B8155: Christmas Cheer in Royal Blue

Welcome 2012! I’m stoked to be starting off the new year with a new creation, this should be a good omen for all the finished projects to come I think! Although I’m a tad annoyed with myself for not ironing it before taking photos…

The second version of my most favourite pencil skirt pattern – Burda 8155. This time I actually followed the instructions most of the way through as I’ve kept the waistband – unlike my first iteration where I used a gorgeous bright red grosgrain ribbon (see the Technicolour Dream skirt here).

Mum was gracious enough to take the above photo – after which I was promptly told to sit up properly.

I bought a gorgeous glass button from Etsy, and used a bound button hole on the waistband – you can see my bound button tutorial here.

I found that had I left the length of the waistband as per the pattern (a size 38), it would have been too long. I cut about 6cm off the end – a much more manageable length! I ‘stitched in the ditch’ along the front leaving the seam allowance flat, reducing the bulk inside the waistband. The wool blend fabric was quite thick – so this worked perfectly, and the texture of the fabric meant that it’s nigh on impossible to see the ditch stitching at the front.

I used the French seam finish technique along both of the side seams of the lining – you can see a tutorial on that here. 

The fabric was a gorgeously soft royal blue basket-weave wool and nylon blend, by Alexander Wang and bought from EmmaOneSock. Beautifully thick and perfect for winter – lined in my favourite lining fabric – a black habotai silk. Shame I couldn’t get a zip with a colour to match quite properly… but one does the best with what one has!