March 28, 2011

Slow going

Wow, lately it seems like everyone else is sewing and blogging up a storm... I feel like I'm lagging behind. Badly so.
The truth is, I've been busy. Too busy to get a lot of sewing done. And then, as soon as I get time to sew, there will be an assignment waiting for me. Work just been quite busy lately. And E had to work another entire weekend, so there are still no better pictures of the jacket.

As mentioned before, I had decided to fit in a few quick and easy things between my jacket and the assignment one. Of course, 'quick and easy' tend to be famous last words in my world...
I started of this skirt thinkin it would be both easy and a great opportunity to try out the tiny amount of draping experience I had just picked up at M's. Hm, well where to start?
I can't drape skirts at home. Mary still doesn't have legs and she has a posture issue and my normal dummy opens at the sides and center front and back which makes her quite unsuitable for pinning and draping. This meant I had to go with what I already know and start from a flat pattern.
Secondly, I hate this fabric. I love the colour and the hand is rather nice too (although maybe not ideal for this project) but it's just so synthetic. I knew it was polyesther, polyesther crepe to be precise, but not all polyesther fabrics are created equal. And as it was very cheap so I thought I could always use it for a muslin.
Well, that's what this skirt will have to be. A muslin. Which is why it doesn't have a zipper or facings and why I didn't press it properly.
This fabric isn't even worth that name. The stuff creates so much static electricity that I think it's a fire hazard. No way I'm going to wear that. And it frays like crazy.


I think I do like it though. The draped front will have to be smaller because it drags that side of the skirt down too much (not visible in the pictures) but I would just love to have a skirt with a 'fly-away panel' (as they call this feature in vintage pattern describtions, if I'm not mistaken). If you ask me, it's fun and flirty and feminine. Even though it's also difficult to finish properly because both sides of the drape are on display and there's a curved edge (I used a rolled hem from the serger on this muslin, but another fabric might need/allow other methods).

PS. Don't forget to enter the pattern magazine giveaway!

6 comments:

  1. Fun, flirty and feminine: absolutely. What a beautiful skirt. Hope you make it soon in a fabric you will wear.

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  2. It looks lovely -- do you think you'll make it up in the same color?

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  3. Ok, I totally appreciate the hate for the fabric, but MAN that is one gorgeous skirt. I love the pleating and the drape!

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  4. I love the draping of your skirt. But I do understand about icky fabric. But it's really pretty.

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  5. Well it looks just beautiful, but I understand that sometimes the fabric is like hate-at-first-wear, even though the colour may be perfect.

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  6. i like the color and drape. fly away panels hmm interesting will try one on my DD's skirt.

    I wanted to share with you that i indeed have started wearing skirts at last. my first skirt in years is here

    I am going through one of such phases of 'no sewing time available' of late. And have vowed to get back to it ASAP.

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