A Sew Along is Announced! Part 1 October 12 2017
Admittedly, the Decades blog has been a seriously neglected child for most of this year. We're going to rectify that with a Chore Skirt Sew along. Please tell anyone you think might be interested! This is going to be fun and in the end, you will have a very cool skirt! If you need to purchase the pattern, just click on the image below.
We don't have a specific schedule for this sew along. We will try to get something posted every week or even twice a week if possible. You guys can work at your own speed and the posts will be here for you to read at your leisure.
So here we go! Let's talk a bit about fabric selection for this project. The list of suggested fabric on the pattern cover includes:
- cotton (quilting cotton is fine. Don't choose anything too heavy - you'll see the explanation for that below)
- mid or lightweight rayons
- seersucker
- double gauze
- shirtings
- lightweight ikat
- chambray
- fine wool suiting
- tropical weight wool
It seems a bit like an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink fabric list! Ultimately, fabric choice for the upper skirt is determined more by bulk and weight of the fabric over any other characteristics. At the center back of this skirt, there are 4 layers of the fabric in stacked pleats. Those 4 layers are bound with the waist binding creating a total of 6 layers at the center back.
There are MANY fabrics not listed in the suggested fabrics that you could use for the upper skirt. The best way to determine if a fabric will work is to stack up 6 layers of the fabric you are considering and see how bulky it is. Let that be your guide in choosing the upper skirt fabric.
The Skirt Band at the bottom of the skirt does not have any construction elements limiting your fabric choices. So far, we have stuck to using fabric that is similar in weight and drape to the upper skirt and have been pleased with the results. You can use fabric that is a bit heavier or bulkier than what you choose for the upper skirt and everything will still work out fine. Something like velveteen or corduroy could really make for a lux bottom band! Striped silk blend suiting next to cotton velveteen shown below can give you an idea of how striking that could be!
Hopefully one of you will give that a try and let us know how you like it!
In the interest of actually getting this sew along off the ground, we'll end here with some inspiration photos.
The upper skirt on this yellow beauty is made from a textured mystery cotton. It had a bit of bulk to it but is worked out fine in the end. The Bottom Band is a hypnotizing ikat that came from Turkey.
Your assignment for the next post is to choose your fabric! And then choose your pattern size based on your waist measurement. Trim or trace your pattern pieces as you like and cut out the skirt. It doesn't take long; it is mostly simple rectangles.
Next time we'll cover piecing the Skirt Front and Front Band for sizes 14 and up (for 44" fabric) for those who have never come across this in a pattern before. And we'll touch a bit on the importance of stabilizing the waist edge of the skirt.
Thanks for joining us!!
Click here for the first installment in The Sew Along.
