Saturday, November 22, 2014

Something for me

Well, how chuffed am I on a scale of 1 to 10?

A solid 10 I'd say :o)

I decided to make the leap from bags to something wearable this week. My favourite skirt that I have worn till it was completely thread bare finally fell apart so it seemed only right to start with a new skirt for me. Turns out I am capable of creating something completely wearable within a couple of days, how cool is that! 


I started out by having a close look at how my most comfy skirt was constructed.


Then I  de-constructed it so I could use it as a pattern.

I had hoped to find some fabric that was similar to the original skirt fabric but no luck so I settled on some light weight denim.


I managed to get all the pieces on to about a metre of fabric. (There were more pieces than shown in the photo)

Re-constructing the skirt was not too hard although fitting the yoke (I think that is what it is called) to the skirt panels was challenging and it took a few tries.




I love the extra row of stitching on each of the panels of this skirt. Gives a really nice finish.


I still need lots of practice with zips but I am not as nervous about them as I was in the beginning.


Turns out the style of skirt with its flowy sort of hem with the sides being longer than the centre didn't really work with the denim as it was too stiff so I decided to cut the skirt a bit shorter. I have to say that I was pretty nervous taking the scissors to my newly constructed skirt but I think it looks much better at this length (sorry I didn't get a photo before I cut it)


I wore my new skirt out on Saturday and it was so comfortable, I felt so proud that I was able to make something like this :o)

Thank you for stopping by my blog today and for your kind comments.
Remember to please leave me with a link so that I can come visit you too.

Michelle :o)

I'm linking my skirt up to the following linky parties:


14 comments:

  1. You continue to impress me Michelle - not only making clothing but creating your own pattern from a favourite skirt!!! Try glue stick to hold zips in place while you sew them or 1/4" double sided fusible - don't bother with pins, glue is so much easier and more accurate, it's what I teach my students, check out how I do it in my pillow with hidden zipper tute on the blog. Congrats on your feature on Threading My Way too - hardly surprising you're our rising star :D - Chris

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  2. Thank you Chris for your kind comment and also the great tip! I will head on over and check out your tutorial. :o)

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  3. Well done Michelle
    Photo is a beauty too .
    Skirt looks lovely
    hugs Mum

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  4. Hooray for you new skirt!! Ripping something old up and using it for a pattern is one of my favorite things to do. Way to go!

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    1. Thank you for visiting Sarah! I had so much fun doing this although I was pretty nervous to begin with.

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  5. Hello Michelle,

    Your new skirt looks fantastic. Using the old skirt as a pattern makes perfect sense.

    Happy days.
    Bev.

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    1. Hi Bev, thank you so much for visiting. I am pleased to say that the new skirt is almost as good as the old one :o)

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  6. Congratulations on starting this blog. I see you've already be featured! Wow!

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    1. Hi Joy, thank you for visiting. I really appreciate your kind comments. I'm finding the sewing world a very friendly place indeed :o)

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  7. Your sewing skills are multiplying ever so quickly, Michelle. It feels so good when you make a garment for yourself, doesn't it. Very impressive deconstructing an old skirt and sewing the new one.

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    1. Thank you Pam. I am enjoying learning these new skills. The list of things I want to make is growing daily! :o)

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  8. A few people I know create patterns from their fave clothing, and things always turn out fine. Love the skirt Michelle. Zippers at first look like monsters, but once they learn who the boss is, they are like purring kittens :)

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    1. Sorry I am so slow to reply Jenya, crazy time of year! Thank you for visiting and for your comment. I think I will be doing the same thing with a few of my tops but I need to practice working with knit fabric first........tricky stuff :)

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Thank you for stopping my little blog. I really appreciate your comments and if you leave a link back to your blog I would love to come visit you too.