Blogs are a great source of inspiration for me…and even more tutorials (I keep bookmarking, printing, pinning them). That’s how the fantastic Skateboard skirt by Simple Simon and Co. ended up on my very optimistic sewing list for 2011.
After completing my coat, I was looking for quick yet nice projects to make. This seemed to tick all the boxes…and I would even use fabric and elastic from my stash.
What more can you ask?
I jotted down all the measurements, cut the fabric and sewed up the skirt…the project came together nicely and was also quick (despite all the time I took pressing seams).
At the end of the evening the skirt was ready and I finally tried it on.
That’s when horror struck…I struggled it get it past my hips (no, it’s not wrong measurements!) and the stiffer fabric bulged up right above my bum and there was no way it would flow down. Plus there was the bulk from the elastic.
Let me tell you it was not a pretty sight. I felt wide and disappointed.
What was the problem, you may be wondering? Well, it boils down to body shapes. Although the skirt fit technically around my hips and bum, I would have needed an wider A-line shape.
So, next morning I was back at the drawing board…still determined to make a skirt with the same fabric…but I turned to my TNT flared skirt. After some unpicking seams and pressing, here is the result.
The skirt is shorter than my usual skirts, but I had no more fabric. Thankfully I found a zipper in my stash.
I followed Sherry’s tutorial on Facing an invisible zipper and I am very pleased with the result
Were you ever disappointed with your end product? Was it a body type mismatch?
I wish you a weekend free from sewing disappointments!
Sewing Princess 
Very pretty, I love the fabric! Body type mismatch is a frequent mistake, I think. I try to learn. 🙂
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Nice save! You did a great job with this cute little skirt.
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Oh, I’m sorry about the trouble — but good save! I have problems like this ALL THE TIME. It’s usually a fabric or fit issue for me. For a long time I made and wore things that were all wrong for my body shape and now I’m getting better but tend to make things with the wrong fabric (a Colette Beignet and a Clover come to mind, one right after the other, too). Thank goodness for TNTs!
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My wardrobe is full of things at the moment that are wrong for my body shape! I am as flat chested as the day is long yet being middle aged I now find my once slender lower portions expanding at an alarming rate on a daily basis so it is hard to accommodate all my bodily discrepancies! You are not alone!
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I have had a similar experience. I once cut a sewing project in two I was so fed up with its progress. It was a dress I was making for my cousin’s wedding. The wedding was in the dead of summer (July) and I rightfully chose to make a sleeveless maxi dress. I bought the most gorgeous vintage cream and purple polka dot fabric. The polka dots were large, irregularly-sized, and variegated throughout the fabric. The fabric was absolutely stunning (and expensive). I correctly drafted the pattern and the fit was perfect but when I finished sewing the garment and tried it on, it was hideous. Absolutely, positively hideous. The pattern was correct, the design was good, and the fabric was amazing but together, it didn’t work. I tried to resurrect it many times but it just wouldn’t come back to life (only Jesus can do such a thing). So, on a Saturday night, with my scissors in hand, I cut it in two, and bought a dress for the wedding.
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I am remarkably good at making mistakes like this too and fully expect many many more in the future. I am, you see, a beginner sewer so haven’t got a clue, though I am learning. Fortunately I have my small children to use as training models – they don’t really care what they wear as long as it is PINK. So, they have lots of PJs made from ballsed up fabric/pattern/sizing/etc combinations.
What is life without the mistakes?
I do love the fabric and am impressed you saved the project. Do you wear the skirt?
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Too bad the original skirt didn’t work out, but I have to say that the end result looks great – lovely fabric! I’ve had my fair share of FO disappointments, both as a result of mismatched body type to pattern combo and poor fabric choice. The worst one was the Summer Blouse from Heather Ross’ Weekend Sewing book. I sacrificed a lovely Nani Iro double gauze. The pattern was all wrong for my body type and because I made it when I first started sewing, I used the wrong size needle so the fabric ended up with lots of holes. The end result was awful on me – too baggy, too wide at the shoulders, totally un-wearable. It still sits in my “to fix one day” pile…
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