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.

Deer and Doe Chardon #2

When I started obsessively Instagramming my latest sewing projects (like pillow covers and knitting needle rolls), my bestie Alyssa texted me and said "Can you make skirts, too? Seriously. I want to hire you to make a bunch for me."  

Challenge accepted.

I made a few changes to the original pattern, like gathering instead of pleating, and folding the facing over halfway instead of all the way.  (Last week, I was all like "What's a facing?!" And now I'm all like, "Oh, I totally decided to fold the facing over halfway to accommodate for the gathers." like a damn pro.)

I apologize for the wrinkles - the light was pretty, and I was between editing sessions so I quickly took the skirt outside to photograph it.  It just seemed like a good time to take pictures. The fact that I just got a new lens today had simply nothing to do with it.  Nothing*.

*lies.

Today I leave you with two of my latest pottery pieces from when I learned to throw cylinders.  I'm going to eventually get some soy wax and make a candle out of the blue one, and the white one is yet another tea light holder.  

Fabric: Freshly Cut Hyacinths from the Leah Duncan Meadow collection.

Deer and Doe Chardon

Happy Derby Day!

I thought I'd get to posting about the Deer and Doe Chardon skirt that I made last week for my mom, considering she's wearing it today and just sent me a few pictures in it.  But first, pattern shots:

Deer and Doe is a French indie pattern company, but they include a second instruction packet for us non-French speakers.  Merci, mesdames!

Okay, so Deer and Doe have some adorable patterns.  French women are known for their fashion, so I mean, it makes sense.  Their instructions, however, leave a little to be desired, at least for beginners like myself.  I found myself more than once trying to search for someone who blogged their way through this pattern to clarify a few things for me, like "Turn the facing on the skirt." TURN IT WHERE?!  And how far?  What am I doing? Merde!

Looking back on it now that I've already done it, it seems pretty simple.  However for a beginner pattern, I suppose a little clarification on that (having never worked with facings before) would have been helpful.  Nevertheless, it certainly won't deter me from buying another Deer and Doe pattern in the (near) future.  Their designs are beautiful and frankly, I enjoy a little challenge every now and again.  I'll just make sure I have more wine in the house next time, you know, in case of emergency.

Chardon #1 (I have two in the works, both for other people) would going to my mom, and she asked me to pick out the fabric myself and surprise her with it.  I chose the Wayfarers print in the Palos Verdes collection from Cloud 9, a light and springy organic cotton voile (I feel like a real sewist when I use terms like "organic cotton voile".  It makes you think I know what I'm talking about.  Which I do.  Sometimes.) for the main fabric, and a light blue linen for the contrast.

Aside from my rookie ignorance - nothing that a seam ripper couldn't fix - the skirt came together relatively quickly and easily.  And so I present to you my mother modeling her Chardon Skirt on this lovely Derby Day.  I'm off to work some more, and then make myself presentable and go on a date with my husband, whom I have not spent much time with due to his hellacious work projects lately.  We shall sip on beer (him) and bourbon (me) and talk about typical grown-up things, like our house and our yard and early bedtimes.  Bonsoir!