Denim classic

What do you do when you just had one exam and the second one is coming in a couple of days? Of course that's the best time to write a blog post! The photos have been ready for few months but things got crazy, partially thanks to above mentioned exams. Anyway, I made a classic denim skirt with a little twist.

The pattern is Alberta skirt from Sew House Seven which I made before. I also mentioned that I would make a million of them - two is a good start! I omitted pockets again - this time due to lack of fabric. I didn't pay any attention to instructions as I thought they were counterintuitive. I reshaped the waistband - fancy name for shaving off 0.5 cm from the top of the waistband side seams! It fits much better now.

The fabric came from lovely Kat - some time ago she invited few sewing friends to de-clutter her stash. On a side note, I probably need to the same because I swear my stash is multiplying! 

Anyway, I got this denim with quite coarse texture and it was just enough for this skirt, hence no pockets. When it came to choosing a zipper I realised that an invisible would not work with the fabric. I went back to my zip drawer and found a bronze metal zip which just the right length. Obviously it would have been better if it was double-ended one but I had to work with what I had.

In the end I think this is a pretty successful make - a nice classic skirt that is not boring. The top is also made by me, Kirsten kimono tee by Maria Denmark. It has never made public appearance other than these photos, somehow it's just doesn't work. I guess that happens.

Anyway, I should probably stop procrastinating and go back to study ;)

Little blue skirt

In my last post I mentioned that I got the same fabric in two colorways so here it is - my little blue skirt. Exactly the same fabric in beautiful deep royal blue - my absolutely favourite colour.  I think I might be using the left side of the fabric, last time intentionally, this time because I got distracted! I accidentally sewn the darts on the wrong side and I just kept going. It was supposed to be a wearable muslin anyway. 

The pattern is Alberta Pencil Skirt from Sew House Seven sans pockets. I bought it some time ago in a pattern bundle. After hearing Nina praising this pattern I finally decided to give it a go... and there will be about a million more of them in my future! It's the perfect pencil skirt pattern, especially for an office worker like me!

Just so you know I did have a few issues with this pattern. Unless I missed something in the instructions, there is nothing there about printing only selected pages for certain sizes. I printed the whole file and there were about 6 or more pages that I didn't need at all - what a waste! The other thing were the instructions - they felt very counter-intuitive. According to them, the yokes should be attached to skirt parts first, then back of the skirt put together, side seam and then remaining yokes. I messed up the split in my skirt - I got a bit confused! Next time I will just follow what feels right - side seams, yokes, zip and back of the skirt. I also need to work on my invisible zips - this one is not very invisible where the waistband joins the skirt. 

I am super happy with this skirt! It looks good with tops and shirts and it is very comfortable to wear. It is a bit wrinkly but I've been wearing it a lot!

Lindy petal skirt

Lindy skirt is my first go at Itch to Stitch patterns. Not only it is a free pattern but it also has lovely, classy lines. And who doesn't like a pencil skirt? It is designed for knits but I used very stretchy medium-weight denim, leftover from another project. It worked but next time I will use proper knit fabric. The instructions are very clear but to be honest there is nothing hard about sewing this skirt. So far I only wore this skirt a few times but once I get back to work it will be in high rotation.

Black and red

Very original title, huh? The top is another New Look 6150 this time made with very thick double sided stable knit. Merino on one side and something foam-like on the other. I wanted merino to be on the outside as the color was much deeper. I made size 16 and this time I didn't have to go down a size - the fabric was much more stable than in my chevron merino one. I should have done an FBA though. It would make the top to fit nicer and I wouldn't have to add armhole darts to deal with gaping. The top is really warm and it's great wardrobe basic.

The skirt is inspired by my sewing and blogging buddy Iwona. The pattern is from Burda 3/2014, model 17A. I used nice and thick cotton that was amazing to sew with but it wrinkles a lot. The skirt was an easy make but I messed it up anyway! For some reason my waistband ended up being exactly the width of the skirt so there was no overlapping needed for the button closure. I reckon I didn't get the zip instructions right or got the pleats the wrong depth. But I made a loop and put the button on the inside so while it doesn't look perfect it still does the job. And I either wear the skirt with longer tops or narrow belts so it's not an issue. I am quite pleased with both items :) 

Black and white skirt

After brief look through the clothes I have I realized I need more skirts. And pants. And tops. Not to forget about blazers/jackets/outerwear... Basically anything but dresses. Guess what I like sewing the most?

Anyway, I've been eyeing high-waisted skirt (mod. 113) from Burda 4/2014 for a while. I just needed the right fabric. After tracing the pattern I went through my stash and found 2m of stretch cotton in black and white aztec pattern. I bought it ages ago in Pete's Emporium without any specific pattern in mind. The skirt used up maybe 0.5m so I still have a bit left and I'm not sure what to do with it... I keep thinking about crazy pair of pants but I'm not sure whether I'd be brave enough to wear them (providing they would work out well)

Putting it together was really easy. Because my fabric is reasonably stretchy I cut the skirt 2 sizes smaller - guess what? It's still too big! Also the top part doesn't sit right when placed as designed. I have curves and the lines of that part are practically straight. I still wear it but more like a normal skirt with a wide band than a high waisted one. I think I'll make it again and see if I can fix those issues.

Here are some photos on flat surface. Can you see the seams?

On the back one of fabric panels shifted a bit :(

I still have a few makes from 2014 to blog about - I just need to take some photos and that seems to be my biggest problem with blogging! I have quite a few sewing plans for 2015 but it can be summed up in a few words - make more, learn more and don't be afraid of trying. I also want to use up at least half of my stash (just to make more room for new and exciting fabrics!!!)

As a bonus photo (excuse bathroom selfie!) - today in the morning I found the first wearable piece of clothing I ever made. Before this dress I made a few soft toys and 2 tops that went straight to the scrap bin. The dress fits like a dream (atm is a tiny bit on the tight side) has not-so-invisible zipper and a few interesting sewing solutions but it is great that I can see my progress but also that I can impress myself with 'me from the past'

Edit: Seems I have some issue with photos posted from my phone. Sorry for that!