Last one: old skirts of 2013

This should be the last post like this – I’m sure I have more home-made stuff but couldn’t find it on the day Tough Chick and I did the photos. There are a reasonable number of clothes that I’ve made that I no longer have – almost all have gone to Tough Chick herself, and I’m hoping to put together a post dedicated to my exclusive client.

This first skirt is made from the Cambie skirt, pockets included, out of a veeery stretchy cotton (+lycra?) blend from The Fabric Warehouse. It was supposed to be a dress but… I don’t know, I decided to make a skirt instead.

Good bits: this skirt is super comfortable because of the super stretchiness. The pockets are good.

Bad bits: it sits funny? More like a straight skirt than a-line. Not sure if this is because of the fabric or the skirt sitting lower on the hips than when attached to a bodice. I don’t think I interfaced the waistband (I thought it would be comfortable without it?) so it stretches too much. The colour means I can only wear a plain t-shirt – and I only own ONE plain t-shirt!

  I think it sits funny because of the stretch of the fabric, to be honest.

I have checked, and of all the skirts in my wardrobe (about 8), only two are store-bought – and one I haven’t worn in years and should probably give away already. And this one is one of my two favourites (the other being my boring old brown Ginger). The pattern is Sewaholic Cambie, and the fabric is a silk twill from the-store-formally-known-as- Global Fabrics. When I made this I did know about pre-washing fabric (only just) but didn’t know not to wash this kind of silk – I think this went through the machine, and consequently lost a lot of its lustre. You also can’t really see the subtle wood-grain pattern that made me fall in love with it.

The skirt is comfortable and nicely swishy when I walk – I feel rather fancy.  I didn’t want to hem it properly so the bottom hem is enclosed in pale pink bias binding….. um, except for a 6″ bit at the back where I ran out, and used white. D’oh. I really should turn the hem up, especially as a bit of the binding now inexplicably has a rip in it, but I don’t see those bits so keep forgetting.

Ta-domp.

The front part of the pockets are cut from the same fabric as the piping from my Rooibos – I didn’t have enough silk for the entire pockets, and I love this fabric.

For those who are interested, while I write this post I’m making this recipe – brown butter chocolate chip cookies. And holy moly these are GOOD, caramel flavour without having to make caramel. I only had a tiny amount of chocolate so one-third is plain (and overcooked, dumb oven – had to put it down to 150), one-third is pecans (suckers who eat those ones, amiright?) and the rest dark chocolate.

(Picture courtesy of Joy the Baker – mine are not this pretty)