I've been wanting to move my blog away from Blogspot for a while but could never be bothered to actually do it. This week was the tipping point though, and I've now fully migrated over to https://patsypoomakes.wordpress.com/ . The blogspot address will remain here but all new posts will only appear at https://patsypoomakes.wordpress.com/ . There are lots of reasons for the move but my biggest one is how hard Blogger has made it for people to subscribe to receive new posts via email. It's such a basic requirement but apparently, they think it's too much to offer. I'm basing this purely on how I myself prefer to consume this stuff. I can't be arsed with feed readers anymore and emails are easy and convenient. When I receive one, if I fancy reading it, I will click through to it and, if not, I'll just delete it. Another reason is the spat between Google (owners of Blogger) and Instagram/Facebook/Meta. I don't even know if this is still the case anymore ...
One of the projects that came to life during the Me Made May whirlwind this year was this gorgeous Arielle skirt, by Tilly and the Buttons. I knew I wanted to make it as soon as the pattern was released, all the way back when. I bought the PDF straightaway and printed it out. But it stayed in a corner for over a year - almost two! "Why?" I hear you ask. Well...
Because it absolutely HAD to be yellow. And not just any yellow. A bright, sunshiney, egg yolk, vibrant yellow. Just like the one on the pattern photos. However, it was almost impossible to find. Everytime I went into a fabric shop I looked for it. But nothing was right. Until, one fine day last summer, I walked into Fabworks and found the perfect colour.
I have no idea what the composition is but I believe it to be cotton - I did the flame test and it didn't melt nor did it smell synthetic-y.
It's pretty thick and heavy but it was amazing to cut, sew and press. It looks to be some sort of raincoat fabric or something. It feels almost like plastic but it definitely isn't. It's lovely to wear as well.
With Tilly's patterns I'm always a straight up size 3. But when I checked the measurements for length neither of the options the pattern offers were my usual length. The longer one (27") was too long and the short one (21") was too short. So I decided to go right in between and cut mine at 24". It's my perfect length, hitting just above the knee. In case you're wondering, my height is 5'6" (1.69m).
I made all the length adjustments straight on the pattern paper, before cutting. I wanted to line it and the lining is neatly tucked away in the corners (see photo above) and I'm not sure it'd be as tidy if I decided to change the length before hemming.
Construction was pretty straight forward until I had to attach the lining. Instructions were great, as always, but it was just a little fiddly to install the lining around the curved edges. Nothing too difficult. You just have to take your time.
When I got to the buttonholes my machine decided to throw a hissy fit. Ugh! Halfway through 2 or else 3 buttonholes, the top thread kept snapping and I had to unpick the whole thing and start again. Infuriating! I love my automatic 1-step buttonhole function, but sometimes I bloody hate it, too.
I still don't know what the problem was. I just re-threaded the machine and it was fine. But my heart was in my mouth and I don't think I was breathing for all of the other buttonholes, waiting for disaster to strike again. Weird. It had just come back from servicing that week as well. And making the rest of the skirt had gone without a hitch. The sewing gods must've been in a mood with me that day or something.
The buttons are also from Fabworks and I love them. They have a pretty honeycomb effect all over them. Very nice.
I love the fit of it as well. It's so flattering. I never thought I was one for high waisted garments but I actually kind of love them. They're flattering and, because they help keep my tummy in, they're so comfortable. I went out with my girls after these pictures were taken and the skirt passed the meal out test with flying colours.
