(Another) Everyday Skirt • Nani Iro

My trips to Finch have become something like this lately: Go in, see what new fabrics have arrived since I was last there, which was probably no more than two days ago.  Browse through my mental list of patterns I want to sew and try to look at fabric based on that.  Throw out mental list when I see a fabric that won't work for any of said patterns, and ask Nicole what garment I could make with this new fabric I hold in my hands and pet, yes pet, because it's so soft/silky/smooth/other adjective that probably begins with the letter S.  Realize this fabric I covet is significantly more expensive then regular cotton, and know my husband will read me the Riot Act if I come home with 3 yards of a $20/yd fabric.  He supports my hobby and all, but tends to remember more often than I that we can't pay our mortgage in sewn garments.  Decide to buy normally priced fabric with new sewing pattern, as well as enough of the expensive fabric just to whip out yet another Everyday Skirt.

So basically that is what happened here.  Only I had a gift certificate this time, and felt so joyous about buying myself some Nani Iro double gauze, especially this print with summery watercolor blobs all over it.

Oh, and my thoughts on Nani Iro?  Obsessed.

Everyday Skirt • Featuring April Rhodes' Arizona

I have to assume that at some point, after I make a certain pattern a few times, I won't need to post text with the photos because there won't be much to say about it.

The Everyday Skirt is probably going to be the first of those patterns.  It's what I'm calling my summer staple this year, and I have only two but plan to make loads.  Comfortable enough to throw on with a tank top and be good for the day, but also cute enough to be worn out to dinner with sandals and a cute necklace.

But for now, I'll say a few more things about the making of this skirt.  First, I still maintain that it's super easy and quick.  Since I like to cut my fabric in batches (I have several garments to sew up that are already cut and ready for me), the Everyday Skirt can be sewn together in a morning.  It's as close to instant gratification that you can get in garment sewing, I think.

Secondly, I decided to shorten it a bit from the original pattern, and it's still plenty long enough.  Excellent.

The last thing to say is that I adore this Clay Sundot fabric from April Rhodes' Arizona collection.  I stocked up on some yardage from this collection to sew a few things.

On to my awkward model photos in which my skirt is actually crooked:

Pattern: Everday Skirt by Liesl + Co
Fabric: Clay Sundot from April Rhodes' Arizona collection
Size: Medium
Alterations: Shortened the hemline a bit

Liesl + Co Everyday Skirt

A few weeks ago when I altered the Deer and Doe Chardon skirt to best suit what my friend Alyssa was looking for, I unknowingly created something that closely resembled the Everyday Skirt by Liesl + Co.  Before I made that realization, however, I bought fabric to make myself one of those Franken-Chardons.  But because I really loved the idea of an elastic back waistband, I just went with the actual Everyday Skirt instead.

I bought this pattern Thursday night, and when my printer failed me, I ended up printing it out at the library Friday afternoon.  Friday evening, I began the cutting, taping, tracing, and cutting process at Finch for Friday Night Sewcial. And I think every single one of us there had a project we were determined to finish before we left... and thus Friday Night Sewcial didn't end until, oh, 12:30am.  But!  I left with a finished skirt which I wore on Saturday to my town's Mayfest celebration.

And not to toot my own horn, but I got so many compliments on this beautiful skirt.  Honestly though, I owe it to the fabric.  So can we just take a moment to adore this fabric?

How fun is this print?  I wear glasses, and have since I was 7 years old.  So when I saw Michael Miller's 20/20 fabric in Jewel on Amazon, I snapped it up.  It's so quirky and colorful and perfect for an Everyday Skirt and for weirdos like myself.

Pockets!!

Front waistband

Back (elastic) waistband

Elastic waistband (in the back only) - allowed for me to eat a hot dog and chips and macarons at Mayfest, and still have room for funnel cake and wine later in the afternoon.  Strrrrreeeeeeeetch.  Stretch is good.

I was really impressed with Liesl + Co's pattern instructions.  Even though it was a PDF pattern (and I think we all have a love/hate thing with PDF patterns, am I right?), I thought it was written very well, and explanations were definitely sufficient for beginners.   Liesl Gibson, you get my thumbs up approval for this pattern.

This was a pretty quick sew: I started the pattern cutting and taping process around say, 7:30-8pm, and finished the hem at 12:30 am.  Granted, there was wine involved, and socializing, and walking around to see what the other girls were working on, but even still, 5 start to finish hours isn't bad.  And now that my pattern is traced onto Swedish tracing paper, the next time I should be able to whip this skirt out in 2-3 hours, tops.

I wanted to mention somewhere that initially, I wasn't impressed by the look of this skirt based on the product photos on the pattern site.  I'm not really sure why, but it never struck me as a skirt I had to make until I saw my friends Angela and Anna each make one.  Maybe it just seems to lend itself best to patterned fabric?  I don't know.  But now I'm obsessed and I absolutely love this skirt.  

And now, for some awkward posing on my part: 

Pattern: Liesl + Co Everyday Skirt

Fabric: Michael Miller 20/20 in Jewel

Size: Medium (measurements were closest to size 10 - remember that this dress has an elastic wasitband and will stretch, so don't pick a size larger than your dropped waist measurements read, or else your skirt won't have anything to stretch it out and hold itself up)

Alterations: None, although I could hem it a bit shorter next time depending on the look I'm going for.