BurdaStyle 05/2017 - 108 Oversized Pocket Skirt

You often read about sewing bloggers saying that a fabric "spoke to them" when deciding what to make with it.  That happened to me here when this printed cotton sateen, which was always going to be either a pencil skirt or a shift dress, shouted very loudly that it wanted to be this skirt.  The funny thing is I was never particularly attracted to this pattern and I still think it is kind of a crazy design, but I could not get it out of my head and had to search it out on the Burda site.

The talkative fabric - printed stretch cotton sateen from Pattern Bee in Sham Shui Po as mentioned in my previous post here.  I think it was HK$60/yard, really nice to work with.

And the crazy pattern.  Yes the giant pockets do take up the whole length of the skirt!  I think to make them usable you would want to add a line of stitching otherwise you will have to fish your phone or wallet out from down by your knees!

5/2017 - 108

(Edited to add :  Oh!! Now I see the line drawing online it is supposed to have front pleats, this isn't obvious in the line drawing in my magazine and clearly I paid no attention to the directions either!  My pockets are attached the whole way down and looking at view B in the magazine, I think I prefer my wrong way better!)

It is an easy skirt to make, the only slightly annoying part is that you finish hemming the layers partway through construction.  I much prefer to do it at the end when I can properly try it on, but I think it would be a bit bulky if you try and do it altogether.  You also end up with slits in the underlayer (oops, no I sewed it wrong see my edit note above!) , but how much this helps with walking in it I'm not sure.  Fortunately I like the finished length although it looks better on me with heels.

Also if you follow my instagram (@allisoncsewing) you would have seen that the zip pull came right off just as I finished the skirt, so for now (and realistically probably forever) I have a ribbon pull.

Here are pictures of me wearing it - I realise I could have saved myself a bit of work and just made a plain pencil skirt, but it's fun to try new patterns and this one was really interesting to make.  Still haven't used the pockets yet....!

BurdaStyle 01/2018 - 121 Skirt

I completely overlooked this skirt (121) in the January 2018 issue of BurdaStyle, the magazine photo is completely uninspiring, although now that I have made it I can see that it would make a nice winter skirt - oh well, next year!

http://www.burdastyle.com/pattern_store/patterns/winter-skirt-012018

It was only when browsing through my instagram feed that I came across a gorgeous skirt by Lone Star Couture - you can see it on her blog here -http://lonestarcouture.blogspot.hk/2018/03/my-easter-confection.html.  I didn't recognise the skirt pattern at all and had to go and dig out my magazine.

What I love about this pattern is that it has a full front, with the pleats stitched down to control the fullness at the waist and a plain aline back.  Now I know this isn't really groundbreaking, but I haven't come across it before.  Full skirts can be a bit...too full on my hips, although I love the look so this seems like a perfect solution.

Construction is very straightforward although I did get a bit confused putting in the pockets.  They are shaped so they go right up to the waist seam which is good as it keeps them in place.  I'm not sure I set them in the correct way.  Still, they work and look OK so that will do.  I'll see how much I use the pockets.  I know some people go mad for pockets and I admit they are good for posing in, but I don't think I'd ever put anything in them.  Without the pockets this will be even quicker and easier to sew and I can see a few of these in my summer wardrobe this year.  

So, don't be put off by Burda's magazine photo or the description of a winter skirt - this is a great basic pattern that will work in a variety of fabrics.

I'm wearing it here with Style Arc Madeleine ponte top

BurdaStyle 11/2015 - 105 Godet Skirt

Isn't it a great feeling when you choose a pattern from one of your Burda magazines only to find that at some point in the past you had already traced it!

That might be part of it, but this skirt is currently my favourite thing and someone may have to stop me making a whole wardrobe of them.

11/2015 - 105

To be honest I'm not completely sold on the colour block version, but the cut is lovely - somewhat fitted in the waist and hips and then all swishy from there down.  It will be perfect for our hot summer weather, not that I have been waiting to wear it - it's great for spring too with a casual denim jacket.

