Cal Patch Sew Along

I just finished my skirt from Cal Patch's A-line skirt sew-along. I know what you're thinking...another A-line! I really like the simple style and it suits vintage fabrics really well. I'm so pleased to have a pattern that fits me perfectly that I'll use again and again.  Even with a drafting background from landscape design I find pattern making challenging.  I can picture what a tree or plant will look like in the landscape when I see it on paper, but body contours are completely different to draw up.  Cal was so patient in class and explained every step and why lines and shapes that looked counter-intuitive would work when the fabric was cut and sewn.  I liked her explantion of darts 'They're cones for boobs and butts'!  

Here I am above drafting the pattern in Cal Patch's Design Your Own Clothes workshop at the Makerie. Photo credit above Linda Winski.

The completed pattern... ready to cut out the muslin. The muslin fit perfectly, no adjustments needed.

Cutting out the fabric at my Sew Melbourne group at Can Do Books. My tassel necklace sure gets around!  I discovered when I tried on the skirt that heavy fabrics really need to be mushed down on the fold after you lay the pattern on top. The fold was a bit bulky and ended up adding a few centimetres to the front waistline. I took in the darts a bit and a little from the sides to fix it. I ran up the street and got a dress zipper at  Langknitt,  a lovely neighborhood shop that still sells haberdashery.  The fabric is a vintage bark-cloth from Urban Burp.

A-line Skirt Copy

A-line skirt copy

I originally had made this fabric into a elastic-waist skirt and didn't really like the fullness of the pleats with the stiff vintage cotton.  I always thought this fabric would be better suited to a straight skirt. Then, last June I bought a skirt when I was working full time thinking 'this is one that I could make' but didn't have any time to sew that winter.  It was my favourite (2nd fave now!) skirt and I finally had time to copy it last month. I made it a little narrower than the original red skirt (below).

The fabric has hand-painted looking purple, turquoise and yellow flowers with grey and green brushy stems and leaves. I bordered it in purple store-bought bias binding after testing to make sure it didn't run in the wash or with the steam iron. I had another trim I was thinking of using that was colour-fast in the wash but ran onto my ironing board (see photo below). Didn't use that one! The fabric was from A Piece of Cloth at their North Melbourne Market stall.

 The purchased skirt. I love this fabric and live in this skirt with t-shirts!

 I didn't make a pattern, just placed the fabric under the skirt and cut with a seam allowance.

 I recommend testing for water and steam-iron fastness if you are using a coloured trim. This one didn't pass the steam test and I didn't realise it until it was too late for my ironing board cover!

50's Style

I finished the Linda skirt I've been working on for my BurdaStyle sewing group.  Very 50's!