Burda 7248 Spring Skirt

I have a bunch of projects that I really should do, but the sun has finally peeked from behind the clouds and melted the snow; my tulips are blooming and I wanted to sew for SPRING!

So I made a pink pencil skirt. With flowers on it.

This is the fabric I used. Isn't it amazing!! Totally quintessential Spring. It is a stretch woven with an interesting interwoven floral design, given to me by the lovely and talented Lady Katza. I think this is actually the wrong side, but I liked it better so I used it this way. It has a ton of stretch, which runs with the grain like bengaline, so I cut the skirt on the cross grain to take advantage of the stretch around my body.

The pattern I used is Burda 7248, a vintage reprint from the 50s. I've used it before to make this Alexander McQueen knockoff, and really like the shape. This time, I actually sewed it as drafted, only making a few alterations for fit, based on the first version. While the skirt is pretty basic, it has all the bells and whistles.

Back vent with a nice fold over facing on the underlap, which finishes it nicely. You can see that I decided not to line this, both because I couldn't be bothered and because I didn't want to mess with the stretch of the fashion fabric.

I cut the waistband on the fabric's grain so that it wouldn't stretch and also to conserve yardage. Myra wants some, too. I accidentally attached the waistband without accounting for the underlap, so the skirt is a wee bit big in the waist, and there wasn't anywhere for a buttonhole. Instead, I sewed on a couple of hook and eyes. I kind of like it though. It's nice and flat without the bulk of a button back there.

You can't really tell from the line drawing, but this skirt is actually really long. I cut off an inch at the hem and added 1/2 inch to the hem allowance (functionally shortening it 1 1/2 inches) and you can see that it still falls an inch or so below my knee. As drafted it is a little bit of a frumpy length on me, but I really like the just below knee length, so future makes will be shortened.

I'm really pleased with this skirt overall. The pattern is great and the fabric is cool and comfortable. It will definitely get a lot of wear this Spring. I'm planning to wear this as my Easter outfit on Sunday. The blouse is Vogue 8747 and I've belted it with a faux leather tied obi that I think is pretty fun. I'm not too sure about these shoes though. What do you think?

And should you doubt the appearance of Spring in the Salt Lake Valley - look! Tulips!

McQueen Knockoff skirt

My second to last piece in the Wardrobe Basics SAL is done! I still need to make my LBD, but I think I'm going to come in just under the April 30th goal. Yay!

I fell in love with this Alexander McQueen skirt that floated around Pinterest and really wanted my own. I spent a lot of time contemplating this skirt and went back and forth on what pattern to use. Initially, I thought I'd use McCall's 3630, since it is a TNT for me, but it is a pretty straight skirt from the hip down, and the McQueen original is clearly pegged. I wasn't even thinking about it when I went in to Hancock's to pick up a couple of Burda's that had been on my list. When I brought home Burda 7248 I realized it was the perfect base for this knockoff.

You can see the hi-lo shape of the flounce a little better from the back. Sassy! For the flounce, I used Vogue 1269. Drafting the flounce from scratch would have been pretty easy, but the Vogue was a perfect fit as it was, so I decided to go with it. In retrospect, and in comparing the pictures of the original with mine, I can see that my flounce is a little bit shorter, although since my skirt portion is a bit longer, I end up at the same place.

The original design closes with an invisible zip at center back, which I did. I deviated from the design in that I added a waistband. I prefer a stable waistband to a faced waist in general, but particularly with this fabric, which is a very stretchy bengaline, I didn't want to worry about it stretching out. But, in keeping with the feel of the original design, I installed the zipper to go all the way up to the top of the waistband, eliminating a button or other closure there.

Although it isn't clear from the description if the original was lined or not, I suspect it probably was. I lined the upper portion with an acetate jacquard lining which I cut on the bias, so that it would have some stretch with the bengaline. You can see from the photos on Net-a-porter that the original flounce had Hong Kong finished seams, which I replicated. The original had a faced hem. I really wish I had done that or lined the flounce. I did a narrow machine stitched hem, but it was a serious pain. Since the flounce is circular, the edge  includes quite a few bias sections, all of which stretch in different ways. It was ugly. I think I did more ripping on the hem then I did sewing the entire rest of the skirt. Live and learn.

Overall, I am pleased with the skirt and with the success of the knock off. Not to mention that I actually used something I pinned!! Woo hoo!

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