Short & Chic A-Line Skirt by Gertie + Emma Tee
I recently finished sewing Gertie’s pattern, Short & Chic A Line Skirt from her book, Gertie Sews Vintage Casual. It was the first skirt I’d sewed myself from beginning to end in years, and I was proud of the accomplishment.
However, I realized that the skirt shape I’d chosen wasn’t super easy to pair with sweaters that have any positive ease. The skirt is so wide, as a half circle, that it really needs to be paired with a top that is not bulky. At first, I thought the A line skirt would be perfect to pair with my Emma Tee, because the fabric and knit share a pink and black color scheme:
I think the outfit is generally cute if I pair it with a black belt. But the sleeves look a bit loose on the arm and that stands out when the Tee is paired with this skirt. On the other hand, the Emma Tee looks great with my black lace Maje skirt. I think it’s because the loose lace and grommets of the skirt flare out and that goes better with the flare at the sleeves of the Emma Tee.
Who knew that there were so many details to keep in mind when trying to put together an outfit made by hand?????
Since I’m a rather inexperienced sewer, I’m going to keep my wardrobe focus on knits and try to sew complementary wardrobe pieces. But now, after my first few efforts, I'm starting to realize how much I DON'T know what I'm doing and how much there is to learn. So I will start by imitating people with experience. My thought is to look at how knits are styled in pattern photos. For example, the cropped pullover Willowwood that I'm knitting is paired with a rather fabulous looking dress in a floral print:
Willowwood by Caitlin Hunter on the right is from Pom Pom Quarterly #27
So I’ve decided to sew a print dress to wear under my Willowwood, and casting around for an easy sewing pattern, I found Simplicity Pattern 8231
It looks like it just uses elastic to draw the waist and bust in, and I should be able to handle that. So as soon as I finish sewing my Hollyburn skirt, which I will blog about in my next post, I will sew a wearable muslin of this Simplicity pattern.
Here is the cotton fabric I’m going to use to sew my practice dress. I found it at the Discount Fabric Warehouse of San Francisco yesterday, and it was $6 a yard, so I hope I can make it into a dress I will enjoy wearing on its own, even though it is my “practice run”! I know some of my readers have been sewing for a long time. What strategies do you use to find sewing patterns that will work with your knits? I would truly be grateful for any advice you want to share!!!!