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Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Try-it-out Tuesday: J. Crew-inspired skirt DIY

        I am an intermittent sewer, to say the least -- it's been years since I dragged out the sewing machine. But during the last week before classes started, I got the itch to make something.
       I thought this cheery umbrella-printed cotton would make a cute skirt, and I decided to use this tutorial, which is inspired by J. Crew's elastic waist flirt skirt. (She also revamped the tutorial to make a lined wool skirt with the same pattern.) It's an elastic-waist skirt with a few lovely differences: the  design cuts down on the poof you get with an elastic waist; there's a little ruffle at the waist, and it has pockets.
EDC by Esprit tee, old
skirt, made by me
broken and randomly re-knotted necklace, Forever 21
Fossil belt, Macy's

      I learned how to sew with printed patterns from Simplicity, Butterick, etc., so it's very strange to me to see people breezily laying out some fabric and just cutting into it. What about unfolding that brown tissue-thin pattern and cutting out your pieces? What about carefully pinning it to the cloth and measuring to make sure the grain arrows match up? Eek. Just cutting into the fabric is even more of an undertaking when you are like me and cannot cut a straight line to save your life. Nonetheless, I washed and ironed my fabric, laid it out neatly on the carpet, and proceeded to follow the tutorial. 
Yellow pockets make me happy :)
     This skirt is definitely a different silhouette than I'm used to, but it's breezy and light and just perfect for summer. When I first put it on I thought it was much too poofy, but in the photos it looks OK. I think the wide brown belt helps, although it eventually slid out of place. Would it be oxymoronic to add belt loops to that comfy elastic waist? 

19 comments:

  1. Great piece Carrie :) I didn't know you could sew :) You should do more! I love the print on the skirt especially since it has pockets too :)


    katattack2000.wordpress.com

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  2. I'm trying to get back into sewing again too! Nice job, I like the skirt and the cute print!

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  3. I'd like to keep on sewing, Kat. My plan is to manage my time better so I can do a little sewing here and there. And I think the pockets are my favorite part of the skirt. :)

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  4. I adore that fabric. And I think you did a great job. My sewing skills consist of hemming existing items. Usually crookedly. It's kind of my thing.

    Gracey

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  5. Thanks, Katie! :) I saw this fabric on the 50% off table and couldn't resist.

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  6. I cannot cut a straight line to save my life, so I think I end up with the same result you do. :)

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  7. Adorable, especially the pockets! And it makes total sense to me to add belt loops since you want to wear a belt with it.

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  8. I've never sewn from a pattern before, but I would really like to try. First I need access to a sewing machine though!

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  9. It looks so cute! Love the print.

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  10. what an amazing skirt! the whimsical print makes it EXTRA special!

    dash dot dotty

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  11. Thank you, Erin! I love the pockets, too. :)

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  12. I hope you get to try sewing someday, Nnenna! It's lots of fun. The sewing machine I use is my mom's, so it's very basic compared to what you can buy today, but it works fine. :)

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  13. Thanks, Sara! I don't have a lot of printed skirts so I thought this would be fun.

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  14. Thank you, dotty. I don't think you can have a bad day when you're wearing a whimsical printed skirt with yellow pockets. :)

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  15. I'm impressed! Learning how to sew is on my bucket list. The umbrella print is super cute!

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  16. Thanks, Vang! Sewing is so much fun, I hope you get a chance to try it someday soon. :)

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