Saturday, 11 October 2014

spring time in sydney - simplicity 4047

can i say first up that i love the design of the fabric i used for this skirt, but it was a shocker to sew.  as soon as i finished my last simplicity 4047 i wanted to start one in this fabric, a recent the fabric store purchase.  i imagined such a great looking skirt but unfortunately the whole process was a bit blah.


yes i'm standing on a sloping driveway in these pics which is why everything looks a bit lopsided.



being polyester and really stable i thought it would be a quick easy sew - mistake 1.  i went with the same size as my previous S4047 and things started ok with the 4 waist darts going in fine.

i then i went to overlock the back centre seam ready for the zip and my overlocker didn't like the fabric one bit.  i spent a good few hours playing with the tension and thinking my new second hand overlocker was a dud.  i turned to IG for help and thankfully leith, lara and susan came to the rescue and i pushed ahead and then went back to the sewing machine to do the zip and side seams.  my machine didn't like the fabric one bit either, it laboured, making irregular stitches and sounds that are more likely heard at a zoo.


i got the invisible zip in and side seams sewn and tried the skirt on - though unfortunately i couldn't get it on, even though i cut the exact same size as my previous wool version. i took the invisible zip out, replaced it with a longer lap zip and took out the side seams until i was able to get the skirt on and sit down.


i originally planned to line the skirt, but as it had taken up so much of my time i decided to go with a bias binding waist band.  the fabric is slippery enough that i think it should be OK.


you can see in the pic below how little my sewing machine liked sewing this fabric - i sewed the waist 3 times.  each time it started out ok, but by about 3/4 the way round sewing machine said no.   after 3 go's i decided to leave it how it is as it looks ok from the front.


now that a bit of time has passed i am not so angry about this skirt and i am happy how it looks with my  simplicity 1366 in chocolate brown ponti.  i love this new to me pattern - this top took around 2 hours to make.

the amazingly talented and fun leith of sew brunswick recently nominated me for the blog hop going round the www, i'll be back soon to answer the questions and also have a give away to celebrate 100 followers on blog login'!

emma

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18 comments :

  1. Sew Brunswick11 October 2014 at 21:06

    Fabulous skirt. Perfect for spring. The agony will fade and the skirt will grow on you. Must check out that top pattern.

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    1. Emma19 October 2014 at 21:59

      Thanks Leith! Yes the construction is definitely a fading memory. The top is fantastic I am going to make quite a few more!

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  2. Debbie Iles11 October 2014 at 23:00

    Great skirt, really! You pick amazing fabrics.

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    1. Emma19 October 2014 at 22:01

      Thanks Debbie! I really love the look of this fabric, so am now very happy i pushed on - even though there were MANY times i thought i would pack it in.

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  3. Noelle12 October 2014 at 01:20

    Good save on the skirt. No sign of the struggle to sew it! Love your top as well. Did you have to adjust the size when making it in a ponte knit?

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    1. Emma19 October 2014 at 22:03

      Thanks Noelle - sorry for delay in this reply. I did actually sew marginally smaller seam allowances by moving the needle placement, but other than that no major change as all 3 I have made so far have been in heav'ish knits. I am looking forward to trying out a woven.

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  4. fabric epiphanies12 October 2014 at 06:31

    I always like a pencil skirt and despite its stubborn streak it is lovely.

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    1. Emma19 October 2014 at 22:04

      I love a pencil skirt too. I've got a couple of other fabrics set aside for pencil skirts for SS, but i needed a bit of a break after this one. Think I'm nearly ready to try again!

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  5. Gabrielle12 October 2014 at 15:23

    I am so sorry to hear the fabric is painful to sew - I've got some of the same fabric set aside for a pencil skirt too! Having said that, the skirt you've ended up with looks fabulous, so hopefully the annoyance well fade as you get to enjoy wearing the skirt. Oh and I need to look up that top pattern - what a great shape!

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    1. Emma19 October 2014 at 22:06

      Thanks Gabrielle - will be keen to hear how you go with the fabric. Sometimes I think is it just me?? So will be keen to hear, its such a great looking fabric! Yes the top pattern is great, am thinking about doing a mini construction line to get a heap made at once.

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  6. Amanda12 October 2014 at 20:30

    Dear jerk fabric, you are a jerk. Stop being a jerk!
    You made total lemonade out of these challenges- the fit is great!

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    1. Emma19 October 2014 at 22:07

      Thanks Amanda! Next time I am sewing a crap fabric I am going to IG it and tag you for a pep talk!!

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  7. Mel13 October 2014 at 13:05

    I'm glad I'm not the only one with fabric dramas! The end result looks really lovely though - perfect for this nice weather (well, yesterday's nice weather...not sure what's going on out there today).

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    1. Emma19 October 2014 at 22:09

      Thanks Mel! I found this so frustrating as when i bought the fabric I thought everything would be a breeze arrrgggHHHH. Am hoping I can wear the ensemble tomorrow and if the weather doesn't agree i'll probably were it anyway!

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  8. Susan from Measure Twice Cut Once13 October 2014 at 16:40

    I love this outfit and may be found trying to steal your shoes at the next meet up. The print of the skirt is just fabulous and I'm so glad your overlocker finally decided to play nice.

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    1. Emma19 October 2014 at 22:10

      Thanks Susan! I LOVE these shoes I got them at Trenery recently with a voucher and they are really comfy!

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  9. Kristy Chan14 October 2014 at 21:57

    Great fabric, I can see it looking fantastic with many different tops. Too bad it was such badly behaved fabric

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    1. Emma19 October 2014 at 22:12

      Thanks Kirsty - yes I thought the same thing that the fabric would go with lots, but as can often be the case when i went to actually match it to something in my wardrobe I couldn't find anything suitable so had to make the top! I do have a few more of the same style of top in mind in different colours to wear with the skirt though.

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