A Whole New Outfit*

Short version: Finished the skirt! yay!  Didn't have a top that worked well, so I made that last night too! Yayyy!

Long version:  A week or so ago, I was feeling bloated and gross and hated everything in my closet except for this one floor length skirt that skimmed my hips and made me feel better about going into public that particular day.   (Ironically enough, I couldn't get a good picture of it.  It is like the fox!)   Anyhow, I decided to copy is so I could have a few more.   The skirt itself was originally part of an empire waist dress with a shirred back, so it didn't have a proper closure, just slips over the head.   Over the years the elastic has stretched and I've never gotten around to fixing it, so I usually just pop on a safety pin or two and wear a long shirt to cover the unholy mess.   Now -- when making new, this would not do.  I took the waist in a little and added a yoke to make the whole thing look a bit more finished.  


This worked out nicely, except I decided not to cut the back panel in half,  and the shaping on the yoke didn't go quite as far as I'd intended (the back matches the V shape of the front) so despite a lovely opening, it still has to go over my head.   (I'll make a deeper V next time.)

Ignore the wrinkles -- I sit almost all day and I took these pictures after getting home from work.  It sits nicely when fresh.

Interesting construction facts:  To get the hem-line even I ended up putting on the skirt and stepping into a bucket of water.   I swished around for a moment, then hopped out and pinned along the water mark. (I had to go quickly, as capillary action was not my friend in this particular case.

Anyhow, once I'd gotten it all together and was merrily prancing about the living room, I realized I didn't really have a shirt that worked, and I definitely didn't have one that would accommodate my necklace (it is *exactly* the right color)  but I did have half a yard of lovely black jersey.   (I think we can see where this is going.)   Anyhow, traced out a shirt I like, threw this together and then started experimenting.

I serged fabric tape to the inside of the neckline, and for once it didn't stretch or gape. (win!)  It ended up funky and odd in new and exciting ways... but still.  win.

I also ended up serging on a pair of crescent cap-sleeve things.  There was a scrap of about the right size when I was playing with it, so I copied it, and bam! sleeves!

More pictures, just for fun. I look horribly irritated, but really, I'm watching the camera sitting on little posts and shaking in a breeze hoping it won't make a dive for freedom.

I ought to get a tripod.


*the fabric and the yoke keep making me think mermaid......