Tuesday 30 August 2016

darn cheap fabrics seasonal challenge - winter 16 mccall's 7166 skirt

wow - its already dcf seasonal challenge* time again. i think winter has gone quickly this year for me as i have a new hobby that is seriously rivaling sewing (not quite), but we have been enjoying skiing this winter which has taken time away from sewing. now i look at my photos for this make it just occurred to me the colours are white and blue - skiing on a beautiful day!


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).

10 comments :

  1. That's cool - you rock it! I reckon the skirt will look great with a little singlet/tank top in summer, too.

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    1. Thanks Jane - I recently bought a style arc singlet pattern, I need to get making!

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  2. I love seeing this challenge you & Lara do! This is a lovely skirt,I really like the drop waist & the yoke. Your T-shirt is lovely too - two gorgeous fabrics!!

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    1. Thanks Kathryn, I love the drop waist and yoke too. I'm hoping to squeeze another into the sewing queue!

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  3. Nice Spring combo! With your top neckline, do the shoulder seams ride back too? I found a lot of boat neck tops did this to me until I learned how to do a forward shoulder adjustment. There's a terrific video on the Threads website that shows how to adjust a set in sleeve cap once you do the FSA (I use the Maria Denmark tutorial for that).

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    1. Thanks heaps I will check them out-its quite annoying how much it rides back.

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  4. Great skirt, yo were brave sizing up. It's worked though, fab shape.

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    1. Brave or too lazy to go to another shop to find the pattern! But very glad it worked out ok!

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  5. It's a very cute and definitely spring-like skirt. You guys always choose such interesting garments for this challenge! Oh and I love your top - looks like the perfect fabric for it!

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    1. Thanks Gabrielle its such a fun challenge, I always like to try something a bit different.

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