Sequined knit Northcote skirt

I’ve had this beautiful sequined wool blend knit in my stash for awhile. It’s one of those fabrics you can’t resist buying and then have no idea what to make with it. I know you know!

Northcote skirt to the rescue – I seriously love this pattern. The shape is beautiful and it’s a quick and easy sew. I plan on making a few more in lightweight knits for summer to wear with tanks and tees.

This went together very quickly in spite of the sequins. I pulled a wool jersey from my stash that was a near- perfect match and used it for the waistband.

I did add a lining. It just feels nice plus it makes the skirt flow so nicely over any lumps and bumps. This is a Japanese knit lining from Gorgeous Fabrics that is so light and silky. I stocked up on this but Ann still has a few yards left if you are interested. I don’t have many local resources so I like to stock up on things like this.

I used a 2” hem on the skirt and the lining to give it some weight. Im very happy with the way it turned out. That’s all for today. No more sewing this weekend as we are babysitting today and tomorrow is the Super Bowl but, hopefully, next week!

Ha, I just noticed my foot in the picture – sorry about that! 🙂

Sequined skirt update

A half hour before I was to start getting ready for the wedding today, the mail carrier delivered the lace for my skirt. Of course, I had to change the lace out right there and then and I am so happy I did! This lace is much, much better, don’t you think?

Sequined skirt – Final

I am so happy that I was able to finish the hem of my skirt last night.I have determined that I have no suitable shoes – really! – so I will need to take some time to shop and didn’t want to be stressed out that my skirt wasn’t finished. Have you shopped for shoes lately? Oh my gosh, so many ugly shoes out there! I just want a pair of strappy sandals in black or nude with a stiletto heel. Is that too much to ask?

Anyway, back to the skirt. Since sequins are so scratchy, I faced the hem with a double layer of black mesh from the stash. I about went blind hemming this because I COULD NOT SEE! Even with my magnifying lamp, I was blinded by the sequins. Luckily, my hand stitches just disappeared into the fabric, hiding what I am sure must be quite a few uneven stitches.

Once i finished sewing the hem, I crumpled it up and gave it a good steam to blend it back into the rest of the pleated fabric. I worked in 4-5 inch sections but it went very quickly thanks to the vacuum feature on my Laurastar.

Scrunched up as tight as I could get it without burning my fingers.

Opened up after steaming.

I used lace to finish my lining. A cheap, ugly lace. I don’t know where it came from or why it is in my stash but it will do for now. I have already ordered a beautiful eyelash lace that is slightly wider so I can redo the hem after the wedding.

So here she is all finished. I am so pleased with the result! She is not hanging well on Irma as Irma has a nice, tiny waist and doesn’t have a high hip like I do. I really should pad her out but I really don’t use her for fitting so I haven’t bothered.

Before I put this pattern away, I have pulled another fabric that is just perfect for it and will whip up another skirt on Sunday. Stay tuned and thank you for visiting!

Sequined skirt – Part 2

I didn’t get as much done today as I had planned. Isn’t that always the way? I finally started feeling a bit better yesterday (I’ve been suffering with bronchitis for the past two months) so we went out to dinner with friends and had such a lovely time. Consequently, I slept a bit later this morning than I had intended!

I did get the waistband attached but the hem will have to be done one evening this week. My challenge was having the sequins on the exterior of the waistband with a more comfortable fabric on the inside. My first idea was to join the sequined fabric to a solid black knit but thought the seam at the top might be bulky. As I was studying the fabric, an idea came to me to use the edge of the fabric where several inches of tulle were free of sequins.

From the outside, it looks like a fitted waistband.

The inside of the waistband is nice and soft. I used 1” non-roll elastic. Another thing I learned was that serging was not a problem as long as I only used the left needle.

I’m really pleased with the way this turned out! It will be both chic and comfortable to wear to the wedding plus I can see me wearing it with a white t-shirt and leather jacket to more casual events.

Sequined skirt detour

Next weekend, we are attending my close friend’s son’s wedding in a local botanical garden. It could end up being chilly that evening so I was at a loss as to what to wear. I decided on a sequined skirt that could be worn either with an off-shoulder sweater or with a silk blouse.

I love glitter so I had a few sequined fabrics in my stash. I decided on this one – tiny silver sequins on a pleated tulle backing. The fabric has a bit of stretch due to the pleating so I made my life extra easy and chose the Northcote Skirt from StyleArc.

Stitching was, um, interesting. It serged well until I broke a needle. Then I broke a needle on my sewing machine and I thought I’d have to remove these tiny sequins from the seam allowances, ugh.

My last hope was a jeans needle and sewing very slowly and that did the trick! I did hit a couple of sequins but didn’t break a needle since I was sewing so slowly and was able to move the needle slightly and continue. I’m happy with the way this turned out.

