Thursday 10 October 2013

thin summer skirt to blouse

This skirt keeps making an appearance while I am shifting fabrics and patterns. So I decided it was time to refashion it. I think I picked it up somewhere at some charity shop because I love the colour and print.
You can see how much longer it is than I wear by comparing with the not-yet-hemmed-skirt-from-duvet in progress next to it.

The waistband was very small. Here you can see after I chopped off the waistband how much fabric was gathered into it!
and the cutting mat has the inches side upwards!

So there was plenty fabric to do something with. The fabric is very, very lightweight cotton. I am not sure just how you could wear it for a skirt without wearing a lot under it for decency and without feeling like it would tear getting in and out of cars or catching on briars on a walk.

However, it would make a lovely blouse for a very hot day. And with a cami under it would do for regular just plain hot summer days.

So I used my basic blouse pattern and had plenty of fabric to cut out the blouse, extra button stands, cap sleeves and a mandarin collar. I cut it out and got it mostly sewn together today. It needs button holes and the hems of sleeves and bottom hem sorted and it will be done.
Scraps left piled in the front.

I was going to use the button stand from the button down front of the skirt, but the spacing didn't work with the blouse layout. I will also be using different buttons, since these were a random purple colour. So, I would have had to fuss with the existing buttonholes and trying to match to make extra. It will be easier to create buttonholes that go with whatever colour I select from my stash.

Perhaps that will happen tomorrow.

No it isn't summer, it isn't even warm anymore. But it will be a great blouse for next summer!
Now to sew the other blouses I had cut earlier in the year. I have been enjoying just 'making' without a purpose or deadline for a change.

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