A belated Kelly Skirt

I have probably wore this skirt more times that the number of sentences in this post. Finished sometime in November and photographed in December I'm not quite sure why I didn't blog about it sooner.

This is the Kelly Skirt by Megan Nielsen. A super easy and very comfortable skirt. I used a remnant of a woollen fabric given to me by my mother in law and apparently given to her by some lady who didn't need it.

Photos were taken by my colleague, so I couldn't harass her for 10 or 20 takes. The scenery around my workplace is beautiful, lots of trees and a little stream, where you occasionally can spot kingfishers and small deer. It's not very private though and being quite a "stuck up" environment I don't feel confident with a tripod for self portraits.

Tale of Three Skirts: Part 1

I finished this cute little number some weeks ago, and have already worn it a few times (including to the fantastic Birmingham meetup). I got this fabric on a swap at the Walthamstow meet up and even thought it is a synthetic fabric, it was a delight to work with. Thank you so much Karen, for wanting to get rid of it!

The pattern is from the August 2011 Burda Magazine. It is my first make from a Burda magazine and also my first make following Portuguese instructions (I learned to sew in English so do not know all the technical terms in Portuguese, even though I am Portuguese). It is a wrap skirt so really quick to put together. I spent a Saturday night catchstitcing the hem. If I may say so myself, this is gorgeous work!

I still have plenty of fabric and will be making another skirt. Stay tuned, I'm going to rock this Winter in skirts!

Last but not least, I have stalled with my Couture dress (reasons for it later) and have decided to very slowly start the below beauty. Very scary, as will be using some expensive wool flannel. Might post some muslin and progress photos as I could use your help and support on this make. My confidence is a bit shattered.

Have a great week ahead!

My Navy Beignet

The construction wasn't without problems but here it is, my navy Beignet Skirt. I have to say I LOVE it! Annoyingly (for photo taking) the sun was out today which means I am squinting in all photos. I tried changing place but all other backgrounds would have been to busy.

Onto the skirt. I used a heavy cotton drill I bought in Hungary and lined with with a bright orange lining. Pattern is Colette Beignet Skirt and it's a treat to work with. Easy instructions and nice illustrations. 

For the facings and pockets I used a leopard print polycotton. I just love the combination. I also decided to use self cover buttons (I like matching things). It was my first time using self cover buttons and I'm glad I bought in excess of what I needed. I ruined quite a few. Doing so many buttonholes was a source of anxiety but slowly and steadily my Janome behaved. They're not even that wonky (although for that I had to do lots of chalk marking in front piece.

Several things went wrong whilst construction but mostly because of me and my attention spam. For starters I cut the pieces wrong and ended up with some with right side out and some with wrong side out. With a cotton drill you can clearly see the difference. Then I assembled the lining pieces all wrong. I attached the two side back pieces together then the back piece. I actually pressed and hemmed the lining and only when I went to sew it to the facing did I spot the error. Luckily I had enough fabric to cut again. I also slightly burned the lining when pressing and it hasn't ruined it but it could have easily done so.

The first belt loops didn't cut it so I decided to cut again and wider. Still looks good I think. I decided not to do a belt for now, as I had a leopard print I bought recently that fits perfectly fine.

One photo of the inside only. I'm still struggling to find a good place for photos at my new house. Whilst my previous flat was small it had floor to ceiling windows which meant light was great all the time. In new house I have lots of space (and a sewing room, which I prefer) but windows are ever so small, meaning rooms get quite dark.

You might have noticed that I didn't really write any "in construction"posts with photos of sewing process. Mainly because of the above but I'm curious to know: do you like reading about and seeing photos of the sewing process or do you prefer the finished outfits only?

This skirt will definitely see a lot of use. I absolutely love the colour combination and it's such a versatile skirt, meaning I can use to dressed up or dressed down. Fantastic!!

Love Fabric Skirt

After my first failed attempt at doing bound buttonholes on my jacket, I decided to put it aside and wait a couple of days before I tried again. After all I only had enough fabric for one more try! I had fabric cut for a vintage shirt from Simplicity 4255 but was wanting something quick and simple.
One of the projects on my sewing list, using existing fabric and haberdashery supplies was a simple skirt following Vogue Easy Options 8295. It was so easy to put together I can't really say much about it. I made it in time to enjoy the nice Easter weekend weather we had here in the UK.

A couple of photos with the true colours.

And a few with a washed out effect I quite like (I wanted to post all like this but thought it would be nice for you to see some with "the real colours").

Cheers!

Lastly a inside shoot (to keep me on my toes ;)!