And a Skirt to Match

After I finished cutting out the jacket in the previous post, I still had a sizable chunk of fabric left.  I knew there would be enough to make a skirt, although I figured it would be a miniskirt, which would work fine with the Jem & The Holograms vibe the jacket had.

I finished making the jacket and laid out the remaining fabric and realized...there was enough for a long skirt--a long slim skirt, but, still.  And I actually felt like that would be even more Jem Style.

So I got out Simplicity 9815 and started cutting.  I didn't have quite enough to reach the full length as given, but I got close.  I also decided to line it, because I almost always line a slim skirt.

The pattern illustration shows a lapped zipper in back, and I've wanted to get more comfortable installing lapped zippers, so I prepared to do that, but it was late, so I wasn't actually going to sew it until the next day.  This gave me time to have the idea to put a welt pocket with a flap--using pattern pieces for the welt pocket with flap from the jacket--off center on the front of the skirt.

 The pocket is there.  Really.

Flannelskirt

 I have used New Look 6843 many times, and it is a good basic set of skirts, with two variations on A-line--one in two lengths--and two lengths of sheath skirt, going up to size 18.  So, why would I use Simplicity 9815 for a short sheath skirt instead?

Now, the last time I made a shortened version of it, I went with the size 20, which isn't an option with the New Look. But, size 18? And making it shorter than either view offered?  Well...I really don't know why I did.

In retrospect, it's nice that there are only two darts on the Simplicity back, instead of the New Look's four, and, also, the Simplicity's waistband is much wider than the New Look's, which made fastening the button a lot easier than it tends to be in the little narrow waistband on the New Look.  But, again, those are things I hadn't realized when I decided to make this skirt from the Simplicity instead of the New Look. I'm still not sure why I chose the Simplicity for this, but I did, and it turned out great.

Tweedy Sheath

 I've been wanting to make a basic black sheath skirt for a while (not as long as the last basic black skirt I made.)

This is not it.

But! It is one step closer to it, because I'm still trying to figure out what size skirt I really should make.  I want to be able to wear pattern size 16, but my current abdomen prevents that. (I mean, my hips wouldn't be too cooperative with it, either, but there's leeway, depending on the style.)  Could I wear pattern size 18?  Possibly!  But I overcorrected and went with size 20 for this.  I will say: it fits with great ease.

And it is cute.

A Most Basic Skirt

 So, after the hubris of the previous project, I wanted to make a simple black skirt to go with it.

Now...I don't lack for simple black skirts, but this time I wanted it to be a very long sheath skirt.  The last trip to the creative re-use store brought Simplicity 9815 from 1990 into my pattern stash

(and yes, I have found a nice plastic sleeve to put it in, just in case those spots are malevolent.)

As simple skirt is a boring project, and using a new pattern meant I wasn't quite sure about the size, so it took a few days--with lots and lots of pauses--but here it is

and, oh, yeah--black is hard to photograph