Thursday, November 17, 2011

Actually made some separates!

When it comes to dresses or tailored items I have no end of inspiration and ideas but as for separates - I rarely sew them.  And yet I look in my closet for something to wear.  I am trying to remedy that lately, a recent project was this shirt and I am about ready to use some blue silk charmeuse on a long sleeve shirt, hopefully before December is over.  But in the meantime I did make this knit top and denim skirt.  According to my photographer, I am a blinker - so this photo was the best of the bunch.


The top is the ubiquitous Jalie scarf-collar top, and I do feel that as usual I am the last person in the sewing universe to make a popular pattern.  Fabric is a rayon knit from Stone Mountain in Berkeley which I bought on a rainy Sunday shopping excursion with Jean of JKaori DesignsNot sure I will make that top again, the tie is a bit flip-floppy for me and it is kind of distinctive.  However the Jalie pattern fits well and I can see using it as a starting point for other tops.


The skirt is black denim with maybe 4% lycra which I am starting to think is too much stretch. Plus I have my hands in the pockets, creating some creases across the front which are really not there. I used Simplicity 2152 but the pockets are nothing like the pattern where the pockets are sewn on the outside of the skirt, albeit into the seams.   
I wanted the pockets to be inside the side fronts, plus I eliminated the pocket trim.  
Here is a closer look at the pockets.  As it turned out the pocket placement is much higher and nearer the waistband than on the original pattern design.


For the inside of the waistband I used a different fabric, I wanted something less bulky than the denim but not slippery, so that it would stay on the waist.  I have always found that skirts lined all the way to the waistband have an annoying tendency to rotate around and then my center front is somewhere on the side.  Or maybe that is just me? But to counter that I used this cotton fabric scrap and then lined the skirt portion in satin, as I wanted to be able to wear tights in the winter and I don't like it when the denim sticks to tights.  Whew, that is a lot of thinking about the inside of a skirt.  Oh well, the fun of sewing, you can do whatever you want! 
As evidenced when I made this dress last year - with the mix and match lining.

I have a feeling I will probably wear this skirt a lot more in the summer than now. . . is it spring yet?   And see in the first photo - we do get some autumn color here in CA.  

Happy Fall Sewing, Beth


17 comments:

  1. These are great separates! And you are not the last person to use that pattern - it is in my stash begging to be made up. Sigh. Too many patterns, too little time.

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  2. What a great set! And a good tip on using a grippy facing to prevent spin-around. The skirt I wore today is one of the those spin-arounds and it is soooo annoying, especially when you don't notice 'til you've been walking around the office with your skirt sideways for a couple hours!

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  3. Lovely outfit - the pieces work beautifully together but will also make great wardrobe basics to mix and match with other garments.

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  4. That's a terrific outfit, and the tights are perfect!

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  5. Beautifully done, and 2 very useful separateness. I am thinking you will get a lot of use out of these:)

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  6. Two beautiful garments , I love both individually and together.

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  7. Like Amanda, I can assure you you're not the last person to make up that Jalie pattern. It's in my stash. I even have the fabric ready to go but it keeps getting pushed down the to-do list.

    The skirt is terrific.

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  8. I love your skirt. I will remember about the pockets being on the outside of the skirt becauase I thought they were inserted just like you sewed it because this pattern is on my to-sew list!

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  9. Wonderful outfit! Both pieces are so versatile. The fabric for the top is perfect -- great choice!

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  10. The skirt looks beautiful! Great job on both pieces!

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  11. very cute top and skirt - they look great on you!

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  12. A gorgeous outfit! I love both your shirt and your skirt, and they look just lovely together. And I haven't even heard of that Jalie pattern before your post! I just love the bow detail, and I'm certain you will get lots of compliments for it!

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  13. What a GORGEOUS outfit!!! You'll get alot of use out of both pieces!!!

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  14. I'm so excited to have found your blog! I just bought the same skirt pattern and am so happy to have found a picture of it on a real person. Yours looks great and I'm so excited to try it now! I planned to line mine too so that I can wear it with tights and I like the idea of lining the yoke with a non-slippery fabric. I love the idea of putting the pockets on the inside too. I'll have to read over the pattern instructions to see if I'll be able to make that change. I've been sewing since I was 12 years old but making changes in a pattern still make me nervous.

    It's very nice to meet you and I'm going to sign up as a new follower now.

    Sherry @A Happy Valentine

    P.S. My sewing machine is a Singer 404 too! I love it!

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  15. Love both pieces, but I'm particularly interested in the skirt, since it addresses many of the requirements I've been exploring in my recent skirt making. I just bought an awesome piece of bamboo denim--this pattern might be just the thing for it. Thanks!

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