For my August Sew Cheap Make and Pattern Review I chose the Tessuti Libby A-line Skirt Pattern. It's a simple skirt pattern with a side zip, waistband facings (but no waistband), three length options and waist darts in the back panel. The pattern comes in Aus sizes 6 to 16.
I haven't seen many Libby's online with the exception of Rachel's lovely French Noir version. From the looks of it Rachel's fabric choice probably influenced my own, although I didn't realise it at the time. I chose to make up Libby in a scrap of black poly from the Alannah Hill outlet. It has a large weave with polkadots. The fabric is pretty but has absolutely no give and it's shiny nature isn't that flattering around the tush/curves. My measurements were between a 10 and a 12 so I cut an 11 (between the two sizes) in mini length. This pattern is an excellent stash buster. I got this skirt out of just over half a meter of fabric.
The instructions are detailed and have accompanying photos. This pattern is totally achievable for any beginner willing to tackle an invisible zipper. The only changes I made to the construction were: 1) stay stitch around the waist of my pieces instead of using Vilene tear-away (worked fine), 2) reverse the order of the zipper insertion, 3) grade waist seams as the fabric is quite heavy, 4) Used my machine where instructed to hand stitch. I whipped the skirt up from cutting to hemming in an easy afternoon. Of course it would take a little longer is hand stitching.
I really like how the skirt turned out, however the fit is a little off. I need a bit more ease around my hips but could go tighter at the waist. Next time I'll grade from a 10 at the waist down to a 12. I will also take into consideration my fabric choice as something with a bit more give and drape would fall a hell of a lot better around my tush/hips. I absolutely love the length and plan to whip up at least one more Libby mini. Because of the uninterrupted back and front panels (e.g. side zip and no waistband), I suspect this skirt would be a great option for large scale prints and plaids that requite pattern matching.
The weather today was perfection and has me hanging out to start sewing more spring and summer clothes. Happy Weekend!
If you like this post, check out my Sew Cheap: Top Tips, Sew Cheap: Free Patterns and previous Sew Cheap posts.
No comments:
Post a Comment