I was quite determined to love this skirt before I started it. I love the colour of the fabric, the buttons and I love the pattern, Colette’s Beignet. I was determined to put my best work into it so my perfectionism wouldn’t drive me nuts when I saw a wonky seam or something. I was also determined not to waver on my biggest sewing mantra:
If you have half an hour to ‘just finish joining the facing, it won’t take long’ - don’t. Either leave it and walk away or accept the fact that you might not finish. Nearly all of my mistakes are made in time limits, and despite me always saying it to myself, I still made these mistakes on this skirt. Tim called for me in the middle of under stitching the facing. ‘Just a minute!’ Five minutes later I realise I’ve included two layers of the lining. Half an hour of very careful unpicking of stitches in a delicate lining followed.
My impatience is still evident in this skirt. I didn’t make a muslin because I figured I could adjust the many seams later and move the buttons. I ran out of matching thread and didn’t want to make a trip to Joann for more. My belt loops, hem and buttonholes were stitched in a lighter green, so my hem isn’t quite invisible. Tim was out for the evening and I would have liked some help placing the buttons. But again, impatience took over and I did it myself, so of course, I'm unhappy with where they are.
You can see here how light the buttonhole thread is. You can't see the hem though, perhaps that part was alright..
So even though I did keep telling myself to take my time over it, I did rush in some places. I suppose then, my expectations were too high, and when I’d put the last button on and tried it on in front of the mirror, I was disappointed. I spent a few minutes looking at it and disliking too many things for me to think I’d ever wear it. What made me change my mind was a different point of view. Tim came home shortly after I’d put it on and the look on his face when he saw it completely changed everything. He told me to turn around, and looked me up and down with an approving expression. Now, I’m adamant that he be honest with me about my sewing, so when I get an immediate ‘I like it’ - I believe him, and I’m happy. I discussed my issues with it, and he turned up his nose and insisted no one else would notice, or at least the average observer. Only someone who is really looking (like perhaps someone reading this post and looking at the photos!) might notice. My head told me to agree and get over it, because I cared too much about this skirt while making it not to wear it. I like the pockets though.
So! About the skirt. I made it in a kelly green cotton poplin from Gorgeous Fabrics, I forget what the lining is and where it came from, though the colour of both the shell and lining in the photos look a little off. The lining is more of an olive green, and the shell is a brighter green. The buttons are from M&J Trim in New York, and the pattern is of course, Beignet.
Alterations - I know Colette patterns run large, and I know I am a size 12 round the hips, yet I still cut out a 14 because I wanted to follow the instructions exactly. It was too big, as somewhere in my brain knew it would be. I altered some of the seams, but most of the ‘making it fit’ went into putting the buttons in a different place. One of the things that made me hate the skirt originally, actually. They aren’t in the middle. Tim says he didn’t notice, and no one else will, either. Also, the buttons ended up being sewn through the lining on the inside, which really bothered me. I wanted the skirt to be nice on the inside too.
I luuurve using the blind hem foot. Somehow it seems like I’m cheating the universe out of something by using it. But I deemed the fabric too light for it this time and hand sewed the hem. It still shows though, because of my laziness in not going out to buy matching thread. One always regrets these decisions later.
For some reason my facing was over an inch too long for the lining and shell. There was a little jiggery-pokery in getting everything to match. I carefully sewed the belt loops on, and they were looking great, but they pulled the fabric too much from below, so I took them all off and put them half an inch higher. I was annoyed because I’d used a dab of fabric glue to keep them straight while they went through the sewing machine. I had to carefully pick it away and use ‘Goo-gone’ on the more stubborn glue patches.
I put a lot of love into this skirt, and although I was disappointed at first, I’m still determined to love it. I just really need to remember not to be impatient for the final product, and enjoy the process. Which I do, honestly. I guess I was more impatient than normal for this one :)
