Eyelet Border Knit Skirt

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This skirt is another of the straight skirts made with knit fabric and elastic waistband. Very similar to my recent Blue/Brown Snakeskin Print Skirt This fabric is from my California trip, and again bought with the able shopping assistance of Kathi, DrSue, and Lisa. I was very taken with the fabric, as I have never seen a knit with eyelet embroidery like this before. Lots of wovens, but no knits, and with the stripes as well, it was a much more sophisticated look than one usually gets with eyelet fabrics. I had to have it, and knew it was to be a skirt from the beginning.

Since this skirt has a finished hem edge it was super simple, except for one thing. The fabric is a very soft jersey knit, and without a lining it was going to be clingy almost to the point of indecency, in my opinion. So... to find something to line it with. Luckily, I have a lot of fabric-in-waiting, aka The Inventory, and I found a very nice pale pink stretch woven with almost as much stretch as the jersey. Honestly, I thought it must actually be a knit, but no, it ravels off just like a woven. It's woven with wide, square 'ribs' on the cross, and once again, the stretch is in the lengthwise direction. Obviously planned to be used like pinstripes and cut on the crossgrain, this is a neat fabric.

Here it is as worn, with the lining showing through the eyelet holes.
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I basted it to the edges of the jersey pieces and stitched it as one with it, using the selvedge as the hem, thus avoiding the problem of how to hem one fabric and not the other while seaming them together. Here you can see the side seam and the hem edge.
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The waistband is simple as can be. The elastic is serged to the edge, then it's turned under, zigzagged, and it's done.

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One last photo. The wisteria vines were whacking me in the face when I tried to hold them while talking to the cat at the same time. Ah well, that's real life.

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Tie-Dye Marfy Skirt

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This is Marfy #093, one of the free patterns from the Fall/Winter 2006/07 catalog.

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I wanted a casual skirt that was something different than my usual, and this seemed ideal. I got this stretch woven from Fabric Mart some time ago. I like the somewhat subtle tie-dye pattern.

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It's one of those stretch woven fabrics that they weave with the stretch in the warp, thus you cut on the crossgrain. This gives you the stretch going around, where we want it.

A skirt that doesn't sit at the waist or fairly close to it is something new to me, and it's an easy fit. I interfaced the inner band and after applying and understitching, stitched through the darts and side seams to secure it, and am pleased with the result.

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The original pattern has shaped beltloops that button onto the pockets. I thought it was a little dated looking, or at least more retro than I wanted. I also don't really need excess bulk right around the stomach area, so I just did the pockets and left off the loops. I cut the pockets double with a fold at the top, stitched and turned, then topstitched them onto the skirt. I ended up facing the hem since I decided I liked the length before I turned up the hem allowance I added. Photo Link

I finished this on Friday, wore it Saturday, and heard good things, so I was pleased.
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Blue/Brown Snakeskin Print Skirt

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This is the style of skirt I've been wearing a lot this summer, and I think this fabric worked very well for the it. It's a snakeskin print knit with an interesting feature; at least I think it's interesting. It has dots all over it that act a little like sequins. They're quite tiny, and I have to suppose it's part of the printing process. It may be what I've seen labeled holographic, but the ones I've seen like that are generally a much bigger dot. More the size punched out for a 3-ring binder, whereas these are about 1/16" or less in diameter, or about 1mm. Very tiny, anyway. It's what gives the fabric its shine and suggestion of skin or leather. In the photo below, you can see the fabric dots best on the brown part of the print although they are placed evenly over the whole surface.



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Anyway, the skirt itself is very simple. Just a straight skirt with elastic waist and a handsewn hem. You can see both the inside and outside of the waistband above, and the ribbon loop that marks the CB. This pattern was a download that's no longer available, and actually has 4 seams but in this case I simply put the CB and CF on folds. I like the 4 seam look in most cases, but when the fabric has a busy print, I generally only do 2 seams for visual continuity. You can see the skirt laid out flat below.


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My next quandary is should I make a jacket or something to match this? I have plenty of fabric left, and I think I'd like something. I thought of a 'scuba' type zippered jacket, but then thought that was a little too 'snaky' with this fabric. What about a cropped jacket? That's what I'm leaning toward now. But what about something else entirely? That's what I'm stumped on. I don't think a top is what I want, but it might be. What do you think? Any great ideas?

Marfy Flounced Top #2484

From Marfy 2484

From Marfy 2484

I've been avoiding pattern alterations for some reason, and I can't really sew a decently fitting bodice without at least an FBA, so I just forged ahead on Marfy #2484, one of the free patterns in the 2011/12 catalog. At first glance, I wondered why on earth Marfy had only extended the flounce to the shoulders or a little beyond. Seemed a little like "coffin clothes" but then I thought about what would happen to that flounce if you wore a jacket or other layer over it. You'd be fighting that back flounce continually and having to reposition it when you took your jacket off, and trying to get it to lay smoothly with the jacket on; in short, a real pain. So, this seems like a good plan after all.

I used an extremely thin knit fabric that I bought in the LA Fashion District while shopping with Kathi, Sue, and Lisa in February. I love the soft, watercolor effect and the colors, and the irregular slightly pleated/folded/wrinkled texture added didn't hurt either. The fact that the fabric is so very thin and soft let me use a faced technique for the flounce with great results.

From Marfy 2484

From Marfy 2484

I added a FBA and darts to this, but otherwise cut a straight 46. There are patterns given for the shaped front bands and facings and the sleeve hems, but since the pattern suggests either a woven fabric or a knit, and I used a knit, I just cut crossgrain strips and interfaced them lightly with PRO-TRICOT Deluxe fusible interfacing from Pam Erny's Fashion Sewing Supply. I used the same interfacing as a stay behind the neckline treatment. I used Jalie's binding method, which I like very much.

From Marfy 2484

Here is the binding pinned to the right side after the first pass, and with the flounce attached.

From Marfy 2484

The buttons are just for show, and I didn't bother putting buttonholes in. I handstitched the hem, just because the fabric is so soft, and I thought I'd have better control.

From Marfy 2484

Please don't laugh at me in cropped pants. I've been resisting them mightily for years, and found this pair in Irish Linen from Eileen Fisher for a song, so figured my time had come. I'm still not sure they're really "me", but they are comfy, so that's something I guess. Good color, too.

I've been wearing skirts a lot this summer, just little straight skirts from knits, and I have a new one almost done, and a couple on the cutting table.