The Eleventh Hour

Literally. Also this has the potential to be an incredibly long post.

Blouse and Sweater- thrifted

Skirt- Made by me

Saddle Shoes- Payless

On occasion I am an idiot. No, really. I fully believe the key to a healthy life is to burst your own ego bubble from time to time, so I have no problem in saying it: I am sometimes really, really stupid. Case and Point: Last night at 11 o'clock in the evening I decided to make a skirt. I had actually been planning on making said skirt all day, but hadn't got around to it yet. I have no idea why I thought 11pm was a good time to start a sewing project, but start I did. And finish I did, but we'll get there.

I used this pattern. I've had it in my stash for a while and never put it to use. I feel like this post is going in rabbit trails, but there is actually a back story to all this. See yesterday was the first day I'd worn a dress all week. I've been living in jeans and tees and have been so frustrated with my wardrobe that I seriously considered getting rid of it all and starting over. There is no cohesion, and making outfits has become very difficult. Also, y'know that phrase "too much of a good thing...," well that is totally my closet. There is just too much and it leaves me exhausted just looking at it. Another problem is that I apparently have an aversion to solids. 99% of my wardrobe is made up of cute and charming prints, and absolutely zippo on the basics side. So sometime earlier this week (I literally can barely remember what I did this morning) I sat down with a sketch book, and made up a Spring And Summer Wardrobe Plan (<----- big fancy name). It still needs a bit of fine tuning, but I like the direction it's headed. My SASWP, as I like to say, has really brought to light the holes in my wardrobe, and will allow me to eliminate things that are worn out, don't get a lot of wear, and just not my style anymore. The SASWP (I love saying this) also lets me play with colours I don't already have in my closet but have been wanting to incorporate. 

 When I was "designing" this wardrobe plan I first made a list of the basics, by category, that I do have, but need to be replaced and then listed basics in colours I'd like to play with. So The skirts category looks something like this: Basics to replace: Black, Brown, Navy, Red. Basics to incorporate: Grey, Maroon/plumb, Tan(?). I did this for my entire closet, pants, shorts, dresses, even pyjamas. My theory is that once I have these basics, then I can go an add more fun pieces. I'm not finished with the planning, but I'm close! 

So back to the skirt. I really prefer these 40's style, gored, A line skirts to other styles and shapes. I am a very oddly proportioned person, and A line skirts tend to balance me out better than their full counter part, and this pattern fit the bill. I had read a few reviews for this pattern and each an every single one said in bold, all caps lettering CHECK THE FINISHED GARMENT MEASUREMENTS! This statement was usually followed by multiple exclamation points. I know that at some point I did this, because the back of my pattern had the size 22 circled. I usually cut a 22 in most patterns. I usually have to take in the waist a bit, but always cut it for my hips. For some reason though, I looked at the back of the pattern and the measurements for the 22 and thought I'd gone crazy because they were super small! So I sized up to a 28, which was the closest thing to my measurements.

I kept doing a fitting with the paper pattern and was really nervous about the fit being too small. But I cut it out. I also wanted to fully line this skirt so I used a bit of some leftover mint green (another colour I'm trying to incorporate) cotton/poly blend satin. I learned that I have no idea how to line a skirt. I mean, yeah it should be pretty easy right? You make two skirts and then you stitch them together right? Oh no, I wanted to be *clever.* I attached each piece of the lining to the corresponding skirt piece at the waist, then I actually sewed the skirt pieces together. Which would have been a great idea, had the main fabric not been so thick. The tweed is lightweight on it's own, but not with the added lining. So that was kind of a fail. I know there is a way to do the lining and skirt all in one, but clearly I am not that smart. The biggest issue with this method is that it makes the hem stick out funny in some spots, even after steaming it. I will just have to fix that on the next one...

I promise the skirt is actually grey tweed, the lighting was off and I couldn't fix it. The buttons is also grey, and I forgot to take a pic of the zipper which is also mint green! These are the kind of details that I love about sewing your own clothes!

So I got the skirt made and went to go do a fitting. Yeah, I had to take it in by EIGHT inches. Eight. Do you read that!!?? Eight! I took it in at the sides, four inches each. Added the zipper and the button and voila, new skirt. So before I go any further let me just say, that the skirt was super easy to assemble, and I literally have no complaints about how it went together. A line skirts are not exactly a difficult thing to create, but this was really a great pattern and I fully plan on using it many more times. And it would have been even better had I not tried being so very *clever* and actually just lined the damn thing like a normal person would. And it was a fairly quick project too. I mean I started cutting the paper pattern out at 11pm and finished the hem at 3am (I know). The total sewing time was about 2 hours. (by the way, the pattern didn't call for it to be lined but the tweed I used is a bit on the itchy side so I went ahead an did so. If you're daunted by the idea of lining, you can totally emit it, and I really do recommend this pattern.)  But I have learned that I can complicate anything regardless of how simple it is, which is where the whole lining thing comes in Also, I forgot to wash my fabric. Also I found it in the garage and it is really dusty. This is a bad, bad thing. 

The lining and the bulky hem. Sigh.

So I'm calling this a working muslin, because it is wearable, but needs some work. Like, why is there so much skirt at the sides? I think it has to do with the curvature of the skirt from the original too big size ( by the way according to the finished measurements, the 28 ended up being like 10 inches bigger than the body measurements. WTH?), so I will need to take in more off the sides. I feel like I'm swimming in skirt like this. I think I might even size go a size down. I also need to make it a tad shorter and I'm thinking about adding some in seam pockets, or maybe some patch pockets. This pattern was also crazy long. I really shouldn't complain because I honestly love this pattern, but my ill proportions coupled with my cleverness tends to complicate things. 

As far as outfits go, I really like this one. It's actually funny but I have been wanting to put something like this together for a long time, but never had a grey skirt. I have been searching for one for months and finally resorted to making my own. Long, long story short, I love this pattern, I can be an idiot, and as soon as I have some $$ I'm going to go buy some solid fabrics to make skirts out of. What is up with my not having a solid fabrics? It's all prints, prints, prints! Okay I'll shut up now. I think I need some more sleep.