Tag: Moss Skirt

Moss Skirt {Review #2}

I had my fabric selected for my Moss Skirt by Grainline Studios months ago…hoping to be able to wear it all summer long.  But as you know, life just happens and selfish sewing gets put on the back burner.  This is the second one I’ve made and love it even more than before.  For the first one I made over a year ago, you can read about it here.

For this version, I used Euclid fabric in Cadet which is a printed linen/cotton blend.  This is slightly heavier than quilting cotton, and makes for the perfect summer weight skirt. With the blend, you get the texture of the linen, but not all the wrinkles. I’m all about less ironing!  By making View A this time, I was able to make this skirt out of one yard of fabric (minus the pockets.)


After learning from my first Moss, I knew I had to adjust the back yoke to get rid of the gap. You can see (on the dotted line above) how I cut into the yoke pattern piece on an angle to leave the room for my rear but move the waistline closer to my back.

The other other learning was to keep my vertical seams unfinished until I was ready to add the waistband and hem. This allowed me to make just slight tweaks to curve my seams, if needed. Once I was satisfied with fit, I serged my seams.


For some fun and to keep the silhouette smooth, I used Architextures Gridlines for my pockets. This allowed me to use some scrap fabric and reduce the bulk if I would’ve kept to the same cotton/linen blend.

As I moved through the pattern pieces, I mimicked the same top-stitching as seen on a pair of ready-to-wear jeans. I love how it turned out! Be sure to increase the stitch length and go slowly to ensure nice straight line.

The great thing about making your clothes, not only for the custom fit, is being able to add so many special touches.  Like the pockets, I added a contrasting zipper and button for fun.  The button came from my MIL’s long hoarded collection and it reminds me of her as I wear this new garment.

For the waistband, I decided to machine stitch the inside down verses slip-stitching it as the pattern calls.  I’m a busy mom and I try to machine wash and dry as much as I can.  For me,  a machine stitch would just hold up better with my lifestyle.  This lady does not have time for all that hand-washing!  I pressed the interior band down just wide enough to just cover the seam and stitches.  (If you have any branding or sizing tags, this is the perfect time to pin them in.)  I used a Sewline glue pen to keep the interior waistband in place while I stitched-in-the-ditch along the exterior.  This allows me to just catch the interior band.


With View A, I hemmed as directed.  This length was perfect on my 5’3″ frame.  It hits a few inches  above the knee, but is perfect for the summer.  If I was any taller, this might be a tad too short for my “mom” lifestyle which requires a lot of bending up and down…and sometimes a bit of unexpected climbing.  🙂

As I’ve been building my handmade wardrobe, I’ve been selective in choosing some slimmer silhouettes for my petite frame.  I am heavier in the arms and legs, thus like to emphasize my waistline.  This is the perfect skirt pattern for just that.  The clean lines and waistband keep everything smooth to draw the eye up and down.  The printing on the fabric is just the right scale to keep everything in place and not over emphasize one part or the other. 😉

I love how I can pair this skirt with just a white tee and the outfit still looks polished.  I’m hoping to extend this skirt’s life with some heavy tights and cute clogs with a slim long-sleeve tee in the fall. Check out my IG feed to see how it pairs with a yellow and white striped tank and the other outfit pairings!

 

Project Details:

  • Pattern: Moss Skirt by Grainline Patterns
  • Exterior Fabric: Euclid in Cadet by Carolyn Friedlander for Robert Kaufman Fabrics from Fabric.com
  • Pocket Fabric: Architextures Gridlines in  by Carolyn Friedlander for Robert Kaufman Fabrics
  • Piecing and Top-Stitching Thread: Gutermann 236 polyester
  • Zipper: YKK from ZipIt Zippers
  • Button: Vintage (manufacturer unknown)

 

Happy Sewing!

Cristy

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Moss Skirt {Review}

MossSkirtTitle

With all of this great warm weather, I’ve been thinking about adding some new pieces to my wardrobe and skirts are definitely included.  Coincidentally, it is also #MeMadeMay where you show off your handmade clothing on social media all throughout the month.  So…I obviously needed to make one rather than buy one 😉

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I’ve been casually looking over designs for a few months and wanted a clean silhouette without an elastic waistband.  Although the thought of a zipper scared the bejesus out of me, I still selected Grainline Studio‘s Moss Skirt.  The instructions and pictures are well done and I love how there are great resources on Grainline’s blog in case you get stuck (which of course, I did.)  I also love the two variations with a short mini and knee-length options.

I chose this beautiful Robert Kaufman black denim for my skirt.  It has a lightweight structure and has pretty classy look and feel.  Who can knock the bonus slimming effects of black as well?

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The body of the skirt came together pretty quickly.  I used a combination of my Juki TL-2010Q to sew the straight seams and then finished with my Singer 150 Anniversary 14T948DS Serger.  If you make a lot of garments, I highly recommend a serger to really make your seams look professional.

After I got the body and pockets complete, it was onto the zipper insert.  Since this was my first one (ever!) I couldn’t wrap my head around the pattern’s instructions.  Luckily, Grainline has a ton of supplemental resources under “Tutorials”  to help.

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After looking at the blog’s additional pictures and instructions (about 10 times,) I finally dove in and added the insert.  Instead of basting, I used my favorite Sewline Glue Pen to keep the zipper and fly pieces all in place.  I’m so proud of how this came out…who knew it actually pays off to take your time?  😛

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I like fun little details like adding this metallic fabric inside the waistband.  It is Remix by Ann Kelle for Robert Kaufman and really adds some flare.  This button is extra special – It is from my mother-in-law’s stash which was passed to me when she moved to a retirement home.  I wanted to make this skirt for Mother’s Day and it was really nice to have something from my MIL because we couldn’t spend the day together.  I think it maybe from a coat because I have about 5 of these pretty gem-like buttons.

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Before adding the waistband, I adjusted the waist measurement at the back yoke.  (My backside is one size and my waist is another.)  Next time, I’ll wait to serge the center-back seam until after I  tailor it in…just for clean seam.   What I completely forgot to do, was to slightly curve the yoke back down after the adjustment.  You can see the slight fold in the yoke right below the waistband….that should be smooth.

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The other change I made was to decrease my seam allowance to 3/8″ for the waistband to make it slightly wider.  After kids, I enjoy a mid-rise and wider waistbands to keep “everything” in it’s place…hehe.

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If you read other reviews, there is a mix of people who are able to use the waistband as written, and others who come up a little short.  I’m still a newbie to garment construction and I fell into the latter group.  Since I adjusted the back yoke, my waistband was only about 1″ too short.  I added the extra length to line up with the fly shield and you would never know there was an issue.  Fortunately, I did not cut my interior waistband facing yet and could adjust to match.

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The pockets on this skirt are great.  Since I’m a bit more curvy, ready-to-wear pockets tend to poke out and it looks like little wings are flapping out of my hips.  I would have to sew them shut to look somewhat normal, but then have to sacrifice functionality.  These pockets hug to the body and I’m so glad I can actually use them!

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I opted for View B of the Moss Skirt to wear this out to slightly more conservative places, but changed the band to hang only 2 1/4″ down since I’m a shortie (5’3″.)  There are definite plans for some more casual versions with View A for the summer.  Let’s hope I have the time to get them complete before autumn hits!

I really love the clean look of this skirt.  Since I used denim, I debated top-stitching all of the pieces like a pair of jeans, but I’m glad I held back.  This skirt looks really polished as-is and I highly recommend this pattern if that’s the look you want.

Has anyone made this pattern yet?  What is your favorite skirt pattern?

 

Happy Stitching,

Cristy