Saturday, November 28, 2009

McCall's 5523 revisited - Purple tweed skirt

Okay, finally, something that's not brown or teal. Remember this sweater completed earlier this month? Well, here's the first of several garments I'm making to match. This pattern was used in September to make another skirt. I ironed out the fit issues with that one, and this time around it went together incredibly fast. Or, fast for me, that is.

This time around I used the pleated lower back. I shortened it by taking length out of the middle section, and not trimming anything off the pleats.

An invisible zipper was used and I added a full lining. This fabric came from JoAnn's Venice collection, recently purchased for 50% off, and is currently on clearance for 70% off(!). There's quite a bit of it here in San Antonio, in case anyone's interested.

Since I lined it, I couldn't decide what to do with the lower section. I just went ahead and put in the pleats like the outside. Both fabrics are pretty thin, so this didn't add any bulk. Someone asked one time why I make my linings so long. The reason is I like it to completely cover any inside raw edges. I do a sit test and make sure nothing is peeking out before it's declared finished.

Up next is a Christmas dress from a pattern that I feel has gotten an unfair bad reputation. Hopefully I'm right and it turns out pretty.

27 comments:

  1. It looks beautiful, Amanda! I also love your hair in a bun like that. So chic!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beautiful - love the color! The pleats are especially nice.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Another great skirt. Gorgeous with the knit top.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Very pretty! Perfect with the sweater you made.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Nice outfit! I imagine you are happy to branch out into a different color. It's very pretty on you.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Very pretty! You always do such great work!!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Very pretty skirt, and the purple looks great on you. Love the fabric and the pleats! Is the fabric wool?

    ReplyDelete
  8. That's a great skirt. Love the colour, very pretty in combination with your sweater. You look lovely!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Purple is my daughter's favorite color. The outfit is fierceeeeeee and it looks great on you!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I really love it! I am adding this pattern to my wish list.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Too adorable girl!! Can you give a hint about the Xmas dress??? HeeHee

    ReplyDelete
  12. Another beautiful skirt!
    I also have this pattern waiting for me to use it. Hopefully after Christmas (or shall I make myself a Christmas skirt instead of a Christmas dress?)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Beautiful skirt~! Love the colors.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Love the fabric. It's not on sale here yet. Darn it! I'd love to have a pair of pants out of that.

    The outfit is very cute.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Pretty skirt. I love the fabric and the color.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Very cute...cute sweater, too ( wink, wink!)

    ReplyDelete
  17. Very pretty! I know you were getting tired of your wardrobe colors. :) You should do a tutorial on lining a skirt with an invisible zip. I know Kathleen F. has this somewhere on her website, but I can a) never find it and b) barely decipher it. Mine always look messy!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Great combo - I'm so jealous of the fabric prices you have in the US!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Great outfit and color. I need to move that pattern closer to the top of the pile :-)

    ReplyDelete
  20. Love the outfit and the color. Wouldn't know..., I'm making the same skirt pattern (ruffled back) in a purple tone as well. All most done: hem, zipper, and facing to go.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Great looking skirt. I have made this skirt twice, the second time I used the pleats as well. I did not line the pleat areas.

    ReplyDelete
  22. The pleats, length, color, and style look fabulous on you!

    ReplyDelete
  23. angie.a said...
    You should do a tutorial on lining a skirt with an invisible zip. I know Kathleen F. has this somewhere on her website, but I can a) never find it and b) barely decipher it.

    Fwiw Angie (and don't you dare say I said so or I'll deny it) I have the same difficulties you do with that tutorial. It was a guest entry written by someone else. Well intentioned and probably solid but it's difficult to see what's going on considering the dark print. You can tell which are my tutorials because they're obviously not actual projects in fashion fabrics. I select them deliberately so the backgrounds are unobtrusive and of course, it contrasting threads to make the details as clear as possible.

    You can locate most of the tutorials on my site by clicking on tutorials from the navigation bar at the top of the page.

    RE: Linings that are "too long". This is relative, or perhaps a comparative statement because most people (or in home sewing patterns) have the linings too short. "Too long" linings are just right. For example, linings for knee length skirts and hip length jackets should be cut 1/2" longer nett than the shell (nett meaning plus/minus allowances, hems etc). If you tack the lining appropriately, it's not going to hang out. Actually, the only time it may is on the hanger. On the body, the lining sticks to the body, you have a static charge clinging more tightly to every curve than you do with the shell. Curved lines traveling the same vertical distance as straight lines, need to be longer to keep from pulling up. If the garment is full or loose and doesn't cling to the body, there's less concern if the lining isn't long enough. The curvier or tighter the fit, the greater the need for the lining to be longer.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Very pretty. I just finished this pattern yesterday myself and I also added a full lining and invisible zipper. Love your blog!!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Very cute skirt! I adore sewing blogs! Follow you

    ReplyDelete