Marilla Walker Ilsley Skirt

Tim and I are heading to Vietnam next month (!) so I've been sewing a few light throw on summer garments to pack. The weather will be hot and humid with plenty of rain. This means lots of cotton, linen, rayon flowy garments. I have a couple of lightweight cotton skirts but they mostly have structured waistbands which could get a bit restrictive and sticky in the heat. I thought the free Marrila Walker Ilsley skirt might fill a holiday wardrobe gap. It's a comfy skirt thats easy to throw on over bathers or with a t-shirt.

I'm also aiming to pack really lightly, so I want everything I take to be able to be worn with multiple other garments, but most of my current summer skirts have floral patterns that clash with certain Tees and floral tops. Enter blue chambray from The Cloth Shop. The same stuff I used for my sisters Miette wrap skirt. It's very lightweight and easy to wear. I used a contrast light brown thread for all topstitching. Actually, I used about three shades of similar light browns. I kept running out of bobbin and spool thread. Can you tell? 

I sewed the skirt up in a size 4. The skirt pattern includes 6 pieces, no closures, front pockets, a gathered waist with an elasticised waistband. The pattern instructs you to use a thick 5cm wide piece of elastic, but since I didn't have any I chose to use three lengths of 1.25cm elastic and sew three 1.5cm wide casings.

The instructions don't include any diagrams but they are well written and easy to follow. Which is more than you can ask for when using a free pattern - Thanks Marilla! Seam allowance instructions for french seaming are included which results in a lovely clean finish.

I like the final skirt, but I don't love it. I really like the curved hem and the pockets. But there's a poof of fabric above my butt and I think I could do with more room back there. Perhaps a bigger size would have been better. Also, I would love the pockets to be slightly deeper - my phone pokes out the top. However, these are easy changes to make and I think it's going to a great holiday skirt. Easy to wear, goes with everything, dries quickly.

Also the skirt doesn't look half bad with tights and a cardigan so it's a versatile too. Today, I'm wearing it with my Megan Nielsen Maker Tee. I love everything about this tee- it supports a good cause, is made from organic cotton, fits great and is super cute. I received the tee as a thank you for pattern testing the Brumby Skirt. I cannot wait for it's release so I can blog about it. That skirt has been getting A LOT of wear.