darn cheap fabrics seasonal challenge - autumn 17 megan nielsen brumby skirt (and bonus stylearc candice skirt)

its dcf seasonal challenge time again - autumn 2017.  we are posting this just into winter due to my slack photo taking, but we both had our challenge items made well in autumn.  excitingly we sewed them up together when we were at sewjourn in april - see below for some pics.

the fabric we chose is a fabulously fun fishy light weight linen.  i was initially thinking a pinny, but once i got the fabric i decided to make the megan nielsen brumby skirt due to the lighter weight. 

i have made the brumby skirt once before, you can check out my previous post here.  i made the medium again which is a nice fit, but this time i added 3" to the length as my first version is a bit short for work.  looking at the photos here though i'm not sure if its just a tad long now! i think i might take it up an inch or so.

i put a lapped zip in this version (i used an invisible zip on my previous version). i hadn't used a lapped zip for quite some time so i basted it in a took my time and am happy with how it turned out.

there's not a lot more to say about the construction of this skirt, than i said in my previous post, but this version is fun and i'm sure i'll get a lot of wear out of it. the best bit about this skirt though is that i made it on the same sewing weekend lara sewed up her challenge item, it was great to get the chance to sew IRL together and have a few drinks too:)

we had a great fun weekend with anna (who snapped this fab photo of lara and i at drinks o'clock) and leith and i'm already looking forward to the next sewjourn and the next dcf challenge! btw the skirt i am wearing in the pic above is stylearc candice skirt in size 12, i love the box pleats and its a great fit.  the fabric is a stretch sateen mr f bought back for me from britex on one of his work trips.

usually after i press publish on my post i rush to check out lara's post to see what she made.  this time i can tell you its fab and you should definitely hop over for a look.

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).

double denim - decades of style 3s a charm jacket and megan nielsen brumby skirt

i've got a thing at the moment for denim and chambray so it was only a matter of time before i went for the double denim'ish look.

the jacket is the recently released three's a charm jacket from decades of style.  when it was released i was immediately drawn to its clean lines and fitted shaped.  i have been wanting to make a jacket for a long time, but have been waiting for the right pattern.  when i saw this pattern i bought it straight away as i thought it looked like a fairly straightforward make and a good starting point for jackets!

the sizing of the pattern is based on bust size and i decided to go with a size 34, being the size that most closely matches my bust measurement.  i didn't make any alternations and am very happy with the fit of the jacket. i am going to add a button at the front so i can wear the jacket open or closed.  wearing it closed eliminates the wrinkles you can see at the upper front area in the photo above.

the fabric is a stretch denim i picked up at spotlight durring a sale.  i got a metre of the 150cm wide fabric and was able to just squeeze this jacket out of the metre by piecing the bottom of each sleeve - you can see the seam in the photo below of the jacket inside out.  the metre of fabric cost $6.00, making this one cheap jacket!

the jacket went together beautifully and the instructions are very clear, although i only gave them a quick glance. one of the times i did look at them was before stitching on the facing - i love the instructions for turning the points by folding the seam allowance back over.  mine turned out quite sharp, even given the weight of the denim.  the only thing i would have liked to see is the wide point of the fisheye darts marked on the pattern like the big 4 do, but this is easy enough to work out for yourself.

 

oh yes i really like this jacket and can see me making several more - definitely a black one, but i am also thinking about bright colours too.

 

while the jacket is pretty clean on the inside unlined, i would also like to have a go at underlining and hong kong bound seams too on another version.

the skirt is the megan nielsen brumby skirt. i made version 1 in chambray that i picked up in fabric town on our recent tokyo trip. i made a medium as my waist measurement is spot on the medium waist measurement.  one of my sewing friends lee has made up this skirt and said she had got a perfect fit matching her waist measurement - thanks lee!

the skirt fits beautifully, although for the back seam i made the seam allowance the width of the zip - eg marginally smaller than the 1.5cm specified to give me just a smidgen more breathing room given my waist measurement was exactly the same as for the medium size. i am very happy with the fit.  the skirt went together beautifully.  i really love megan's drafting and the quality of her instructions - not that i really needed them really for this skirt - but they are so lovely looking you just want to have a look at them!

the  tee is the free maria denmark kimono tee - i have made this so many times i have lost count, you can check out a few of them here.  its such an easy tee to whip up consisting of only 2 pieces and bindings.  the fabric is a lovely soft japanese knit from the cloth shop.
 

 
 yep this jacket and outfit are both winners!

 til next time,

emma