Just in time for Me-Made-May, I've made myself a new skirt! I noticed last year that my me-made wardrobe was mostly tops and dresses, sorely in need of pants and skirts. I've failed to make a significant dent on the pants front (with the exception of my Ginger jeans and a couple Hudsons), but have made progress in the skirt department. Add this one to the list.
This baby is the new Arielle skirt from Tilly and the Buttons. I snatched up this pattern right away: high waisted, off-set row of buttons... yes and yes! Plus, I wear pencil skirts all the time to work; they're a go-to for me. Also: I am easily distracted by shiny new things (ahem, patterns).
I made my Arielle from some twill-y, canvas-y stuff from my stash. Not sure what it is, but it's fairly thick, probably toeing the line of too-thick for this skirt. But it works ok. No stretch in the fabric, which wasn't a problem for me. From the Arielle instructions, it seems like stretch is optional. This fabric creases quite a bit, I learned from wearing to the office today. Oh well.
Colorwise, the fabric looks solid grey from afar, but up close it's got lots of colors -- navy, maroon, green -- running through it. It may not be the bright and cheery yellow of Tilly's sample skirt, but it's a good wardrobe staple. As you can see from the photos, I've already found two tops in my me-made wardrobe that go with it: Bonnie and New Look 6107.
My buttons are some boring grey buttons, also from my stash. I sewed them on upside down because they looked better that way. Next time I make Arielle (and there will certainly be a next time!), I'll be sure to shop for some more exciting buttons.
My sewing notes:
Obviously, I went with the longer version of the Arielle pattern. The final result is a bit more A-line than I thought it would be based on the sample, but I still like it. You could always taper it in a bit at the bottom if you want it more pegged. The fit is great for me; I am super happy with it. I feel like the pattern would be quite easy to fiddle with, too, if it's not quite your shape.
The patterns comes with instructions to make the skirt lined or unlined. I opted for unlined, serging the edge of the facings. Next time I'll spend a little bit more time and either try the lined version or maybe bind the edge of the facings so the insides look nicer.
I didn't make any adjustments to the pattern and followed the instructions to a T. The only thing I did differently was to stitch the facings down at the darts in addition to the side seams, because it was rolling out a bit in the back. Also, I sewed one of the lower buttons through both layers of the skirt because I screwed up one of the buttonholes. So I can't fully unbutton the skirt, but really only need to be able to unbutton the top 3 or 4 to get it on, so it's still functional.
Verdict on Arielle: love it! I plan to make more of these, for sure. Maybe a denim version? I also have some crazy Thai, gold foil border print fabric that could work for Arielle since the pattern has a straight bottom hem. Are you planning on making Arielle? What fabric will you use?
