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Sunday, July 17, 2016

Reversible 7-Gore Skirt

Hey! It's Shams of Communing with Fabric with another garment made from a beautiful Britex fabric!

For this project, my assignment was to choose a fabric from the Knits category. I quickly settled on this beautiful double-sided ponte made from cotton, polyester, and lycra.

Reversible Black and Cardinal Red Cotton Blend Knit Fabric
Click the image to see this fabric on the Britex site. It's also available in sky blue
(Note that some of the photos show this fabric as a bright red, but it's actually a heathered red in real life)

This fabric is wonderful! It has more drape than some of its stiffer ponte cousins. It feels like a rayon and I was surprised to learn that it contains cotton, but no rayon. It is beefy, so it hangs nicely, but it's also a bit "sproingy". It presses beautifully. I threw it into the washer and dryer before cutting and it looked just the same afterwards. I didn't measure to determine the amount of shrinkage, but I suspect that it shrank a bit.

I wanted to feature both sides of the fabric and I seriously dithered about how to use it. I was torn between a top and a skirt and I knew exactly how I wanted to make each but, in the end, the skirt won out. I drafted a 7-gore skirt. Why 7 gores? I find the asymmetry of an uneven number of gores aesthetically pleasing.

In order to use both sides of the fabric, I drafted the pattern with 1" seam allowances and a 1" hem. The only exception was the waist seam, which has a 1/2" seam allowance.

I sewed the 1" seams with the black side facing the black side. I decided to funk it up by constructing it in a car wash style so I sewed each gore 15" down from the waist, and left the rest of the seam unsewn.

I turned each seam allowance and hem segment to the red side and folded it under, turning the 1" seam allowance into a 1/2" trim. I secured each seam allowance, individually, to the red side by hand. You could do this by machine, but I like the effect of hand sewing—I have more control.

As part of this process, I mitered all 14 corners at the hemline. Mitering is important to minimize the bulk that would result if you merely turned up the trim on each edge.

An advantage of such a clean finish is that the skirt is fully reversible! The red side features black trim, and the black side is solid black.


It might be summer elsewhere, but when I took these pics this morning it was 50°F, windy, foggy, wet, drippy, and misty. In short, it was COLD and more like winter weather than summer weather!


I didn't include a pic of the waistband, and I never tuck a top, but I attached a casing for elastic using the black side of the fabric. Because of the car wash effect, both sides flash the reverse color as I move.

This skirt is a lot of fun to wear!



After taking some pics, I ran to the grocery store with DD2. I often seem to debut my new clothes at the grocery store! My goofball (a.k.a. DD2) took a break from Pokemon Go to take some pics, including the following selfie, as I stood in line to pay:


Thanks to Britex for providing the fabric! I like it so much that I may buy more to make the top that's still in my head.

Please join me on Patti's Visible Monday!

57 comments:

  1. Oh I love this skirt! You did a fabulous job, and the panels are just perfect. Thanks for linking up! xo

    Patti
    http://notdeadyetstyle.com

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    1. That was a lightning fast comment! Thanks, Patti! And thanks for your Visible Monday project!

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  2. Wow! Love that skirt and need to check out that fabric. It looks great at sounds perfect!

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  3. Now there's a skirt to write about! Much more interesting than 99% of the other skirts on the street. Graceful and intriguing flips of the flaps as you walk. And your workmanship is impeccable.

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    1. Hi, Carol! I found it a bit challenging to convey the movement of this skirt, so thanks!

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  4. Well, that is a fun, unique, edgy and totally fabulous skirt (or two)!!! Love it :)

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  5. OMG...fabulous! Your devotion to hand-finishing really shows on this most wonderful skirt! It almost makes me want to wear a skirt....

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  6. Way cool. I think you showed the movement very well. Another brilliant design!

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  7. I think that is one of the coolest garments I have ever seen you make. Simple - but a little complicated too. Hand finishing and mitered corners are wonderful. Contrast between red and black is awesome. ADORE the way the lower part of the panels float free. Can you tell I love it? - Heather

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    1. Also, the way you thought through a two faced fabric.