This one is in a very soft cotton floral print.  I love the colours in this and although I'm wearing it with an obvious black knit top here, it will work well with khaki, raspberry and cream so I'll be looking out for fabric for some coordinating pieces.

Getting the seams to meet perfectly at a point is hard, but fortunately the print covers a multitude of sins.  If you're doing the colour block version some serious marking and basting will be needed.

Style Arc Halle Stretch Pencil Skirt

Firstly thank you for commenting on the knit waistcoat on my previous post - it turns out that the pattern is designed for "wools or blends, boucle" which says woven to me and may explain why I had so many issues making it in a very stretchy knit!  Onwards, and paying better attention to suggested fabrics....

I picked up this pattern in the recent Thanksgiving sale, to be honest it probably would be quite easy to draft it from a knit pencil skirt pattern, but I do really like Style Arc's designs and I am 100% sure they are better at drafting patterns than I am!

Halle pdf pattern / paper pattern

I made this 3 times in a week so it turned out to be quite good value and clearly a fast and easy pattern.  It's designed for ponte & stable knit fabrics.  The crossover is quite generous so even when you sit down there is still decent leg coverage.

There's not a lot to say about the construction, the front skirt pieces are shaped so that the mitred corners are really easy to do, you just need to pay attention to the seam allowances which are marked on the pattern.  I added a bit extra at the side seams so I could fit on the way and I figured I might need more than the 3/8ths/8mm allowance to play with - I did this on each version as I find all fabrics behave a bit differently.

Here are my 3 skirts :

Version 1 Navy/Black
This is from a heavy black ponte with a navy, slightly sparkly, almost snakeskin print on it.  Really hard to photograph, but I love this fabric.

Version 2 Colourblocked
A contrast blocked version from remnants which is always very satisfying.  The left front and whole back are plain black.

Version 3 Panel Print
I thought the print would look odd with the asymmetric front so I just used the plain back pattern piece for both front and back.  I found it to be a bit clingy from static so I lined it with a stretch mesh lining before attaching the waistband elastic.

This simple skirt is so quick and easy to make that I can see it becoming a bit of a staple in my wardrobe and the plain version will probably be my TNT stretch skirt pattern now.  My versions are all for cool weather and quite formal, I'd definitely like to try it in a more casual look like the illustration too.

BurdaStyle 12/2011 - 108 Skirt

This is a really simple skirt from BurdaStyle, there's not a whole lot to say about it really, but it is ideal for using the vibrant prints I can't seem to help buying.  I just wanted a basic a-line midi skirt and went through my stash of Burda magazines until I found this one.

12/2011 - 108 PDF Download

It is however designed to be cut on the bias and I've come to realise that I really don't like bias cut things on me; I find they cling and emphasise bits I'd rather disguise.   I cut the pattern a bit wider at the hips since bias has some stretch which is lost when you change to straight grain.  I totally forgot to consider the hem circumference and while it is OK I do need to be careful if I take big steps.

I made this twice - the first in a silky peacock print, I'm not sure what the fabric is to be honest, but it's a bit sheer so I wear a slip under this one.

The instructions have you interface the top of the skirt pieces and then finish with lace edging.  I simply finished the waist with a strip of interfaced fabric - basically a narrow facing - and topstitched in place.   The original pattern has hem facings also cut on the bias, but since I changed the grainline my hem is just serged and turned up.

The second version is made from a linen/cotton blend with brightly coloured parrots printed on a black and white leafy background.  I loved working with this fabric, so easy to handle and it doesn't crease as much as pure linen.  

I changed this version a bit by adding a waistband, a centre back seam (I much prefer a centre back zip than a side one to fine tune the fit) and added a small split in the centre back to make it easier to walk in.  I didn't have any invisible zippers on hand so I did a centred zipper instead.  I think I last did one of these about 20 years ago, but it turned out ok!

