, or half circles or three-quarter circles or however much of a circle you want your circle skirt to be. Fact: I've never made a circle skirt. I've made a couple of dresses that included circle skirts (half and full) and was pleased with the results, but I'm convinced this was because the skirt was attached to the dress, which makes a world of difference. I do like the look of circle skirts, I like pinning pictures of them on Pinterest and reading about them and there are some sewing bloggers who just seem to carry them off with aplomb (Cashmerette made a fab plaid one and Lazy Seamstress has made trillions).  I just don't think they suit me.

This is a very roundabout way of introducing you to the Cressida Skirt which I recently pattern tested for Jennifer Lauren Vintage. As you may have guessed, Cressida is a half circle skirt with button placket, waistband and in-seam pockets. There are two design variations: one with a double breasted button placket and one with cute belt loops. When Jennifer asked if I was interested in testing, I almost declined because of the shape, it was the interesting design details that piqued my interest.  So I dived in, choosing a bright green cotton twill from Goldhawk Road to make it with for good measure.

The instructions for the Cressida skirt are clear and well explained, with lots of additional information and diagrams for tricky areas. I also like the way Jen groups the pattern pieces for each version separately, so you only need to print out the pages you need.  In terms of fit, there were a few tweaks that have now been made to the waistband following tester feedback, However, the finished waistband still has very little ease (only ½"), which is great if you like a tight fit round the waist, but not so good if you need a bit of room for pie eating. I cut a size 10, which was optimistic to say the least and, as it turns out, a grave error. The result was an uncomfortably snug waist, and an hour spent unpicking the entire waistband (after it had been top stitched...) and re-drafting a new one, I should add that this was all my own fault, I should have been truthful rather than vain with the size. My advice therefore is to look at the finished measurements and be realistic when deciding which size to sew, or add a bit of width if you're not sure.

Apart from the waistband saga, the skirt sewed together easily and was a relatively straight forward make. There's a fair bit of top stitching on the skirt waistband, button placket and belt loops, which I didn't mind at all - I'm a sucker for a nice bit of top stitching and I love how it looks. I would also re-iterate what Mary emphasised in her review here, which is to stay-stitch the waist of your skirt immediately after cutting to prevent the curved waistline stretching.

Avert your eyes from that top buttonhole...

So, what do I think about the finished Cressida skirt? Well, it's not every day I have the patience to unpick a waistband AND sew on 11 buttons, which is a measure of how much I wanted this skirt to work for me. The sad truth is, I'm not sure it does. I can't quite pinpoint what it is, maybe I'm not used to having so much width around my hips or maybe it's just sheer volume of fabric? Whatever it is, I don't like how it looks on me and if you're not happy yourself with the look of a garment, then you're not going to wear it. Which is such a shame because I really do think it's a lovely skirt and I adore the bright green fabric.

I have to point out that the colour in these photos isn't anywhere near as bright as the actual fabric - it's actually a bright, pea green. In fact it's the exact same colour as a pair of culottes I had when I was about 11. I can't remember if they were my mum's culottes that she cut down, or an old skirt of hers that she converted (if you're reading this mummy, can you phone me and let me know please?!) Whatever their origin, I loved them, and was hoping I'd feel the same way about my Cressida skirt. It's not looking too hopeful so far, but never say never eh? I was very ambiguous about my Kelly skirt when I first made it and now I wear it all the time!

As with all these things, this is merely my own personal opinion. If you do like the cut of its jib and can totally rock a half circle skirt, then the Cressida PDF skirt pattern is available to purchase here.

Have a good weekend! x

The Cressida pattern was given to me free of charge for pattern testing. All views my own.

Kelly skirt: hit or miss?

