Wardrobe Challenge: A Red Skirt

7 Posts Time!

So, a red skirt.  I decided earlier this fall that what my wardrobe lacked was a good basic red skirt.  I found some red twill at fabric.com that suited my purpose, and decided to have a go at linings, and bought some persimmon rayon bemberg at Fashion Fabrics Club for a good price, and searched my pattern stash for a 6 gore skirt pattern.  I have a reissued vintage version, but I've heard that it has too much ease built in, and I didn't feel like fiddling much with the pattern, so I went with a modern version that was very similar (Butterick 3134).

Red is so hard to photograph accurately.  And the lining is more in the orange family.

I bought the bemberg because so many sewing bloggers I read love it and rave about it, but I have to say, I'm kind of meh.  It doesn't exactly have the same hand as regular acetate lining (or a slip) and it was pesky to work with.  Very slippy, like raw silk.  Still, I love the little pop of orange sherbet on the inside, and the fact that the raw seams are all encased.

Zipper insertion went well; the waistband, not so much.  I know this about patterns, but many of them don't allow enough fabric for a lapped waistband, but I got a little sloppy and assumed I was cutting enough extra.  Nope.  I had the thing attached and everything and it just met at the zipper. Plus the overlap at the back didn't work quite right, so the whole thing was a mess.  Not.good.  I ended up ripping it off and cutting a whole new waist band and starting over.  The second time was much better.  I didn't do the top stitched seam on the outside very well, so I zig-zagged it to cover it up and provide a little visual interest.

On to hand sewing--1940s skirts are zipped on the left side, and I had the skirt finished to do so.  I did all the hand sewing, including the hem and the button/slide closure/snaps, and realized I'd put all the closures on the wrong side!  So in order to wear it, I'd have to zip it on the right.  Which isn't terrible, but all my other skirts are on the left, and it would have been strange to have this one on the right.  Plus the waist band was too loose, so I needed to cinch it in a bit.  

So off the clasps and snaps came, and I redid the hand sewing.  I also had to sew the hem twice because I blind stitched the hem to the lining instead of through to the front layer of twill and it didn't quite hang right.  I added a line of stitching through to the front, and it is better.  The hem is still a little wonky, but I think that's to do with the hang of the fabric--the twill is quite heavy, almost like denim.  I'm hoping it softens with wearing and additional washing. 

A note about the thimble: I found it in my grandmother's stash, and it just made me so happy.  The Lansing Sewing Store was in the southern suburbs of Chicago, where my mom's extended family is from.  The address was on Ridge Road, which was quite close to the family farm (in the days when Lansing was mostly farmland and populated by Dutch people; now it is completely urban and ethnically diverse).   

I was using the thimble because sewing through that twill by hand was no.joke.  I did as much on the machine as I could, but the dress slide and snap both had to be done by hand.  The button is just for show.  I did have a moment where I thought I might try and figure out the buttonholer on the machine, but I just.couldn't.do.it.  I think I can only learn one new thing per garment, and lining was the thing on this one.  

So the final result!  I'm happy with it, but not ecstatic.  It fits well through the hips and the length is good.  I like the weight of it, and the lining mostly works.  I like how neat the inside is.  But, as with all the skirts I've made so far, the waist band is about an inch too large, and I had to pin it near one of the gores.  (I didn't pin it for the pictures, so it looks a little loose).  I can't figure out how to fix this problem, because if I bring the waist in enough to fit snugly up top, the skirt gets too tight across the hips.  Maybe my mom can help me understand how to fix this when she comes for a visit next month.  I've got fabric to make several more skirts, and I'd like to fix the problem before I tackle another one.  

I realize this outfit is completely unsuitable to the current weather, and I don't really have a cardigan that looks good with this blouse, but I'll save it for warmer weather.  I ended up taking off the blouse after I took these photos because I was so cold and putting on this blue blouse instead.  

See?  Weird hemmage.  The green skirt started out that way too, and has loosened up over time, so I'm hoping this will too.  I think its to do with how the fabric hangs.  I also don't love how much this fabric wrinkles, but that is cotton for you.

You might remember the blouse from last fall.  I've not worn it much because of the afore-mentioned cardigan problem, but I think it will get more wear as the weather gets warmer.  I like that I can wear it tucked or untucked.  (Although, every single blouse I have sewn this year has a slightly unsymmetrical hem, just in the front.  Why??) 

I've got to talk about this brooch--it is a US Army sweetheart pin from World War II.   I'm really digging sweetheart jewelry lately, and most of it is out of my price range, but this one was listed under $15, and I snapped it up quick!  It is quite dainty and a nice light weight.  The silver bow could use a polish, but I've not had time to do it.

Wearing the super-awesome boots.