I took both skirts on a short vacation to Singapore which is where the photos below were taken.    They coped with the heat and humidity brilliantly which is more than I can say for my hair!

Style Arc Imogen Maxi Knit Skirt

I really need to stop making sweeping statements on my blog.  A couple of posts after saying I always wear knit dresses all summer long, lately I have only been making skirts!  Here is one of them, a knit maxi skirt from Style Arc.  I am fairly sure I received this pattern as one of the monthly freebies with a purchase of any pattern.  I mean, I do really like it, but it's such a simple pattern I doubt I would have paid full price for it.

Style Arc Imogen

I had quite a lot of fabric left over from my black and white knit dress and I didn't want another dress in the same fabric so it seemed like a good opportunity to try out this pattern.

I didn't have quite enough fabric for the folded yoga pant style waistband so I just made a regular waistband with elastic inserted in it to fit my waist and making sure it would stretch over my hips.   In reality I will probably always wear tops untucked so this may be a better choice of waistband for me anyway.

Construction is very easy and very fast, it's one skirt pattern piece, cut 4 times and sewn together.  However the cut is lovely and I really like how it is quite sleek at the top and satisfyingly swishy round the ankles.

The fabric pattern and folds created a pattern that my camera did not like at all, but anyway....

My cats were obsessed with getting under the skirt which is sort of helpful for seeing some of the flare I suppose.

At full price I admit this is quite an expensive pattern for how simple it is, but I do love the drafting of Style Arc patterns if you don't need much in the way of instructions.  There must be similar offerings out there from other companies - among the big ones I found McCall's 7386 , a similar shape, but without the centre front and back seams and McCall's 7130 with even more seams.

I will definitely be making this skirt again soon, it's perfect for summer which is well and truly here in all it's humid glory!

BurdaStyle 04/2011 - 124 Skirt & Style Arc Madeleine Top

Thanks all for the comments on my sequin top, I hope everyone had a great holiday season and that you are ready to see what 2017 brings.  I am loving reading all the 2016 recaps, not sure yet if I will get around to it, I still have things that I haven't blogged yet so I will get going on those first....

Not very sensibly, I decided in the week before Christmas that I wanted a new outfit to wear on the day, but at least I was sensible enough to use straightforward patterns I had made before which cut down on tracing, cutting and fitting time.



The skirt is BurdaStyle 04/2011-124 (previously made as a modified version in green eyelet here).  This time I kept all the seams in the skirt, the only change being to shift the zip from the side back to the side for no other reason than I didn't read the instructions!

I used this floral fabric, something like a jacquard or matelasse, it's quite stiff which works well for a party skirt to give it some structure and I love the dark, moody, oil painting-like quality of the flowers.

Reverse side of fabric showing the texture

Side zip, you can also just see the fabric texture here too

The top is Style Arc's Madeleine Ponte top.  I first made this (here)in a medium weight polyester knit really as a test version so the insides were unfinished and I really rushed it.  I ended up wearing that top until the fabric pilled like mad so a remake or two are long overdue.  This version is much more successful, mostly due to fabric choice - I guess it is called the Madeleine Ponte top for a reason!

I made a size 10 and nipped it in a bit at the waist.  Having made this before, I knew I could get away without the zip so left that off and eliminated the vertical centre back seam also.  The front band does still need to be secured in a few places on the front to keep it in place even in the recommended fabric; I just stitched in the ditch of the seam in a few places.  

I do think this would be easy enough to extend to a sheath dress and I might give that a whirl especially as I now have a healthy (or perhaps that should be unhealthy!) stack of ponte knits.

 

Here I am wearing the pieces together - despite the lack of planning and time spent on the outfit, it really was perfect for the day and it's a combination I will definitely be using again.

I think the print is quite wintery even though it is floral so I tried the skirt with boots and a jacket too for a slightly more dressed down look and to prove that this skirt needn't be just for Christmas!