Geometric Wrap Skirt

As promised, it’s time to get back to sewing! I got an urge to make something immediately one night, so dug through my fabric stash and found this great navy/green sateen that I bought way back when and had forgotten about. This pattern throws me back to my elementary school days – tangrams anyone?

photo credit: Joann.com

What to do with such a pretty print? I love making and wearing dresses, and had plenty of reason to at my old office job. But my new job is very casual – jeans every day – and there isn’t much reason for a new dress. So I figured a skirt is a little less formal, and I can at least wear it to church. Really, though, this fabric couldn’t have been anything else. (Sometimes the fabric decides what it will be…I just listen to it’s whispers…no j/k, I promise I don’t talk to fabric…often…)

I decided to give the pattern book Chic and Simple Sewing another try. (BTW, this book is now out of print, so if you’re interested in buying it you’ll want to snatch one up from the author’s site ASAP.)

photo credit: Christine Haynes

I previously attempted a shirt pattern from this book that was a whale of a disaster – in that it could have fit a whale – but I figured I’d give a different pattern a go. This project was much more successful – thankfully! It would’ve been a shame to waste that pretty fabric. Whew!

I made the Wrap Skirt, which is just a basic circle skirt design with a tie waist. It’s very simple and was a quick project (even for me – I’m so meticulous I usually take forever). I don’t often make circle skirts, but I love how they look – so twirly, and girly with the drape and fullness. The sizing is small-medium-large, and I made a large. It’s a wrap skirt so you can always tie it tighter even if it’s too big, and then there’s also room to grow. The only awkward part is how to tie it. A lot of wrap dresses/skirts will have a hole to bring the inner tie through so that the skirt lays flat but you can still tie it together. But on this where the skirt overlaps you just have to pull the tie out and it makes it bunched and the tie moves around when you wear it. Before I wear it again I’ll add a button hole on the side to pull the tie through so the two layers can lay flat.

Colby: “Notice me, notice me, notice me…”

Finished product: a skirt I’ll actually wear! The only adjustment I made to the pattern was I thickened the waistband a bit.

Overall I am very happy with this piece. Now that I’ve completed a successful project from this book, I would recommend it for sewing beginners. It’s very simple and teaches some basic garment construction skills. Just be wary of fabric choices for these pieces. Most of them are loose-fitting, so you’ll want to lean towards soft and billowy instead of stiffer fabrics that will look like you’re wearing a cardboard box.

Once I finished this skirt, I decided it needs a bright white blouse to go with it, which I don’t own. So it has inspired me to make one. I’ve already got the white batiste and pattern I’ll use, but I have so many different projects in the works right now, we’ll just have to see what comes out finished first.