Built By Wendy Sew U skirt, take 2

This is my second attempt at the skirt pattern from Wendy Mullin's Sew U book (the first was blogged here). I don't think the word "attempt" is appropriate here, though--I feel both skirts were really successful! The above pictures is a close-up of the fabric (with me wearing it). I had a yard of it, which is a Robert Kaufman print from the "Fresh as a Daisy" line. It was so adorable that I had to try to make a skirt out of it!

Because I only had a yard, I had to cut one of the back pieces along the lengthwise grain, whereas the other pieces were cut along the widthwise grain. I think everything was supposed to be along the lengthwise grain, but I'm kind of a miser when it comes to fabric and try to use every single inch in a project instead of buying an extra half yard. Anyway, I don't notice a difference, and because the pattern isn't directional, you can't tell by looking. This bodes well for me and my fabric "economy."

The finished product! I did have a couple of issues that I needed to solve. First, even though the print is on a nice, heavy, Kona cotton, the white background was a little too sheer for my taste. So I bought some white 100% cotton from the fabric store in the city. I didn't want to line this skirt with a white Kona cotton because I thought it would then be too heavy. The Kona is so nice; the 100% cotton I bought to line the skirt is not as high-quality, but that's what I needed or this skirt would've come out mega-structured. Ick.

I wasn't sure how to handle the darts or the facing (or if there should be a facing, or understitching...) with the lining, but I followed Wendy's instructions and also kind of went with my gut. I still pressed the darts to the centers, didn't snip them at all, and just lined them up when I stitched together the skirts at the waists. I was worried the skirt would be too bulky at the tops of the darts, but it's not even noticeable. I did still understitch the seam allowance to the lining, just to hold it in place.

So cute! And SO comfortable. I love wearing cotton, especially in the summer. I've really been sticking with natural fabrics as much as possible, and it's made a big difference in how I look and how I feel in my clothes. Anyway, you can see here that I added a little green lace to the bottom of this hem. It was in my stash from a dress I made 2+ years ago, and it was perfect! I was going to stitch it to the lining so it would just peek out, but it's only around 1" wide and I worried about hemming the lining to the wrong length so either the lace wouldn't show, or it would show along with the lining. Ick. So I just stitched it to the outer print and hemmed the lining another 1/2" shorter than the skirt.

It took me about 3 hours (+ cutting) to make the first skirt. This one took me about 3 hours (+ cutting time), and it had a full lining, two hems, a trim (which the first one had as well), and I had to hand-stitch the lining to the zipper in the back. Not bad!

So, I made this skirt on Sunday, but I cut it and two more dresses on Saturday evening. Those are in the works mentally but I haven't made any stitching progress on them yet. I have made quite a bit of progress on the first of my mini quilts, so that is exciting. I've also become obsessed with ideas for pincushions but haven't actually made any yet. Soon... I have many ideas brewing! I'm also hard at work on a craft room overhaul. It's nothing too major, but will make a nice difference. Before and after pictures TK.