Completed: Denim Hollyburn Skirt

What's a girl to do when she finds a cute blouse at a thrift store, but doesn't have anything to wear it with?

Make a skirt to match, of course!

Only joking. Sort of. I did come up with the idea to make this skirt because of this blouse, but mostly because I needed a casual summery skirt that I could wear with everything.

I don't usually buy tops at thrift stores unless they're silk or really well made, but I fell in love with this print - it's teacups! It feels like a cotton blend, and it was a few sizes too big, but I took in the sides, the darts and the straps quite easily, and it fits me pretty well now, considering that it's only a semi-fitted blouse. It'll be a nice casual piece for summer, and great for layering! Not bad for $2.50 and an hour's work.

Right after that trip to the thrift store, I went fabric shopping, and while I was there, I realized that I didn't have anything except jeans to wear it with, since all my skirts are either black (which I don't like wearing with navy, or with bare legs in the summer) or printed. I happened to be standing near the denim section at the time, and I had the idea - why not make a denim skirt? It would be casual but still my style, and it would go with just about everything.

That's how this skirt started, and it later turned into an idea for an outfit for The Monthly Stitch's Indie Fangirl Contest (I will post about the blouse that I made to go with it tomorrow).

The denim that I bought is a lightweight (I believe it was 5 oz) denim from Fabricana, which probably wasn't the best choice. It wasn't expensive, and I soon discovered why! It gives off a funny smell when it's ironed (even though it's 100% cotton), and it's quite loosely woven, so pulls a little at the seams. In retrospect, I could have chosen a slightly heavier weight denim, but I do love the drape of this one.

The pattern is the Sewaholic Hollyburn Skirt, which is a great simple skirt. I've made it once before (before this blog, but you can see it in my Me-Made-May posts and my 2013 Round-Up post), and I've worn it out completely. I made view C in size 0 since I had already traced that view, but lengthened it an inch, and added the belt loops from view A. 

I love how quick this skirt is to make! Even with all the hand sewing (which is optional), I finished this in probably about five hours? I didn't really keep track! 

Rather than the centered, machine-sewn zipper called for, I put in a hand-picked lapped zipper - my favourite kind!

I hand stitched the waistband down rather than topstitching it, which takes more time but looks really clean and polished. 

The hem was probably the hardest part - I still struggle with curved hems! I took a really narrow hem, but decided to use contrasting rayon seam binding, for fun. Next time, I'll try hemming it with bias binding, because I found the seam binding difficult to ease in. I catchstitched the hem, and I'm happy with how it looks from the outside, anyways! I really love the looks of hand-sewn hems.

I'm really happy with this skirt! It came together quickly, and I think it will get a lot of wear. I'm glad I tried out this pattern again, because I love it! I can see myself making many more this summer. 

Blouse: Thrifted and taken in (brand unknown)

Skirt: Me-made (Sewaholic Hollyburn)

Belt: Thrifted (brand unknown)

Shoes: Thrifted (Arnold Churgin)

Completed: Colette Moneta Dress with a Tie Collar

I once said that I had a love-hate relationship with knits.

I lied. There was no love. 

Every time I sewed with them, I would end up so frustrated that I would swear to never sew with them again... but I never learned. 

And now? I decided to give knits another go with Colette's new Moneta Dress pattern, and I honestly can't get enough of them. They are so fast to sew, and so comfortable to wear!

There's a bit of a story behind this fabric, first of all. My friend, who is learning to sew, found an ad on Craigslist for a whole bunch of surplus fabric for sale by a fashion designer, so we went to check it out, and the prices were amazing! Her focus was on eco-friendly, ethical clothing, so nearly everything was natural and, from what I can tell, excellent quality. 

This particular fabric is a bamboo jersey knit that we bought 4 metres of for $3 or $4 a metre. It's super soft, and not too flimsy like a lot of the bamboo you can buy. I only used about 1.8 metres of it for this dress, so you'll be seeing it again! Possibly as a Bronte Top?

This fabric was so easy to work with... I don't know what went wrong in the past when I've sewed with knits, but this sewed up beautifully. I used my serger for everything except the shirring at the waist and the hemming, and it went very smoothly.

The pattern itself is great. I made version 2, with the short sleeves, and added the tie collar that's part of the Moneta extras that you can download for free. I love the collar! It stops a solid colour dress from being too boring.

I sized down the upper bodice, but left the waist as-is, because I didn't want to size down the skirt pieces. What I didn't realize is that it wouldn't have mattered if I had sized down the waist, because the skirt is gathered. Oops!

