I’ve been replaced by a Pod Person

What is this? It took me three months to sew my first skirt (a simple A-line) this summer/fall, and now I’ve finished three in a week?

This is the first time I’ve sewn a brocade, and the fabric was wigglier than I expected. I used a scrap of coordinating poly-satin for the facing, and, since I have sewn satin before, I should have known better. It’s like trying to tattoo a live fish. Luckily, all of the wonky bits are hidden on the inside of the garment.

More after the break…

Apologies for pairing a grass-green tank with this suit. It was what I had on while sewing, and you’re lucky I don’t have pajama pants rolled up underneath the skirt.

I neglected to take a “before” photo, so you’ll have to trust me that the skirt was a large, boxy, elastic-waist, pull-on number. I originally planned on keeping most of the original structure, and simply adding darts and a zipper, but I wound up deconstructing the whole thing and using the pattern for View D of Simplicity 5259 (best $1.99 I ever spent), adding an inch or so at the bottom, because the skirt was that long to start with and I wanted to keep the intent of the original. Besides, I like my skirts to just cover my knees.

For any new readers who didn’t see this post: No, I didn’t sew the jacket, and I don’t have a pattern for it. This project is a vintage suit that needed some reworking to be fashionably functional.

I strongly recommend listening to April March while sewing ’60s-era fabric or patterns. Sped things right up.