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    2. I'm sorry I missed your comments before. Thanks so much for your high praise, Heather!

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  8. What a marvelous two-in-one. Should be great for travel?

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    1. Thanks, Irene! It would be great for travel, but this skirt too heavy-weight for NYC and the wrong color for Paris. ;)

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  9. LOVE the skirt and LOVE the boots!!!

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    1. Thanks, Maryanne! Those boots are by Fly London. I got them on sale at the end of the fall season last year.

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  10. Cool skirt, love the boots and such a well put together outfit!

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    1. Thanks, PurpleIvy! Those boots are by Fly London. Slip on and super comfy.

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  11. Very swish... literally! And I love the way it's reversible, it's like two skirts for the price of one! and of course it's finished perfectly. I just love the picture your daughter took of the two of you... fabulous!

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    1. Thanks, Carolyn! My daughter can be such a nut!

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  12. I know I enjoy seeing a garment when it makes me smile. That's what happened when I saw your swishy reversible car wash skirt, Shams. Great idea for that fabric! I love the fact that you hand sewed the fold-over trim. You're quite the sewing genius. Congrats!

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    1. Thanks for your kind words, Kathryn! That means a lot, coming from you!

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  13. Really nice. What a lot of hand sewing. Sometimes it's the only way to go to get the look you want.

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    1. Exactly, Mary Glenn! And thanks! (I look forward to meeting you in person soon!)

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    2. Me too. It's going to be very hot next week .

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    3. That's a drag, though not surprising. After work today I bought some Airism tee shirts from Uniqlo. I hope I'm prepared. ;)

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  14. That's a brilliant skirt - really, if you didn't work in IT you could certainly make it in fashion design. I have some double faced ponte and looking for an idea for a reversible skirt - thank you!!

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  15. Fantastic, fun skirt! I totally agree that you could be a fashion designer - would love to get inside your mind!!! Karen

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    1. I wonder what that would be like? Thanks, Karen!

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  16. Agree with luckylibbet....this is one of the coolest garments you have made....and the SHOES!

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    1. Awww, thanks, Peggy! I got those marked way down on Amazon (I think, or maybe the Nordstrom site) after the end of the last fall/winter season.

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  17. Well, would you look at THAT! Stunning, but my first thought was "she's got some new shoes!" Love what you have created and how. Can't wait until October when I can browse the aisles/floors at Britex. You are just AWESOME.

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    1. Aw, thanks, Margene! Yes, I bought those Fly London boots in the after fall/winter sales! Britex is a true fabric-lovers experience!

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  18. Your entire outfit is TOO MUCH FUN! The skirt is fabulous but the jacket, necklace and boots THE BOOTS push the outfit thermometer up to 100 degrees!! So cute. Plus you look like you are having a good time wearing it!!!
    Brava!

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    1. Thanks, Claire! I do love my Fly London footwear, especially when I get it on sale. ;) I purchased that necklace on my recent trip to Seattle!

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  19. Such a great idea for a skirt! (one that I would never have come up with-LOL) Super, super creation!

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  20. Oh what a fun skirt. The car wash detail is amazing ( I'm so going to steal that idea from you ). And oh how I love a two sided fabric. Your creativity never ceases to impress Shams !!!

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  21. What a great design and you did such a great job. Love the skirt, wish I had one.

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    1. Thanks, Connie! But you CAN have one! The sewing is quite easy and you could finish those seams on the machine-it would be much quicker!

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  22. The skirt is fantastic! BTW, leave the jacket at home...you will have NO need for it in NYC!!!

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    1. Thanks! Not even in the evenings?! How is that possible? :)

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  23. Great skirt! Love it on the black side.

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    1. Thanks, Bunny! When I made the skirt I thought the red was the outside, but I just might wear the black side more.

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  24. You have such amazing style! And a fantastic ability to envision intriguing uses of fabric. Love this skirt. And the boots!

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  25. Amazing skirt! Love the way you finished the edges and left the seams unsewn. Great job!

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