Bubblegum Cargo Skirt

I somehow stumbled across the Waffle Patterns Anzu cargo skirt pattern a while ago, and it made me add "cargo skirt" to my list of Vague Ideas for Someday Projects.  I did make a carpenter skirt, out of a completely inappropriate fabric, and that I never once wore until I shortened it (which involved removing the excess pockets.)

I also wanted to make another shortened McCall's 7981, and it recently clicked together that a shortened 7981 could be a good base for the vague idea of a cargo skirt.

I decided to use the 2 yards of 60" pink chambray I got from the craft thrift store, since I didn't have any plans for that fabric and that much fabric seemed like it should be enough (and it was, with a decent remnant left)

Just adding pockets to McCall's 7981 probably would have worked just fine, but I also wanted to add a back yoke.  I borrowed that, along with the shape of the edge to sew to the back yoke and the back pockets and the belt loops, from early 1980s Butterick 4703.  Many pockets came from Simplicity 8526, plus some done free form.

And I ended up with this

 

 

 Part of the reason I chose this fabric was because I still had pink in the bobbin from the previous project.  The amount of top stitching meant that bobbin thread didn't last long, so I switched to white and completed it that way.  Bobbin reloads did happen.

I was planning from the start to line this, so the color of the thread inside mattered even less.

The pink yarns in the chambray are pretty close to the pink of the top thread, so the colors work well together.

Most of the edge stitching and top stitching were no problem, especially since I wasn't being too demanding of myself, but there were a few areas that I did pick out and sew again.  And again.

The pockets on the skirt front left side are two free form rectangles (and a free form tab loop) and one from the Simplicity pattern.

I lined all of the pockets to get a clean edge.  The areas left open for turning got pressed down and closed up with all of the edge and top stitching.  I wasn't sure how I would line the pocket with the zipper in the welt, until I realized I could, essentially, burrito the top and bottom areas.  The result is very much not straight, so just...don't look too close.

The pockets and loop on the right side are all from the Simplicity pattern, although I did modify all of the Simplicity pockets to work with the shorter length, as well as place them wherever it took to make them fit.  The flap on the lowest pocket was also cut free form.

I originally thought I was going to do four part snaps for all the closures, but changed my mind (obviously.)  I hoped I'd have enough appropriate pink buttons, but, no.  My love of faux horn buttons stepped up and I went with the style I somehow have dozens of.  The combination with the skirt color reminds me of Neapolitan ice cream.

I used the Simflex to figure out button placement, since I was putting more buttons than the pattern wanted onto a shorter skirt than the pattern expected.  The vintage buttonholer gave me no problems, and sewing the buttons on with the machine gave me no unexpected problems.

I did a bagged lining.  I used the skirt pieces to cut the lining pieces, then cut roughly 5/8" off the bottom edges.  I sewed the lining to the skirt edge before applying the front bands, so I could encase the lining edges in the bands, too.  Finishing the lining this way makes me happy.

The Anzu skirt has a lot going on in the back--maybe I'll try that some day, but, for now, I did a fairly basic yoked back with patch pockets.

Some bits from the front do wrap around to the back, so it's not a completely barren wasteland back there.

There was a bit of roping created when I top stitched the hem, which is fine!  I've always thought that a perfectly flat hem--especially on something sporty--looks too perfectly homemade.

I'm not sure if I'll make another cargo skirt--it was fun!--but I probably will add the yoke to another McCall's 7981, whenever I get around to it.