My makes of 2015: Frida Kahlo skirt
This is the fourth instalment in my ‘Makes of 2015’ series, in which I’m shining the spotlight on my unsung makes of 2015 – you know, the ones I’ve been wearing so much that I’ve forgotten to shout about them! If you missed the last instalment you can find it here.This particular skirt began, as all projects do, with a large glass of wine. I even have a photo of the exact glass, because I was clearly so jolly and silly that it seemed like a great idea to snap a picture!
Over Christmas I'd bought some novelty fabric for gift-making purposes, which must have put me on a fabric shop's mailing list (from which I've since had to unsubscribe, lest they tempt me with more inviting offers), and one sunny evening in June I got an email detailing their amazing summer sale. In my inebriated state I was compelled to treat myself to a metre (even when I'm tipsy I know how to be sensible!) of this beautiful Frida Kahlo fabric.
It was sort of hard to tell the scale of the print from the website so I thought I might as well just go for it! I can't remember for sure, but I have a feeling the fabric was the standard 44" wide, which meant that I had to be really careful with what I chose to make!
In the end I opted for a pencil skirt with pockets, which would be both practical and summery for the office. I self-drafted the pattern, and made the skirt as long as I could within the limitation of only having a metre to use. I actually managed to get quite a wide hem, which means that the bottom of the skirt holds its shape really nicely. The waistband is just a regular folded rectangle, and I put in symmetrical pleats to taper the fabric in towards my waist.
I didn't have quite enough fabric left to make the pockets so I used some world map scraps (why didn't I take a photo?!). I used an invisible zip, which you can see in the photo below, and of course a BeckyQoF garment label! I love the cheeky snake just hanging out there in the waistband - just ignore the wonky stitching please, I was using my mum's sewing machine while mine was broken and I clearly had no control over it whatsoever!
Has anyone else sewn with this fabric? What did you make? I reckon it'd make a beautiful set of cushions!
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