I’ve been working on a huge, full circle skirt for a few weeks, with tiny bits being done here & there. Finally it’s finished! For the most part. I need to figure out a way to keep the pocket closed smoothly.
It’s one full circle that’s floor-length in a nice, heavy, winter knit. The fabric is navy with diamond checks in relief. I was immediately taken with it & thought it seemed a little unique, until I got home and realized that it reminded me of the texture on certain cheap, thin blankets! But I still love it, even if it does attract lint like a dog does fleas. Besides, it’s thicker than those cheap blankets (they can be almost sheet thin). Something about running my fingers over the fabric & feeling the weight of the skirt draped around me just makes me very happy despite all the lint that finds its way to my butt.
I’ve only ever put in one pocket before & didn’t look up a tutorial, so I was flying a little blind. I slashed the fabric where the yoke opened at the side & inserted a pocket there. I have a thrifted skirt with this type of construction & have been wanting to emulate it. The problem is, the pocket gets a bit bunched up when I walk a lot, making the side look bulky. Any suggestions on how to make the darned thing stay down? I could just sew one side of it to the yoke, but that would mean the yoke wouldn’t open as wide & I’d have to wiggle a bit to get it over my hips.
The skirt is named ‘Criss-Cross’ not only because the textured lines cross over each other, but because the front closure is a triangle that crosses over the yoke. This skirt is all about the close-up details. You may not see that front triangular bit from a few yards away. You will probably also miss the trim that edges the yoke. It’s a navy, elastic, button loop trim that makes me feel a little decadent because I used to never take the time for such details. But the delicate loops looked so pretty on their own that I had to include them here. While the trim is mostly decorative, it does hold onto three buttons by the triangular cross section to make everything lie flat. The buttons are a textured navy with a ring of white around them. Finally, the yoke is lined with a purple mushroom print. I enjoy putting whimsical linings into things, especially if I know I’m going to wear the garment to work. It’s a nice way to brighten up a boring work day. 
Now for the 1912 princess slip. I’ve never done lace insertion before. I was impatient. I had new toys. I made mistakes.
I read a blog post by *** where she shows you how to use a narrow hemming foot. I knew I had to have this wonderful thing. Elsewhere on the web I was looking up lace insertion tutorials & found out about the edge joining foot. I knew I had to have this for my slip. Luckily, I live near Vogue fabrics so I was able to get both feet immediately & super cheap. I ran home with my new toys & played with them immediately. The guy at Vogue had given me a thorough introduction to the feet, but warned me that I wouldn’t be able to use the narrow hemming foot on bias cuts & curves. Well, I tried it on a bias cut just to see & it came out fine. For some reason I thought it would work on the princess slip perfectly even though I hadn’t tried using the foot on curves. I thought, you know what, it took that bias just fine & the pattern isn’t curved that much. Oh hubris! Oh silly & stubborn child, why didn’t you listen to the nice person with years of experience? I spent a lot of time trying to sew those damned curves & ripping out everything I had done. I was determined. Finally I gave up & just put in a narrow hem the old fashioned way. Was I going to join all the pieces first & adjust for fit? No. The blouse had fit just fine. Of course the blouse had a lot more wiggle room. Well, I joined my lace to the fabric & rejoined it. The lace lied perfectly when attached to one piece of fabric, why was everything so wrinkly when I attached the other side? Oh hubris! You can’t cut corners! So now I will be cutting out new front pieces, sewing them up, adjusting, then attaching the lace, slashing the fabric underneath & rolling back the edges. Directions are there for a reason! Lesson learned, at least for now.
Disparate Disciplines 