Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Holiday Insta-Outfit!

Hey, you know what's fun? Sewing. Especially when you can knock out a couple pieces, without needing a pattern, in just a couple short sewing sessions!

This little ensemble is made up of a gathered circle skirt in Black and Grey Jacquard from my fall collection, paired with this Simple Knit Top project in black matte jersey.

Let's talk about the skirt, shall we? I've been wanting to make a gathered circle skirt for a while. This is a circle skirt made to a waist circumference waaaaay bigger than your own, and then you gather the excess into a waistband. For those times when you just need MORE circle skirt.

I multiplied my waist circumference by 2.5 to get the pattern circumference (and then divided by two and made one pattern for both the front and the back).

The waistband is grosgrain ribbon, with long ties at the side zipper so you can make a bow.

To make the waistband, you need a lot of ribbon. I think I used about 6.5 yards. Half is used for the outer layer, and the other half is stitched to the inside to hide the seam allowances, so the two ribbons sandwich the skirt waistline. Leave long tails past the side zipper, and gather the skirt and pin it to the ribbon. The gathered circumference should now match your waist circumference.

I edge stitched the grosgrain to the skirt. 


Trimmed the seam allowance with my scissors on an angle (to get less of a blunt, bulky cut).

And then pinned and stitched the second ribbon to the inside, edge stitching all the way around.

I finished the bottom hem with the rolled hem feature on my serger. This looks especially nice if you use Wooly Nylon thread in the loopers to get a satin-y finish. That's all there is to it!


I'm wearing a chiffon petticoat for a little extra fullness.


I made one little design change to the Simple Knit Top project. I sewed gathers at the shoulders for a pretty drapey look.

Here's to holiday sewing!

15 comments:

  1. I love the grosgrain ribbon waist idea! Do you have a hook and eye at the top of the zipper or anything or do you just trust the tie to hold?

    allie J. | alliemjackson.com

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    1. Thanks! I didn't do a hook and eye and it stays just fine so far.

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    2. I'm confused how you get it on if its the same circumference as your waist? I was looking for a zipper as well. I love the concept, just picture it getting stuck at my hips or shoulders!

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    3. There's an invisible side zipper, and the bow ties above it.

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  2. What a glamorous outfit! I like the idea of the ribbon waistband and I'll keep it in mind for future projects.

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  3. Great idea, a gathered circle skirt! The waistline looks more flattering than a "fitted" waist on a circle skirt.

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  4. Looks really lovely. For a fuller bust would it work if I made the front shoulders a bit wider and then gathered each side a bit more? I haven't made a top before but this one seems really simple the way you describe it in the link. Also, how wide would you recommend the zig zag stitch to be for the seams? Thanks in advance.

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    Replies
    1. Exactly, I would make the rectangle the width of your bust measurement, and then gather the shoulders more. I think the width of my stitch was about 1.5 mm.

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  5. This is a wonderful idea. I have a sewing school in Brighton and Hove, UK (www.sewinbrighton.co.uk) - are you happy for me to publish a post about your blog and patterns - my students would love this skirt.
    Kat

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  6. I know this is not a sewing comment but I love the colour of this carpet or rug you're standing on!
    Love the skirt, too :D

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  7. This is absolutely gorgeous! I love the look of this outfit. I have been trying figure out just how to get MORE circle skirt as well :)

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  8. A gathered circle skirt?! YES! This is what I've been imagining for a project I want to work on, but I didn't know how to approach it. Perfect!

    http://blog.breadandrosesvintage.com

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Thanks for your comments; I read each and every one! xo Gertie

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