At the beginning of April I joined the Asymmetrical Skirt Sew-Along hosted by Stitch. Here is my own version!
As mentioned before, I was extremely excited about the sew-along… mainly because I had bought the Stitch issue earlier and still hadn’t gotten around sewing it.
But mostly because I thought it would be a great occasion to learn something new from Stitch experts.
Impressions on the Sew-Along and Asymmetrical Skirt project review
I must admit I was a bit disappointed by the sew-along. Don’t get me wrong, but I was hoping they would do a step-by-step project like Tasia at Sewalcoholic or Sherry at pattern ~ scissors ~ cloth
Unfortunately Stitch only gave the work plan and posted a couple of comments. Thankfully, the magazine instructions are very well done and I could sew the skirt anyway.
Well, the project started with a couple of scary moments. The first one when I re-read the pattern corrections file where Stitch explained the facing was too small in the original pattern. And this was after I had cut my fabric!
But I got lucky…since I had bought a digital copy of Stitch, the pattern had been corrected in the meantime.
The second was just a plain mistake… I cut one of the facings the wrong way around. So the interfacing was actually on the outside. Since I was lazy or rather I didn’t want to waste any fabric, I simply stitched the lining also to the other side. So the interfacing is now enclosed as in a sandwich. I only did it since the fabric was very thin to start with. I wouldn’t recommend doing it with thicker fabrics.
In terms of fabric choice, I feel a thicker linen or other fabric would have been better. I used this linen blend from my stash which feels a bit too thin for such a skirt. In fact, I tried to fix it by using a heavier interfacing to give the skirt the needed structure, but this means the interfacing seems heavier than the outside. Lesson Learned!
Another lesson I learned from this project is that there is a trick to sewing buttoholes on my machine. Which I had overlooked! So I believe this is the reason behind some of my seams ripping on lighter fabrics when I open up the buttonhole. Sweet Karen from Did you make that pointed this issue out to me. I haven’t sewn any other buttonhole yet, but I believe the solution might be around the corner :o)
Overall, I had the pattern required some adjustments to fit my body: I had to move the button placement to fit my hips and take in the waist a bit… I guess that makes me pear-shaped!
Eventually Stitch did publish some tips on the skirt. So, if you would like to sew it anytime, check out their Project Update. I guess I will use it for the next project as the tips are very good.
Overall I do love this pattern and I am hoping to wear the skirt in the warmer weather.
Thoughts on blogging and sewing
On a totally different topic, have you read the thought-provoking You can sew post and discussion on Whipstitch blog ?
I was really surprised to see how many people feel about sewing, blogging and life in general. It all started with a simple question “What is it that you don’t say out loud?”. And comments started to flow.
What made me sad is that many women think they are not good enough, they are scared of sharing their projects and even feel put down by popular quilting bloggers. And this even when nobody clearly tells them so. In the clothing blogs I have never noticed such an attitude, but now I am getting worried.
I hope nobody among my readers feels that way. We are all here to learn and share the joy of creating with women. I have a lot to learn, I make tons of mistakes, I don-t come up with super innovative ideas, yet I want to be part of this amazing community. I feel like I have to give back to the blogging world and not just take, I feel it’s nice to share your hobby with other people even if I will never meet you in person (though I’d love too).
And like other bloggers I am very happy when getting your comments!
With these thoughts I wish you a very relaxing sewing week!
Sewing Princess 
I love the skirt! And hot pink is such a hot color for you! Lovely job! About the buttonholes – have you tried cording them before? It’s like making a handworked buttonhole with gimp, but instead you use your machine. You can use the thicker Coats and Clarks buttonhole thread for gimp. When you sew the buttonhole, you’ll have the satin stitch of the buttonhole sew over the gimp. Does that make sense? Hopefully!
Your comments at the end were very thought provoking and I too, find it sad that many should think that they aren’t good enough to show off their creations. I truly hope I’ve never given that impression either! I find it so wonderful to see what others make and contribute to the sewing community!
xoxo,
Sunni
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Very cute skirt, the color of your fabric is absolutely awesome!
I’ve read the article, too, and both it and the comments were very interesting… I have the feeling that most of the (garment) sewing blogs and the community as a whole are incredibly supportive. Sure there are some more professional, experienced “big ones” out there, but I’ve never felt that they looked down on us less experienced sewists with the smaller blogs. 😉 On the contrary, questions are usually answered very nicely and I love it when even “the big ones” also tell about quality time spent with their seam ripper or things not coming together quite as planned…
On another subject entirely, I found some lovely green jersey very similar to the one from your giveaway at the fabric market last week and went home with 2m of it! Yay! 🙂
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What a gorgeous skirt! Fabulous color, very distinctive. And I returned home to find my giveaway prizes! A million thanks, the green knit is even more beautiful than I thought and I’ve got the perfect red cardigan for the pin. I’m thinking about making the dress by adapting a pattern in my stash (Vogue 8558) to a dress.
And thanks for sharing the link– what a fascinating discussion! I sometimes feel overwhelmed by sewing blogs too but at the same time inspired by others who look at sewing as a wonderful creative outlet. Like yours: You’re one of the only sewers I read who’s also interested in drafting your own patterns or adapting patterns. It’s something that certainly slows down the route to finished objects, but to me, feels like there’s endless possibility. To me, that’s what’s exciting about sewing 🙂
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I love your site, and see you as an inspiration.
I take many sewing classes a week, and there are quilters, women making doll cloths, some crafters, some reupholstering, and some like me who love garments. I think the sewing community is wonderful because there is something for everyone. I don’t post my garments, but that doesn’t mean I am not good enough. It is just because I am a lazy about taking pictures of them.
I have a friend who said I would never be as good at sewing as her because she has been sewing since she was 4 (40 years). Well, she still mainly sews at the 7th grade home Economics level, while I have been learning through sewing classes, reading tons of blogs, and learning from CDs and books. So, I may not have the years of sewing, but I have the passion and interest to continue learning new techniques and tricks. My sewing has improved through the help of the sewing community in classes and, especially, from people like you who share their wealth of sewing experiences and knowledge. It truly is a wonderful community of creative, kind, and interesting ladies and men.
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I love your version of the Stitch skirt. The bright pink with the black lining really show up the folds. I also had terrible trouble with my button holes on this skirt – my machine couldn’t cope with the thickness of the fabric on the folds – up to six layers in places.
It’s a great pattern though – I get compliments every time I wear it.
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