for this challenge lara sent me a message with a few fabric options for us to choose from. i knew that given my winter holiday plans it would be late winter before i had a chance to make mine up so i suggested we go with a shredded denim that would be perfect for spring wear.
when lara sent me the image of the fabric i initially thought i would make another inari dress as i would really like a denim/chambray one but when i got the fabric it was heavier than i imagined so i decided to give mccall's 7166 a go. its a new to me pattern recently blogged by tessuti.
the pattern envelop describes the skirt as semi-fitted through hips, self-lined, interfaced yokes, drop waist, gathers and invisible back zipper.
when i bought the pattern lincraft only had the size 4-12 version and my measurements best match size 16. i bought the pattern anyway as i wanted to get making and i thought it would be pretty easy to size up. in a very nontechnical approach, when cutting the fabric for the yokes i added the same width as between the size 10 and 12 to the outside of the size 12. after inserting the zip and sewing up the side seams using 3/8" seams i tried on the skirt and then increased the side seam to 1.5cm below the notch - my hips never seem to match the curve of big 4 patterns. i left the width of the main rectangle for the gathered skirt the same width as the pattern.
i'm pretty happy with the fit. i didn't interface the yoke as per the instructions. i lined the yoke in a white cotton which was a must given that the shredded denim is see through in parts, but i left the gathered skirt unlined given it is drop waist and the gathers bunch up the fabric.
the instructions have you hand stitch the yoke lining down. initially i though i would use the machine and stitch in the ditch, but in the end i decided to hand stitch it in front of the tv and i'm glad i did, its such a nice clean finish on the inside.
i cut the hem length mid way between version b (the short version) and version c (the long version). after trying the skirt on i cut a further 2" off the bottom and sewed a 3/4" hem. looking at these photos i'll probably go a bit shorter next time.
i wasn't quite sure how tricky the shredded fabric would be to sew up, but my darts and lapped zip went in ok and once they were done i thought the rest of the sewing would be pretty straight forward which thankfully it was.
to go with the skirt i made a tessuti brigitte tee in some striped knit fabric i bought at fabric town, tokyo at the end of last year. i made a size 12 as it is the size that matched my measurements best. i might size down next time though as the tee is a bit big all over. the neck particularly was pretty high, noticeable in the photo below. since i took these photos i re-cut the neck line to a size 8, so the neckline does sit lower but it can still ride up. i think sizing down to a 10 next time may help this.
as always, now i'm off to check out lara's make. having seen a sneaky peak on instagram i am keen to check out the design details!
emma
* Lara and I started the DCF Seasonal Challenge a year or two ago – we buy a couple of metres of the same fabric from Darn Cheap Fabrics each season, and each make a garment. We then reveal it on our blogs on the same day. It’s just a fun thing that we started when we realised how often we buy and sew the same fabrics (often from Darn Cheap).
