Saturday, March 25, 2017

White Lace Maxi Skirt

A few years ago I saw this lace skirt on Net-A-Porter and loved it:


It's by Alice + Olivia and was made of silk and tulle. I added it to my "Lace" Pinterest board and went searching for a fabric. Eventually I found just what I wanted at Moodfabrics.com, but it sat in my stash for several years and is completely sold out. The fabric is an ivory nylon lace, and I layered it over a lining of white tricot. I wanted this skirt to be washable and not too formal, so I went with a comfortable/stretchy fabric for the lining.



I'm not that brave when it comes to drafting and definitely had to think through how I wanted to make this garment. I decided to use my TNT skirt pattern - McCall's 3830 - for the skirt lining and extended it down to the top of my feet. For walking ease I left the sides of the lining open from the knees down. I used the width of the lace for the width of the skirt and only had to make one seam in the back. I then gathered the lace onto the lining and attached my back zipper and waistband.


Since the width of the lace was about 60", I did not need to add a slit to the lace. I hand stitched the lace hem in place.



The waistband was made from white Petersham grosgrain ribbon. This is my preferred method of adding a waistband to a delicate fabric, especially lace. The ribbon is 3" wide and folded over onto the top of the skirt. I stitched it on the outside first, then folded it onto the inside and whip-stitched it in place with tiny stitches.


I used an invisible zipper for the closure.



This was a relatively easy garment to make, once I figured out how I wanted to go about it. I plan to make or buy a white tank top to pair with it, as I really like the example outfit of the original.

23 comments:

  1. It's wonderful, Amanda! I love it: it's fresh, it's versatile, it's modern. And Petersham grosgrain ribbon is the only thing for delicate fabrics waists. Very good solution. Have a nice Sunday! And I wonder... is there going to be an Easterdress this year too? Greetings from a (unfortunately) still chilly Switzerland! Enri

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    1. Thank you Enri!! And yes, I am making an Easter dress and just cut it out a few days ago. The fabric is a gold, ecru and yellow floral brocade, but it shrunk a bit when I ironed the interfacing on. I'm keeping my fingers crossed it still turns out.

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  2. What a fun little skirt! Love that it's not 'formal' - nice.

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    1. Thanks Coco! I actually made a more formal white lace skirt a few years ago, so I wanted something completely different and washable.

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  3. Beautiful! You always pair your fabric finds with the perfect look. I guess the fabric marinating in your stash works! Karen

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    1. This was more a case of me having to gather my nerves because I didn't have an actual pattern for the look. That and procrastination. But thanks! ;)

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  4. Hi Amanda,

    You sew very tidily, I admire that about you.

    I've never used grosgrain as a waist band before, I like how it turned out.

    Recently, sewed a maxi dress, there's something very elegant about that length. :-)

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    1. The only time I enjoy wearing maxi skirts or dresses is in the spring or fall. Otherwise there's just too much fabric and it's too hot for that in south Texas. But I do love the length and the light weight fabric that swirls around the legs. Thanks for your comment!

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  5. A great interpretation of your inspiration version: fresh and modern. Love the ribbon treatment.

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  6. So pretty and delicate looking - love it!

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  7. Nice! I just saw a skirt similar to this one is Burdastyle's Runway show at the Atlanta Quilting and Sewing Expo. Yours is beautiful!

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  8. Gorgeous in it's simplicity! I love the lace!

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  9. I love the way you've turned lace into something that feels relaxed and informal.

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    1. Thanks Janet! I already had a fancy white lace skirt, and maxi skirts seem like they should be casual or they look really formal to me.

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  10. The pairing with the Jeans Blouse is just perfect, love it! By the way, you always make such lovely clothes, well done!

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  11. A really gorgeous skirt! I love the whole outfit.

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