Sunday, March 9, 2008

Barcelona Skirt

Barcelona skirts are done!

And just in time for the grand opening of the local yarn/fabric shop where we bought the pattern and the fabric! The identical skirts were intentional, but the matching shoes, tights and tops were not. One observant woman told us we took the twin thing too far.

Photo was cropped to protect Hilary's anonymity (though of the handful of people that actually read this blog, I suspect most of you already know her or will meet her at graduation. Still, one can never be too careful.)

Close-up of my skirt:


Details:
Pattern: Barcelona Layered Skirt by Amy Butler in size XL
Exterior Fabric: Amy Butler Belle in sea green/coriander
Lining: Off-white muslin
Comments: This is a really wonderful pattern, and the instructions are excellent. I followed them nearly to the letter and ended up with a very wearable, professional looking skirt. I did modify the edges of the layers - the pattern called for them to be left unfinished with the intention that they would fray with washing. I thought the frayed edges would be too casual, and I wanted to wear the skirt to work, so I zig-zagged across the unfinished edges with a coordinating thread. Hilary opted to do a french seam for her layered edges - they both turned out very well but created entirely different looks. I also had to bring the waist in - the XL fit through the hips, but gaped in the waist. Hilary helped my put in 1.25" darts on either side of the zipper, and the fit improved dramatically. Also, the pattern calls for an invisible zipper. Installing an invisible zipper requires an invisible zipper foot; I found this tutorial very helpful in installing the zipper foot.

Now, more gratuitous skirt shots:

Close-up of zipper and lining:


Sorry for the booty shot, but don't these darts look awesome? So smooth and unpuckered.


I am very happy with the finished product. While at the fabric store grand opening yesterday, I bought more fabric to make an un-layered, a-line version of this skirt. I highly recommend both Amy Butler patterns and fabrics. They are a little more expensive than what you could find at a place like Joann's, but they are so worth it!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't mind the booty shot at all...

Lorrel said...

Lookin' good! You seem happy with the results and that's great. Thanks for the nice chat with you today. Love you.

Grandma Mary said...

From Grandma Mary,
Annetta and I are looking at the skirts and think they are very pretty. We also looked at a lot of other things you did and loved the travel bag it looks so professional! You have made some really nice things, we especially liked the baby hat and uggs, they are adorable. Where do you find the time? Loved talking to you this morning and can't wait to see you in May. Love G. Mary

Anonymous said...

Wow, I love the skirt and the fabric & pattern are super duper pretty.

Hmmm, maybe I'll try my hand at sewing - you're inspiring me!

J.Po said...

So cute! So cute! The first skirt I made without my grandma's help turned out horribly - the fit through the hips was just terrible. It's amazing that you got such fabulous results the first time out of the gates re: skirtage! And the fact that it's lined - just wonderful.

You're picking up so many skills - you'll be moving onto 3-piece suits soon!

(BTW - how much is that fabric per yard? It's so lovely!)

Shannon said...

Thanks for all the comments!

JPo - the fabric is about $9/yard. It is really high quality fabric though. It washed up beautifully, and it's very soft.

 
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