About Me

My photo
Sewing is therapy for me. I hoard fabric, patterns, notions, and spend more time shopping for fabric than I care to admit...

Monday, May 18, 2015

Sew little time--Kwik Sew and StyleArc to the rescue!

Gosh I love sewing with knits and especially those that coordinate color, weight, and care-wise!

I walked into my local Hancocks looking for only more needles and walked out with three knit fabrics: two solids and this wildly colorful print which has so many loves for me from red to coral, black to peacock green!  I simply had to have these and am so pleased with the result that I wonder why I even stumbled even a mere thirty-seconds to think about it!


I knew I wanted a skirt and immediately of StyleArc's Gorgeous Gore as a perfect candidate.  I knew there were only six gores to this skirt but couldn't remember how much I needed and of course my phone had just died so I couldn't even look it up!  I guesstimated on 1.5 yards and it works, although matching those medallions on the fabric would have been much, much better.

Great 6 gore knit jersey pull on skirt

StyleArc's patterns are the bomb and this is no exception.  It has only two pattern pieces--both of which you need to cut numerous times, so pay attention to how many you need!  There are very few steps and the elastic waistline insertion is professional and easy!  Insert instant love here!



This skirt turned out exactly as described: knee length and easy to wear.  I say yes to both of those comments!  If you are taller than 5'7" check the length, it may be too short.  If you are shorter than 5'7", check that as well as this may be way to long!





I used a very stretchy poly-lycra knit from Hancock's.  It behaved beautifully!  I made sure I sewed from the top of the skirt to the hemline to avoid distorting the seams as which can potentially happen when sewing in multiple directions.  As it turns out, I did not need to worry, this fabric behaved beautifully--although I will say I spent quite a bit of time playing with scraps to make sure they both layers fed through the serger evenly with no distortions whatsoever--thank goodness for the differential feed adjustment!  It makes such a difference on how fabric ends up looking when you are done sewing!



To hem this colorful skirt, I used steam-a-seam and was not disappointed!  I adhered it to the hemline, lifted the backing, folded that a second time, pressed and folded again.  This gave just he right amount of weight to keep the hemline nice and neat, or without ripples, when stitching.


My only alteration to this pattern was to topstitch the yoke band to the skirt portion to keep the seam from rolling.


Oh yes, I do plan on making this skirt again!  It's a great pattern. I hope you'll try it!




Can you tell I am gushing over this outfit?  I know it is VERY colorful, but with the gloomy winter we had, I need some over the top brightness in my life!

As usual, I thank you for reading!!!
Sue  

18 comments:

  1. It's so swishy!!! And I think this kind of print works fine not being matched. I really like it!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Nakisha! I was hoping it would work, so I do appreciate your comment that it DOES! :)

      Delete
    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
  2. Beautiful skirt and top, I love the shape of that skirt.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Love your skirt. This must feel so lovely and swishy to wear. I might have to try this pattern too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is very soft and comfortable. I highly recommend this pattern Jean!

      Delete
  4. I love turquoise on you, very beautiful with your complexion.

    I went to Joann's yesterday intending on a couple yards of a knit fabric and ended up with many yards of fabric! Agh! LOL.

    Thanks for the reviews!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Dina, thanks--I like this color too but don't wear it very often...not sure why! Your stash sounds like mine!!! :)

      Delete
  5. Love this outfit, Sue! The colors are great. I too can't walk into Hancock fabrics without leaving with at least enough fabric to use one of their coupons!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Ann! Yeah, I am a sucker for coupons and pretty knits! Enjoy!

      Delete
  6. Super fun outfit! You look smashing! I've had my eye on that skirt pattern-- this is the first time I've seen it made up, and it does not disappoint. I totally need to pick this one up!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I really like your entire outfit. I like how you topstitched the yoke band to the skirt. And I really like your top? Did you make it?

    ReplyDelete