I made most of this skirt and top last week and then pinned up the hem and hung the skirt up so that I could check the hem wasn't going to drop as its a full skirt and quite bias-y. I put off finishing these until this afternoon, when I did the hems on both garments. The top was cover hemmed at neckline, sleeve and hem. The skirt has a machine sewn hem which gives a bit of weight to the skirt and is sturdy to wash and wear.
The skirt linen was a remnant from Abhakan and the spotted viscose jersey for the top was from my local quality fabric store but was only a very small remnant. The entire outfit cost less than £15, including the belt which is shown (which was £2 in Sainsbury's sale last year). and all the notions used. I love the 1950's look of this; its a look that always seems appropriate for summer and looks fresh and clean. I have a red belt of similar style and some white slingback stilletto shoes with navy trim and red heels that will look fabulous with this outfit.
Both patterns are TNT. The top is BWOF 10-2006 Number 114 and I cut its long sleeves short so I could fit the pattern on the fabric (I had 0.7m) and I scooped the neckline out slightly at the front, about a quarter inch, just because I thought it might look nicer for summer. The shoulders are stabilised with iron on Vilene Edge Tape which is stitch reinforced and designed for jackets (lapel lines and stabilising armholes) but works excellently here as I don't end up chasing a bit of seam tape about under the serger foot and failing to get it to stay where it is put. It is also much less bulky than the tape.
The skirt is BWOF 04-2007 Number 104. I cut this one so that the centre front was on the fold rather than the side seams. This left the side seams on the bias. I stabilised the side seams in the zipper area with the Vilene Edge Tape which meant I could put the invisible zipper in really easily and nothing stretched out of place. This skirt is so super easy its unreal. Three pieces, one zipper, and a bit of lining. This one has a super short lining as I was using scraps and made the lining as long as I had fabric for, which is about half way down my thighs... enough to ensure that if the sun is behind me, only leg will show through the skirt. I added a waistband, which the original didn't have, as I find that the most comfortable kind of waist treatment.
4 comments:
Trés chic! I love the 1950s look of it as well. I'd be awfy tempted to add a red scarf, but that's just me.
Glad to see you finding the time to sew.
Cheers,
AJ
Oh its absolutely gorgeous Jenni! I saw a knit dress somewhere today which had a striped navy and white bodice and plain navy skirt and that had a red belt. It did look great. Maybe I need a navy and white dress, as I already have the red belt!
So slimming! Way to show off the tiny waist!
Stunning outfit and will look very smart with the navy and red heeled slingbacks.
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