Do you ever see a garment on a sewing blog and have a burning desire to make an exact copy IMMEDIATELY? You do? Oh good, I'm glad I'm not the only border-line stalker out there then ... I had my most recent moment after seeing Roobeedoo's denim Kelly skirt by Megan Nielsen. It was, in a word, perfect: the cute buttoned front, the high waistband and the fact that it was denim. Denim! You all know how much I love a neat denim skirt - I knew I had to have one the same. I sheepishly contacted Roobeedoo at this point, letting her know my Single White Female intentions. Being the fine, generous woman she is, she graciously gave me her blessing to blatantly rip her skirt off, along with some construction tips and advice on lining! You gotta love Roobeedoo!

I used the same Japanese denim from Our Patterned Hand as Roobeedoo, but when push came to shove, I just couldn't be arsed to add a lining. My denim Ginger isn't lined and it's never given me any trouble, so I winged it. I used a light blue thread for the top stitching and buttonholes and vintage glass buttons. 

Top tip: be very careful not to drop glass buttons on the floor, remember, they're made of glass so can break. Ask me how I know....! Size-wise I made a small and it fits well, I didn't make any alterations, apart from hemming it half an inch longer than it says on the pattern. Let me state for the record that the Kelly skirt is a VERY easy skirt to make, two front pocketed pieces, a back piece, some pleats and a waistband. Hoorah. Yes, there are seven buttonholes but that's still five fewer than the other main player in the button front skirt world - the Colette Beignet. I've made the Beignet twice (here and here) and although I love it to death, it does probably take about three times longer to make than the Kelly skirt.

So, I've made a carbon copy of Roobeedoo's skirt, same pattern, same fabric, a good fit, easy to sew. Surely I should be skipping around with glee, punching the air at this point? Well, not really. It wasn't the love at first sight I was expecting - just because a garment looks wonderful on one sewist, it doesn't necessarily follow that it will be a perfect match on you. On the surface, it includes all the features I like: A-line shape, nice buttoned front, high waist, but I don't really wear skirts with pleats, just as I don't wear gathered skirts, I'm not used to having so much volume around my waist. And I think that's what I need to get past with this skirt, it's a different shape than I'm used to, that's all. I think it's quite healthy to be dragged out of my sewing comfort zone now and again, so I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt. 

It's looking promising so far - the more I wear it, the more I like it. Even with a high waist, it's super comfortable and I like the fab, roomy pockets. We'll have to wait and see - darling Kelly skirt, don't take it personally, it's not you, it's me! x

2013 sewing mantra

Good afternoon! As it's the last day of 2012, it seems like the perfect time to go through my sewing plans for the new year ahead. My sewing mantra for the year is very simple and can be summarised in three words: SEW MORE DRESSES! I love dresses: I love planning their construction, I love making them, and most of all, I love wearing them so more dresses it shall be.

Aside from a whole parade of dresses, the other plans I have up my sleeve include:

- Two pairs of trousers. One using Simplicity 3688 with the Margaret Howell "trousering" and one pair of Colette pattern Juniper trousers with a nautical spin.

- A denim Kelly skirt,

- A bow necked blouse or two

- Something in yellow…

And that's it! I don't like making rigorous sewing plans so we'll see what else turns up along the way.

Another goal for 2013 has also got me very excited. Here's a clue…

Seven year old Jane, providing glamour amidst the badlands of mid-seventies Liverpool 

Yes, I'm hoping to reprise my title of 'Hula Hoop Champion of My Street 1976' by taking up Hula Hooping again. I love the fact that in this photo, despite my mum's best efforts - nice dress, matching hair ribbons, shiny shoes - I've obviously stamped my foot and insisted on wearing Bay City Rollers socks…

I did a Hula Hoop class a few weeks ago and was hooked. Father Christmas brought me an exercise Hula Hoop (weighted for extra fat burning and consequently a bit of a killer) so bring it on! I'll be whittling my waist down so I can actually zip my dresses up, having eaten more than my fair share of pies over the festive period (ahem).

So there you have my small but perfectly formed plans for 2013, both sewing and non-sewing related. I'm also looking forward to reading your blogs, participating in a few challenges, meeting up with fellow bloggers and generally having a fine sewing year. Happy New Year! x