This would have been a super fast make, if it had fit. The shoulders, not surprisingly, were too wide (they are on nearly everything), so I took them in a bit, but that was simple enough. The problem was the waist... 

First of all, I attached the skirt, and realized that the waist was far too low. I cut off my serging, shortened the bodice by 1 1/4", and then tried again. By this point, though, the waist was huge! I ended up taking about 1 1/2" out of each side seam at the waist, tapering to the armhole and the bottom of the skirt. This meant that I lost the pockets, but I wasn't too worried about that. I thought that the pockets, in a knit, would be too stretchy to be useful, so I cut them in a woven instead. This might have worked, but the woven was an off-white, which looked pretty bad. I wasn't expecting them to be so visible! So, this version is without pockets, which is too bad, but not the end of the world.

Since I had to take so much out at the waist, the part right above the waist ended up being a little tighter than I might normally like it, but it's still comfortable and wearable.

I love the method of shirring with the clear elastic - it's so much faster than sewing gathering stitches and pulling! My machine, on the other hand, didn't like it. The thread kept breaking, and the tension would suddenly go way off. Then, when I serged the skirt to the bodice, most of the elastic came off anyways. I wanted the elastic there to stabilize the waistband, so I sewed some more on, although I'm not so sure that was a great idea. I don't like the clear elastic that I used very much... it's quite solid and makes the waistband a little scratchy. I used a different brand for my second dress (yes, I've already sewn a second), and I like it much better.

All in all, my gathering at the waist is pretty wonky (as is my seam matching under the arms) if you look closely enough, but I'm still really happy with how this dress turned out. I was particularly proud of my hems! I used Stitch Witchery to stabilize them, and sewed them on my mom's machine that has a walking foot, with a twin needle. 

I originally lengthened the skirt by 2", but ended up taking off the extra length when I hemmed it. I prefer my skirts below the knee most of the time, but this just seemed like a fun, summery dress that needed a higher hemline.

Oh, andI can still layer over it! I was a little worried that the collar might make that difficult, but I have a few sweaters and cardigans that go over it well.

The collar can be double-knotted or single-knotted, and although I thought I liked single-knotted better, looking at these photos, I really like both! What do you think?

I also had fun planning and making notes about this project in my new 110 Creations notebook! I won this when Colette had a giveaway, so I thought it was appropriate to have a Colette dress as the first project in it! This notebook isn't the kind of thing I would go out and buy for myself, but I'm having fun with it nonetheless! (Plus, it did actually get sent to me, unlike the last prize I won online. They never responded to my email about how to claim the prize, even after I sent a second one a couple months later.)

And a side note... how do you pronounce "Moneta"? In my head, I was saying it "mon-AY-ta", but when I started saying it out loud, that sounded weird, so now I'm saying "mon-EE-ta", but that sound odd too. Is there a right way to say it?

Anyways, regardless of how it's pronounced, I absolutely love this dress! I feel like it will get a lot of wear this summer, and even into fall, if I make a half slip so it doesn't stick to my tights. It's super comfortable, and I started my second before I even cleaned up the fabric scraps around my sewing room. And, I don't know what I disliked so much about sewing knits before. Now, I can't wait to sew with more of them!

Has anyone else recently discovered (or rediscovered) the wonders of knits?

Dress: Me-made (Colette Moneta)
Shoes: Vintage
Bolero: Thrifted

Me-Made-May 2014: Days 26-31

This is it for Me-Made-May! It's gone by really quickly, and I've really enjoyed participating (although it's nice to be able to wear some of my favourite RTW/thrifted clothing again, without having to figure out how to pair it with something me-made). Here's my outfits from the past week, and within the next few days I'll do a round-up post with some photo outtakes... just for fun.

Monday, May 25

Shirt: Thrifted (Armani Exchange)

Skirt: Me-made (Sewaholic Hollyburn, pre-blog)

Tights: Hue

Boots: Steve Madden

This top was one I found for $10 at a thrift store... a little pricey by thrift store standards, but it is an expensive brand, and it fits me quite well. It's a cotton/nylon/spandex blend that's a lot more comfortable to wear than a lot of poly/cotton shirting fabrics.

Looking back at these photos, it definitely needed a press before taking them. Oh well!

Tuesday, May 27

Camisole: RTW (Dynamite)

Bolero: Mom-made

Skirt: RTW, me-modified

Tights: Hue

Boots: Steve Madden

Pretty much an outfit repeat, but with a different (but very similar) camisole. When my mom drafted the camisole that I wore with this outfit before, she modeled it after this one and used a remnant that we bought that happened to be pretty much exactly the same colour. This one is getting really worn out (it was really cheap, and I bought it a few years ago), so I don't mind having two camisoles that look practically the same.

