violets are purple…

I predict Chie’s scalloped skirt tutorial will be the runaway hit of the spring and summer, judging by the comments and how quickly this whips up! How would I know? Because I made on of course! A half-circle skirt has long been on my list of things to make (I’ve already made a full circle skirt); mostly due to spending too much time last winter daydreaming about making a 40s inspired wool crepe version. (Skirts with a circular flair showed up in the late 30s—particularly on sportswear and “young” fashions—but because of fabric restrictions during the war prevented the look from really taking off.) That never happened, but Chie’s tutorial finally pushed me over the edge to actually make the style. It was the scalloped waistband that made me do it!

As I mentioned, this was an extremely quick project, as just about any skirt based on the circle style is. I started construction on a lark late Thursday evening, and would have had it completely done by bedtime, except that a quick try on after putting in the zipper showed that I needed to adjust the waistline a bit. So the zipper had to be unpicked and dealt with. I also wanted to let the skirt hang for 24 hours (or close to that… I got impatient) to let the bias stretch out so the hem could be leveled off. (Ever wonder why a store-bought skirt’s hem is a bit wavy? It’s because the bias wasn’t allowed to fully stretch and reach it’s final settling point!) The fabric I used was a piece of sueded rayon I bought a couple years ago, whose dye had faded unevenly. I thought it was “ruined” but for some reason kept it. Last month while doing my biannual fabric stash purge, I realized that the rayon had a pleasantly distressed/stone washed texture, which was actually quite interesting. If I change my mind in the future all it takes is a quick dip in some fabric dye to even things out!

Despite those little delays, I think this took me all of 2 1/2 hours. Insanely easy and quick! The only changes I made were to swap out the invisible zipper for a regular one, lengthen it a bit since I like my skirts to hit about knee-level, and tack the waistband facing down along the entire waistline. This would be an excellent project for a relatively new sewer; it’s only two pieces and teaches you essential sewing skills like using interacting, clipping curves, installing a zipper and making a machine rolled hem (or baby hem). I give this one two thumbs up!

Loads more pictures here; we kind of went photo crazy!

I also wanted to highlight a lovely little hat that Poppycock Vintage sent me. Isn’t it darling? I adore the nautical flair of the hat with the little ribbon cockade on the back of the crown—a perfect look in my opinion. It’s the sort of hat I can wear a variety of ways; straight on the head, tilted towards the back of the head, or at a jaunty angle at the front (as here—which is probably my favorite way to wear little hats like this. I blame all those 1930s and 40s movies I’ve watched since I was little with women sporting hats angled. It’s very flattering!). Speaking of hats worn at a dapper angle, I am quite smitten with and coveting this 30s number in the Poppycock shop; gorgeous isn’t it?!

My duck-friends showed up again while we were taking photos. They’re always curious as to what we’re doing!

Did you work on any projects over the weekend? Have something in the works or daydreaming about a new one?

May 23, 2011 · 72 lovely thoughts
posted in sewing · tags: 2011 sewing, hats, sewing