Feathers skirt

So how are you all? I've been busy sewing for most of the week and it's lovely having lots of time to revel in it. This skirt is something that's literally been hanging around half finished for the past few months.

It's a fabric I bought in John Lewis sale earlier this year or perhaps last summer. It's a stretch cotton sateen and lovely to work with. For summer skirts I've decided to add a breathable lining to them, it seems pointless to sew lovely natural fibres and then stick a cheap polyester lining in it. So I've tried using a 100% cupro lining which is breathable. It actually feels very like silk to touch but is obviously not so expensive. This cost me £12 a metre and for this skirt I bought 1 metre, although next time I could get away with 80cm. I just have this absolute hatred of not having enough fabric when I'm making something. I'd rather buy too much than not have enough.

I used the usual pencil skirt pattern I've used before. I cut it out so long ago I can't remember if I did any pattern matching on the back seam. Hard to tell really! Now it's confession time! Despite buying too much lining fabric, I managed to cut out and sew the lining too short! What was I thinking!!! Muppet! Here is the shameful evidence in all its shortness.

It's still wearable though and with the more subdued colouring, it should be able to take me through autumn too.

I also have another confession that I'm REALLY excited about. I bought an overlocker an have been slowly playing about with it and gaining confidence in using it. I've even managed to change all the threads! Of course as soon as I did that it wouldn't chain properly. Turned out it was due to the chain mechanism not being threaded properly. I can see why they give you tweezers as part of the essential kit with the overlocker. Say no more.

I used the overlocker to do the side seams of this lining and I'm pleased with the results. it'll certainly stop the lining fabric fraying! I couldn't quite work out how to do the back seam which has the zip in it but that's fine. I'm happy to work my way up to new things with the overlocker.

And here is the new overlocker, though you should see a photo of it :) and here it is beside its much older New Home cousin (which was a 21st birthday present), they look well together!

Just have to work out how to finish the thread chains at the beginning and end of overlocker seams.....any ideas? What do you do?

Feathers and silk

Well, first of all I have to say sorry for not posting for a month. There has been such a lot happening, life has just taken over. I was doing a lot of sewing for my holiday when everything stopped as we heard the bad news that my uncle had been taken ill very suddenly and was in hospital. Sadly he died that evening and the family has been stunned, to say the least. His mum is 97 so everyone has been worried about her too. My uncle's funeral is tomorrow and I'm dreading the next few days.

On a happier note, we did go on holiday and it was good to get away for a week. I also decided that I'd take photos of me wearing my new-makes in sunshine and blue skies, something we haven't seen much this summer in Edinburgh. So, expect a few posts of me squinting!

So, the feathers are printed on a cotton sateen fabric which has a little bit of lycra in it so there's some stretch. I knew I wanted to take this on holiday so I bought some habotai silk to make the lining, just to keep everything breathable in the hot temperatures. I pre-washed the silk using soap for silks and woollen fabrics and remembering to select the delicate silk setting on the washing machine. It came out absolutely fine. Just have to remember to do this when I need to wash the whole skirt!

I used a pattern I've made before, Simplicity 1559 and view D with a back split.

We went on holiday to Portugal and I'm standing in the square of the town of Sintra, a World Heritage site. It was absolutely beautiful and so were the other buildings we went to in this area.

And here is a closer view of the feathers! I did quite a good job of aligning them.

The skirt has a waist facing which I prefer to a waistband. I never seem to get waistbands right! The skirt pattern is unlined so I kind of winged it for the lining. I cut the silk very generously because of the stretch in the cotton. I didn't want any stressed seams and ripped silk! I just added a pleat instead of darts at the waist.

I was running out of time to do anything fancy with cutting the waist facing and silk lining and sewing it together so no edges would show. Do you know, I just don't care?! There are more important things to worry about. I hand stitched the silk lining to the waist, underneath the facing. If I throw it into the washing machine and forget to treat it nicely, I can stitch up another lining and sew it to the skirt without too much hassle.

I hand stitched the silk lining around the zip too but machined the hem. I used bias binding for the skirt hem and hand sewed the final hem. I'm just full of contradictions, aren't I?

This skirt was lovely and cool, well as cool as you can be in 38 degrees. I'm really glad I spent the money on the expensive silk to line the skirt with as I'm sure I'd have keeled over if I'd gone for polyester lining! Natural fibres are great in that heat.

I also removed the polyester lining on this skirt I made last year, using the same pattern. I bought some black silk fabric and made a lining. I hand stitched the lining into the skirt and took it on holiday too. It was also lovely and cool and I think I've now developed a serious silk lining obsession! Have you used silk linings in your dresses or skirts? Do you think it's worth it?

I'll be back with some more squinty photos soon...you've been warned!