Wednesday, May 28

Shirt: Me-made (self-drafted, pre-blog)

Skirt: RTW, me-modified

Hoodie: RTW (Maha Devi)

Sandals: Orthaheel

Again, not my best day... although I don't particularly like this top, this is becoming one of my go-to outfits this May. I think I need to sew a little more with knits, because I clearly wear them a lot!

I actually didn't wear the hoodie most of the day... but by the time I took pictures, it had cooled off a bit.

Thursday, May 29

Shirt: Me-made (Sewaholic Pendrell, modified)

Cardigan: Thrifted (Cynthia Rowley)

Skirt: RTW, me-modified

Tights: Hue

Boots: Steve Madden

By this point, I was getting a little bored with taking daily photos, so I was trying to have a little more fun with them! 

Friday, May 30

Dress: Me-made (Sewaholic Cambie)

Cardigan: Consignment (Jackpot)

Sandals: Orthaheel

I realized on this day that I still hadn't worn one of my favourite me-mades, my first Cambie dress! It was a little cooler today still, so I needed the cardigan, but I really like it with this dress. This cardigan goes with everything! I feel like I want to knit a cropped cardigan in every colour of the rainbow now.

Saturday, May 31

Camisole: Mom-made (self-drafted)

Skirt: RTW, me-modified

Cardigan: RTW (Line for Mendocino)

Sandals: Orthaheel

I think I've worn this skirt more than anything else this month! I think I really need to sew some more summery skirts, because I obviously wear them a lot, and this is really my only one. All my other skirts are black, and don't feel very summery!

So that's it for Me-Made-May 2014! I really enjoyed participating, but I'm kind of glad that it's done. It's been really interesting to keep track of what I wear, and I've learned a lot about what works for me and what doesn't. Stay tuned for one last post!

If you participated in MMM, how did it go?

Me-Made-May 2014: Days 19-25

Wow, May went by so quickly! This is my last post to catch up on photos, then I'll do one last one with days 26-31, and then some sort of round-up post (with some photo outtakes... I have some pretty good ones with all the photos I've been taking)!

Monday, May 19

Camisole: Mom-made (self-drafted)

Hoodie: RTW (Maha Devi)

Pants: RTW (Lucy)

...not my best day! I had the day off school, so I forgot to take a photo again (I remember when I have school, because it's part of my routine now! I get home, have a snack, take a picture). 

Tuesday, May 20

Camisole: Mom-made (self-drafted)

Cardigan: Consignment (Jackpot)

Skirt: RTW, me-modified

Shoes: Consignment (Hego's)

Not much to say about this one, besides the fact that the look of these shoes worn with skirts is growing on me. What can I say? Comfort wins.

Wednesday, May 21

Blouse: Me-made (Sewaholic Alma)

Jeans: Consignment (CJ by Cookie Johnson)

Shoes: Consignment (Hego's)

I tried something different today, and wore this blouse with a camisole underneath. I find that it rides up a little (I think the darts need to be raised a bit), and I thought that wearing something underneath would help... but nope! It actually made it much, much worse - it was so wrinkly all day, and I was constantly pulling at it. It only looks decent in this photo because I had just pulled it down!

Thursday, May 22

Blouse: Me-made (Sewaholic Pendrell, pre-blog)

Cardigan: Consignment (Jackpot)

Jeans: Consignment (CJ by Cookie Johnson)

Belt: RTW (can't remember the brand)

Shoes: Consignment (Hego's)

Not much to say about this one, again. I really love this blouse when I wear it, and I'm glad that MMM has forced me to wear it a bit more!

Friday, May 23

Dress: Me-made

Here's a sneak peak of my finished grad dress! This was "grad day", although oddly, I still have a couple weeks of school left, then exams. My valedictory ceremony isn't until the end of June.

I'll save the rest of the photos for another post! I was so happy with the finished dress, and I can't wait to show it off.

Saturday, May 24

Dress: Me-made (Sewaholic Cambie)

Cardigan: Consignment (Jackpot)

Shoes: Consignment (Hego's)

This was a strange day... dry grad, the event after the banquet, went until 5 am, and once I got home, I didn't go to bed until after 6:30. I only slept about 4 hours, but I was so awake and full of energy the whole day. Even so, I forgot to take a picture! I only remembered in the evening, when I went to see my friend in a musical (she was fabulous, by the way), but I didn't want to bother while I was out. Oh well! This was just my outfit from day 1 with different shoes.

