Simplicity Blogger Challenge

The chance to win a years worth of free patterns! Plus being given a free pattern to get as creative as you like with…I was sold on this competition in a split second. I completed the skirt ages ago but haven’t had that much time to get my blog post together. The competition ends in two days, so heres my last minute entry (sidenote, I’m getting married in 18 days!!)

There are three categories and I went for the beginner. I tried to tackle my two main issues with this skirt on me. 1. Making it a more in my age category 2. Making the skirt more pear shaped friendly. In the pattern picture it even makes the model look bottom heavy, so I dreaded to think what it could make me look like.

This pattern is incredibly cute and incredibly not my style at all. Part of the competition is to alter and bring your own creativity to the pattern. So I decided to go through my fabric stash and just have fun adapting the pattern rather than getting too obsessed with sewing up a perfect garment. The result:

I loved the two layer skirt version but wanted to make it less like a ra-ra skirt. I made less distance between the two skirts. I traced the same skirt pattern four times because the front and back was two pattern pieces. I chose which two would be the top skirt and used a ruler and took of the amount from the bottom I wanted. I wasn’t too precise I just went by eye and keep in mind the hem allowance.

I also thought making the top skirt asymmetrical would take the attention away from my pear shape and make it more mature. Again it was nothing to precise! I drew rough lines of the shape and cut straight into the fabric. I placed the top and bottom together so they would be the same . I also gathered the skirt after I cut into it so I could see how the gathers would affect the slope, I then cut more so the high-low shape would be more pronounced.

I decided an all gathered waistband would make me look to wide at the waist and decided to only have half a gathered waistband. I made the waist band by putting it around the widest part of me, the middle of my bum :), and used that for the waist band measurement. I only put the elastic into the back half of the waistband. I got the shiniest ribbon I could to sew on the front of the waistband hoping to draw attention to the smallest part of me. My waist.

Now, has anybody else noticed my skirt isn’t just blue. It’s TARDIS blue!?! I had no idea until I was trying to find the right trimming and I was going to use white. It looked too familiar and then it all came together. As much as I like Dr Who I wasn’t going for it as the theme for my skirt. So I went hunting for the most anti Dr Who thing I could find. This shabby chic beauty, my bf hates but I love. I wanted the waist ribbon and the hem to match to felt thrilled when I found a ribbon that I could use for both. The most lavish part of my skirt was definitely the embellishment.

Having shopped my stash for the fabric and already having the thread I decided to treat myself. I made a visit to Cloth House (A Berwick Street fabric shop of great beauty and great expense) because the trim there is gorgeous. I ended up spending £14 on the ribbon, which reading back sounds crazy!! But at the time sounded reasonable as I saved so much money on everything else! and hey it’s the waistband AND the hem!!

I have definitely had a complete change of heart on trimming and after seeing the other peoples competition makes I know a good trim can make a really nice statement. If you have time checkout the simplicitynewlook twitter, I’ve been amazed at all the different interpretations of this skirt.

Phewwww I’m literally entering on the last possible day. Wish me luck!