Burda 7-2010-108 - Aqua & brown knit twisted bubble skirt

***Updated pictures of this skirt can be viewed here***

Yeah, I know in the last post I wrote that my next garment would be a purple stretch velvet dress. Well, the desire to squeeze in a 4th project before the end of the month was too great, so I made this simple skirt from last month's Burda instead.

I cut this out night before last and stitched most of it yesterday, finishing with a bit of hand sewing today. I did make several mistakes that required some seam ripping, but that's really quite fast for me. For most other sewers it would take just a few hours. This fabric is an ITY knit purchased last year from Denverfabrics.com. I originally bought it to match the wardrobe of teal and brown I made in the fall, but didn't end up using it.

As for modifications to the pattern, I cut 3 inches off the hem and 4.5 inches off the lining. You can see the lining of this skirt on page 19 in the magazine, and I didn't want mine to show. Also, after reading this great review by Sonoemi, I twisted it only 45 degrees instead of the 90 degrees per the instructions.

The MOST difficult part of this project was the stupid invisible zipper. I am never fond of zippers in knits, especially a super stretchy ITY knit. However, I wanted to be able to tuck tops into this skirt, so wanted a smooth wasteband with interfacing. Hence the zipper. Well, I must have sewn it in at least 5 times, always getting it too stretched out at the top or not meeting smoothly at the bottom. I cried. I beat my palm against my forehead. I prayed fervently for God's mercy. It sounds funny to me now but I was so frustrated!!! Anyway, it finally went in smoothly:

I had a lot of this fabric, so went ahead and used it for the lining as well. This knit is very slippery and will wear nicely over winter tights.

Here it is with my brown brocade jacket made last November. Picture it with tights and boots for a nice winter look.

Tomorrow my friends are throwing me a baby shower and I'm super excited about it. Then my in-laws will be taking the boys to their ranch for a week and I've got to get the baby's room completed, and hopefully several more sewing projects as well. Whew! This summer has certainly flown by! I'm looking forward to baby girl's birth and slowing down for a month or so.