Megan - the skirt next door
So - have you ever had that one skirt. The one that was easy to wear? That fitted in all the right places? That you could wear without having to worry about whether your tummy was sucked in enough? That let you walk normally, sit on the floor, hop in and out of cars without a worry? That was a flattering shape, and could be dressed up or down?
For me ... Megan is that skirt. The skirt next door - not all that much to look at at first glance (at least this version - you should see what the other testers have whipped up), but once you get to know her, totally gorgeous, lovely and amazing.
The Megan skirt, by Designer Stitch* has just been released and fits the bill for my favourite skirt.
The pattern has 3 different views. This is view B with pockets and a contrast centre panel. And might I say that the pockets are just fantastic. They don't interfere with the line or fit of the skirt, and are big enough to fit a phone, car keys and other essentials.
For this version I decided on a denim skirt. I believe it's always good to have a denim skirt in your wardrobe. They're so versatile. Good in summer or winter (or in between)
As the skirt had a contrast centre panel, I played with the denim look, by using the wrong side for the centre and top of pockets, and adding detail with trim along the pocket lines and contrasting topstitching.
The skirt does up at the back with a zipper. I used one with metal teeth that I rescued from an opshop find. And added more topstitching down the centre back seam.
The pattern includes great instructions for inserting the zipper. My yoke seams are slightly out of whack as I ended up restitching the zipper after removing the basting stitches. Next time it will be spot on (I promise).
I couldn't find upholstery or topstitching thread in the colour I wanted, so used a cotton thread, and triple stitched the topstitching. For this stitch the machine goes forward one stitch, then back one stitch, then forward one stitch again, before repeating (forward, back, forward - forward, back, forward). So each stitch is sewn three times. This means that more thread is visible for each stitch, and the topstitching is more visible - a feature of many denim garments.
Adding trim to the pockets was pretty simple. I toyed with the idea of adding it across the bottom of the centre panel as well, but the hem has a slight curve (not too good with with trim), and I wasn't sure where the hem would sit, so it would mean unpicking and restiching the panel seams to bring the trim into the seam allowance. Check out this mini-tutorial for adding trim.
Let's talk about the fit of this skirt for a minute. I love a-line skirts, they're generally a flattering shape, and work well at a variety of lengths. Usually, my hips are a size larger than my waist, so I adjusted the pattern as normal. But when I tried on my toile/muslin/first attempt. I had a bit of extra fabric floating around where the bony part of my hips are. See, my hip measurement (the widest part) is actually around the bottom of my bottom - the 'saddlebag' area. So the a-line of the skirt provides a little more room than other styles.
To adjust the pattern for my 'proper' version, I pinned the toile in place along the side seams so that it fitted. Then I laid my pattern piece over the fabric, made note of where the pinning stopped (ie where the width was ok). Then retraced my lines from the smaller size to the larger so that the new line hit the larger size at the point I'd just marked. And now the skirt falls nicely off the widest part of my hips.
If you'd like your own Megan Skirt, head over to the Designer Stitch pattern store. The pattern is on sale for release - $8 (US), until Friday 3 March.
PS - In case you've been looking at these photos wondering "what is that amazing top she's wearing". It's a Bridget Top, also by Designer Stitch. This is a short sleeve variation (cufflet) in rayon). I promise to tell you all about it soon.
*this post contains affiliate links. For any patterns purchased I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. The opinions, sewing and attempts to have photos without hair blowing in my face are all my own.
For me ... Megan is that skirt. The skirt next door - not all that much to look at at first glance (at least this version - you should see what the other testers have whipped up), but once you get to know her, totally gorgeous, lovely and amazing.
The Megan skirt, by Designer Stitch* has just been released and fits the bill for my favourite skirt.
The pattern has 3 different views. This is view B with pockets and a contrast centre panel. And might I say that the pockets are just fantastic. They don't interfere with the line or fit of the skirt, and are big enough to fit a phone, car keys and other essentials.
For this version I decided on a denim skirt. I believe it's always good to have a denim skirt in your wardrobe. They're so versatile. Good in summer or winter (or in between)
As the skirt had a contrast centre panel, I played with the denim look, by using the wrong side for the centre and top of pockets, and adding detail with trim along the pocket lines and contrasting topstitching.
The skirt does up at the back with a zipper. I used one with metal teeth that I rescued from an opshop find. And added more topstitching down the centre back seam.
The pattern includes great instructions for inserting the zipper. My yoke seams are slightly out of whack as I ended up restitching the zipper after removing the basting stitches. Next time it will be spot on (I promise).
I couldn't find upholstery or topstitching thread in the colour I wanted, so used a cotton thread, and triple stitched the topstitching. For this stitch the machine goes forward one stitch, then back one stitch, then forward one stitch again, before repeating (forward, back, forward - forward, back, forward). So each stitch is sewn three times. This means that more thread is visible for each stitch, and the topstitching is more visible - a feature of many denim garments.
Adding trim to the pockets was pretty simple. I toyed with the idea of adding it across the bottom of the centre panel as well, but the hem has a slight curve (not too good with with trim), and I wasn't sure where the hem would sit, so it would mean unpicking and restiching the panel seams to bring the trim into the seam allowance. Check out this mini-tutorial for adding trim.
Let's talk about the fit of this skirt for a minute. I love a-line skirts, they're generally a flattering shape, and work well at a variety of lengths. Usually, my hips are a size larger than my waist, so I adjusted the pattern as normal. But when I tried on my toile/muslin/first attempt. I had a bit of extra fabric floating around where the bony part of my hips are. See, my hip measurement (the widest part) is actually around the bottom of my bottom - the 'saddlebag' area. So the a-line of the skirt provides a little more room than other styles.
To adjust the pattern for my 'proper' version, I pinned the toile in place along the side seams so that it fitted. Then I laid my pattern piece over the fabric, made note of where the pinning stopped (ie where the width was ok). Then retraced my lines from the smaller size to the larger so that the new line hit the larger size at the point I'd just marked. And now the skirt falls nicely off the widest part of my hips.
If you'd like your own Megan Skirt, head over to the Designer Stitch pattern store. The pattern is on sale for release - $8 (US), until Friday 3 March.
PS - In case you've been looking at these photos wondering "what is that amazing top she's wearing". It's a Bridget Top, also by Designer Stitch. This is a short sleeve variation (cufflet) in rayon). I promise to tell you all about it soon.
*this post contains affiliate links. For any patterns purchased I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. The opinions, sewing and attempts to have photos without hair blowing in my face are all my own.
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