Sunday, May 25

Shirt: Me-made (self-drafted, pre-blog)

Cardigan: Consignment (Jackpot)

Skirt: RTW, me-modified

Tights: Hue

Boots: Steve Madden

This was another lazy, rainy day - my lack of sleep was starting to catch up with me. 

As I said, May has gone by really quickly! It's been really interesting keeping track of what I've actually been wearing, and trying to wear my me-mades in new and interesting ways. I've already started planning way, way ahead of myself with all my new ideas for things to sew... but that's another story.

Me-Made-May 2014: Days 12-18

I'm finally catching up on my photos! I'll try to keep the comments short on these ones and let the pictures speak for themselves.

Monday, May 12

Blouse: Me-made (Sewaholic Pendrell, pre-blog)

Cardigan: Consignment (Jackpot)

Skirt: Me-made (Sewaholic Hollyburn, pre-blog)

Tights: Hue

Shoes: Thrifted (Arnold Churgin)

I have to comment on this one, though, because I LOVE this outfit. The blouse is made from vintage rayon that once belonged to my great grandmother, and every time I wear it, I remember how much I love it. I just don't wear it very much because it's fussy to iron! It's View B, the one with the ruffles, although you can't see them in this photo.

Can I also point out that these are the most comfortable heels I've ever worn? I bought them at a thrift store for $10, and though that's a little more than I would usually pay at a thrift store, they're handmade in Italy and look barely worn. After wearing them a bit, I'm sold! They are so, so comfortable.

Tuesday, May 13

Camisole: Mom-made (self-drafted)

Cardigan: RTW (Line for Mendocino)

Skirt: RTW, me-modified

Shoes: Consignment (Hego's)

I'm now calling this skirt "me-modified", as per my mom's suggestion. I just can't justify calling it refashioned when I all I did was chop off the top and make an elastic casing.

You'll also be seeing a lot of these shoes this May! They are also handmade in Italy (though the brand is Polish, I believe), and they are the softest leather ever. I don't love the look of them with a skirt, but it's growing on me.

Wednesday, May 14

Blouse: Me-made (Sewaholic Alma)

Jeans: Consignment (CJ by Cookie Johnson)

Sandals: Orthaheel

Although I love this top, it really only gets worn when it's really warm out, since it's hard to layer over. I think it went up to 24 degrees this day, though, so it was perfect weather for it!

Thursday, May 15

Shirt: Me-made (self-drafted, pre-blog)

Skirt: RTW, me-modified

Cardigan (not needed by the time I took pictures): Consignment (Jackpot)

Shoes: Orthaheel

This skirt is proving to be really versatile! With the weather so warm, I haven't been getting as much wear out of my favourite black skirts as I normally would. I never thought I would go for two floral patterns in one outfit, but I actually quite like how this looks!

Friday, May 16

Camisole: Mom-made (self-drafted)
Cardigan: RTW (Dynamite)
Skirt: RTW, me-modified
Sandals: Orthaheel

I had a dress rehearsal for my dance performance today, and forgot to take a photo until after I had done my hair and makeup... whoops! It's funny though, in photos the stage makeup doesn't look over-the-top at all, but it definitely does in real life!

Saturday, May 17

Shirt: Me-made (Sewaholic Pendrell, modified)

Hoodie: RTW (Maha Devi)

Pants: RTW (lululemon)

Shoes: Orthaheel

I had two dance performances this day, so I completely forgot to take a picture! I pretty much wore dance gear with a me-made knit top rather than a workout top, because I had to change into dance clothes anyways to go to my performance.

Sunday, May 18

Shirt: Me-made (Sewaholic Pendrell, modified)
Hoodie: RTW (Maha Devi)
Pants: RTW (Lucy)
Shoes: Orthaheel

Another day of performing, so another lazy day when it came to clothes. It was the first day this month that I resorted to sweatpants, and it's quite an accomplishment that I went that long without them - usually I live in sweatpants when I'm at home (which no one will actually believe, based on what I wear to school).

That's it for today! I haven't completely given up on taking pictures, I promise. It's been getting harder to come up with new outfits, but I like the challenge, and I can't believe that May is almost over!

Oh and, for more photos, have a look at my flickr. I'm trying to get a bit better at taking photos with my tripod and timer, so I've been taking lots, although only 2-3 make it online. MMM has also been great for improving my photos!