Made: A-line skirt (Ottobre Woman 05-2007-03)

I am not dead, I've just been absent from blogging for a bit for a variety of reasons, beginning with a series of killer headaches that I just couldn't shake and certainly couldn't sew or knit through, and ending with a distinct lack of sewing inspiration.

On Friday evening, I decided to get my patterns in order for my next few projects and somehow, this turned into making a skirt. I actually finished it all in a late afternoon/evening session and I am very happy with the outcome, which is yet another point in favour of the TNT pattern.

Ottobre 05-2007-03 A-line skirt

The pattern for this skirt is one that I have made before, from Ottobre Woman 05-2007-03, a straightforward A-line skirt. There are all kinds of variations -- pockets, belt loops, trim, cutting it on the bias, etc -- but I made the absolute simplest version because I had such a busy print and not very much fabric. Last time I made a size 48 but it's always been a bit too big. This time I made a 46 and it's a better fit.

The fabric is a turquoise cotton with a silver-y blue feather pattern. I think it might be a quilting cotton, as it's simultaneously a bit thinner than I really like and has more body that I find convenient. It is way too stiff to use for a top (the original plan when I bought it), that is for sure, but it's a nice weight for a summer skirt provided it's lined and the extra body gives the A-line shape a bit of oomph. It was 1.10cm wide and I used all but a scrap of the 1.3m that I had.

Badly lit photo of the recycled skirt

The lining is made from the lining of an old Marks & Spencer skirt that I was going to throw away. I never liked the original skirt -- it was an unflattering length, practically see-through when worn, and all those applique flowers were decidedly not me. However, it seemed like something I could usefully recycle, in parts at least. I salvaged the invisible zip, used the main part of the lining for this skirt and cut into the body of the skirt to get the lining yoke.

Skirt recycled into a lining -- I used the underskirt plus some of the main skirt for the yoke at the top

"Invisible" zip -- perfectly visible, as you can see :(

Otherwise, I don't have a lot to say about this skirt. This is now officially my A-line TNT pattern -- I love a yoked skirt and this one fits me just how I like it to. The only changes I made on this attempt were that I did a rolled hem with my rolled hem foot because my lining was a smidgeon too long and because it has a ruffly bit at the hem I didn't want to mess with it. I'm pleased with how it came out in all respects except the zip. I did a better job on this one than my last version of this same skirt, and since I rarely wear anything with the waistband on show I'm not overly concerned, but I wish my invisible zips were more invisible!

Total cost of the skirt: About £5.25, which is mainly fabric (£4.50 for the outer) plus a zip and overheads. I'm counting the lining as free as it was salvaged from something that otherwise was going in the charity bin. I've had it years and years and to be honest I think I bought it as a factory second to start with.

Time to make: About half an hour to fix the pattern pieces and re-trace the yoke pieces in a new size, half an hour to cut out, and then three hours, give or take, to construct it.

You might be thinking to yourself "But isn't she meant to be making a jacket? In brown?" and yes, you would absolutely be right. However, I had a week of a combination of fear about how much time I had left to make The Wedding Outfit, terror at starting the jacket I have planned and a general lack of inspiration. I decided I needed to make something easy and familiar to get myself going again, and nothing left in the Earth & Spring collection was either of those things. So, I decided to jump ahead and do a little work on the next 6PAC, codenamed Wedding Belles. Here's the Wedding Belles 6PAC plan, which is as always subject to change:

It is mostly familiar patterns, as you can see! This is deliberate -- most of the Earth and Spring collection is a practice run for the "real thing" Wedding Outfit. It's not that I haven't got an imagination, honest! The only new pattern is in fact so new I haven't even got it yet -- it is in the latest Burda mag, which should hit my doormat tomorrow. I haven't seen a difficulty rating yet. If it's very hard it's subject to change, as always.