Doctor T Designs

Moving on to the next piece in my mini wardrobe project, I’ve made a new skirt!

For this project, I’ve used the BurdaStyle 01/2016 #106 skirt, though I’ve used the length from the #107B style dress rather than making the full maxi skirt.

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Overall I’m pretty happy with how my version turned out:

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I think the invisible zip turned out really great, and I also added a lining to the inside. A year ago I probably would have been dead set on finishing the waistband with machine stitching in the ditch, but I’ve spent a lot of time over the past year watching a lot of historical garment sewers on YouTube, and I’ve been convinced on the value of hand sewing for finishing details. So I decided to hand-sew the waistband finishing and the lining around the inside of the zipper:

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I’m also really pleased with how the hems (typically my nemesis) turned out given the curved flare of the hem. Since my fabric was all a bit stretchy, I used my coverstitch to finish off the hem of the lining, and I used a machine blind hem for the outer fabric. This is probably the best result of a blind hem I’ve ever had from a machine – the stitches are absolutely invisible from the outside!

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I forgot to add my label to the inside before I had finished the waistband (I’m still not in the habit of adding them to garments regularly), but because the skirt uses the same pattern pieces for the front and the back, I felt that I needed to add the label to help me keep track of the front and back of the skirt. I and stitched it in at the last minute, so it doesn’t have the nicest finish, but it does make getting dressed a lot less confusing!

With the skirt and the top I reviewed in my previous post, I now have my first mini wardrobe outfit complete!

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Pattern Review

Pattern Description: The original pattern is a maxi skirt with a hip-yoke, however, I made several changes to the pattern to end up with more of a midi-length skirt.

Pattern Sizing: Burda sizes 34-42.  I started with a size 42, but I added about 1.5-2″ all the way around, so I probably graded it to something more like a 46/48 at the waist and hip.

Were the instructions easy to follow?  The instructions were pretty straightforward, but I didn’t really need them. I also added a lining and removed some of the design features to better accommodate my striped fabric, so I didn’t follow them very closely.

Did it look like the photo/drawing when you were done with it?  The silhouette looks a lot like the pattern drawing and photograph, but my version has removed a lot of the seam and contrasting fabric details to better use the stripe of the fabric.

What did you particularly like/dislike about the pattern?  I loved the hip yoke detail, even though I chose to leave it off for this particular make. I also really loved the silhouette of the skirt and how it gently flares out at the hem, which is the main reason why I decided to use this pattern for this project. It doesn’t have pockets, but I think that the thinner fabrics used in the original design may not do well with the weight of a pocket distorting the line of the garment around the hip area.

Fabric used: I used a thicker double knit (presumably poly) for the outer skirt, and a thinner stretch lining fabric. I don’t know the fiber content of either, as I think these were both mystery fabrics I picked up from the Michael Levine Loft back when it still existed. They are both definitely synthetic fabrics with a decent amount of stretch.

Pattern alterations or design changes you made:  I omitted the hip yoke to simplify the use of the stripe fabric and I added a lining, which was not part of the original pattern. I also added about 1-2″ to the largest size of the pattern for fit. Because I wanted more of a midi-skirt length, I used the skirt length from style #107B from the same magazine instead of using the full maxi length.

Would you sew this again?  Would you recommend it to others?  I think I might sew this again! I don’t wear skirts often, but I actually really love the way this came out and the style of this skirt. I might consider making a full maxi skirt with the hip yoke detail in the future. I would definitely recommend this pattern; even if you don’t fit into the largest size (Burda size 42), it is really easy to size this pattern up because of all of the seam lines and panels used around the body.

Conclusion:  I am surprisingly happy with how this skirt turned out! I really like the style, and I’m pretty happy with the construction as well. I’m not sure how much I will wear it because it’s both a bit seasonal (due to the lining it’s a bit heavier and more of a fall/winter piece) and I’m not much of a skirt person, but overall I think it is a really great addition to my wardrobe.

How does this fit in with the Sew Your Kibbe Challenge?  Does it work as well for you as you expected it to? This wasn’t really made to be part of the Sew Your Kibbe Challenge, but I think that this style is perfect for the Kibbe guidelines. He recommends a full or flared skirt that is flat in the hip area, and he also recommends calf length for full skirts for the Soft Natural type. I actually think this might be the best style of skirt I’ve ever worn, so I’m pleased to see how well those recommendations are working out. Now that I’ve seen how well I like this style, maybe I’ll actually sew and wear more skirts!

And that’s it! I will need to move onto another color for my next set of garments, so I’m thinking about sewing another top and then maybe working on some pants, the dress, and the jumpsuit soon!