I lined the skirt with a thin rayon jersey from my stash which will feel nice against my skin.

I am hanging the skirt overnight to allow the rayon jersey to stretch. Tomorrow, I will add a waistband and sew the hem.

Knipmode birthday skirt – Final

Well, I had to put in a few late nights but managed to finish my skirt a few hours before my birthday dinner. There is a small section of binding in the back that needs a little tweaking but I can take care of that after the mad holiday rush is over.

I am so happy with how this turned out! It is definitely a showstopper and sexy without being vulgar. I would love to make this again sometime in a more summery fabrication.

I apologize that I didn’t take more photos of the sewing process since I was in such a rush at the end. I honestly didn’t think I would finish!

Thanks for visiting and a Merry Christmas to those who celebrate. The baby is spending the night with us tonight so that she can spend Christmas Eve Day with us. Our meal will be simple this year since I don’t want to spend all day in the kitchen. Babies don’t keep, after all.

Knipmode birthday skirt – Part 3

I made excellent progress tonight. I was able to fine-tune the fit and stitch the Princess seams. Because I am pressed for time, I installed an invisible zipper (photo lightened to sow detail) on the left side instead of two shorter zips in both back Princess seams. I have very little curve between the waist and hip so I can get away with it although I don’t prefer it.

I am usually terrible at sewing under pressure but the sewing gods smiled upon me today – I did not have to do any reverse sewing! Tomorrow, I will re-pin the right side seam and do a final try on before closing up the last seam. Then, I will cut a lining and stitch the petersham waist stay. Thursday will be the big night as I’ll be cutting into my lace.

Thanks for visiting and stay tuned!

Knipmode birthday skirt – Part 2

Today, I finished taping together the 78 pages (!) of the pattern and fitting my muslin. My hips measure exactly a size 38 so I cut a size 40 thinking I’d have a bit extra for fitting but, yikes, I was barely able to squeeze into my muslin. I am wondering if the pattern is intended for stretch fabrics. I will have to check on that when I have time.

Once I worked out my fitting issues, I thread traced the seam lines on all of my pattern pieces. Sounds tedious but I find it rather therapeutic. The fabric is a beautiful wool crepe that’s been in my stash since the 1990s.

Tomorrow I plan on getting the main skirt put together and the zipper installed. Then I’ll get the flounce cut out to check the fit. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

Knipmode birthday skirt

So, I am needing to take a break from the devoré sweatshirt (sadly, I have been too busy to finish it up!) to make a skirt for my birthday dinner at my favorite Italian restaurant next Saturday.

I recently purchased this stunning embroidered Swiss lace from my friend Ann at http://www.gorgeousfabrics.com:

And when I saw this Knipmode pattern, I immediately thought they would make a perfect match!

I will get the pattern taped together and make a quick muslin to check the fit today and, hopefully, get this cut out and started tomorrow . I have no time to make a top so I will just wear a black off the shoulder sweater with it.

Woven sweatshirt – McCall’s 7195

Either last year or the year before – 2020 is still a bit of a blur – this pattern caught my eye. A sweatshirt pattern for woven fabric? That might come in handy some day!

So, I’ve been going through my stash, clearing out fabrics I know I’ll never use and I came across this quite fun sheer fabric with raw-edge flowers loosely applied throughout. What was I ever thinking I’d make with this? Heaven only knows. It was in the donate pile when I remembered this pattern and thought this might be a fun thing to have in my wardrobe.

I made my usual adjustments (FBA and shorten sleeves by 1”) and also lowered the neckline by about 1.5”. I am not a fan of jewel necklines with my round face and short neck. Instead of ribbing at the neck, I used a binding. The requisite ribbing was used on the sleeves and hem.

My thought was to wear this over a white tank but, next time, I will underline the body instead. Turns out I am not a fan of layering! I still have quite a lot of this fabric so maybe I will remake it as the ribbing is also not as white as I would like but it was what I was able to get quickly online.

Because I planned on wearing it over a white tank, I bound the darts with white net. To prevent show-through elsewhere, I bound the seams with a nude net. The fabric actually behaved pretty well going through my 1” binding attachment.

Believe it or not, I found both at JoAnn Fabrics and they were perfect for this project and not horrible to work with. I also bought some white poly chiffon at JoAnn also thinking it would be okay for binding but it is just too horrible to be used for anything except maybe a Halloween costume – yes, it’s that gross – so out it goes.

I’m now working on another version of this pattern in a silk velvet devoré that has been in my stash for a very long time. I won’t kid you, it is not going together quickly as each seam must be hand basted because it simply refuses to behave, even with a walking foot. Hopefully, I will have enough time next week to finish it up as I think it would be nice to wear on thanksgiving with skinny black pants.

That’s all for today, have a lovely weekend, everyone and thanks for visiting!