Gossip Tree Circle Skirt

I muse upon circle skirts...

When Casey announced her Circle Skirt Sew-Along, I was very excited, because I love the blank canvas of a circle skirt.  Plus ever since Patty created her Circle Skirt Calculator, I've been plotting to add circle skirts to my wardrobe, so Casey was just adding to my motivation.

Note my awesome caramel super shiny vintage men's loafers..

Now truth be told, this adorable Tina Givens print (Gossip Tree from her Treetop Fancy line) was supposed to be a full circle skirt with 4 gores. The way the one way directional repeat worked in this print, I felt like it would be maximized by centering the gores on the directional (ironically, this attention to direction was paid immediately after cutting out my "Everyone Makes Mistakes" skirt, but before said mistake was discovered.)

Unfortunately, I cut out my last gore overlapping where I cut out the waist on my third gore, making it appear to have a butchered scalloped edge.  So it became a three-gore 3/4 circle skirt.  So it goes.

Honestly I love the way it hangs.  I finished the waist with bias tape cut from the same fabric and used an invisible zipper in center back following the great tutorial on the Coletterie.  I absolutely love how a shirt looks tucked into this non-waistband finish.  I have been so in love with belts and wide waistbands lately, I was surprised at how flattering this looks.

I finished with a simple rolled hem pressed 1/4", and then rolled another 1/4" and sewn once. My skirt is still plenty swingy as you can see.

So in recap here are the 3 circle skirts in my Fall Palette Wardrobe...

half-circle

3/4 circle cut in gores!

Full circle (fully lined in medium weight cotton)

Who can pick?  I love the economical use of fabric in a half-circle, but that extra quarter step to a 3/4s is so lovely in the draping.  It occurs to me that the soft fluid drape of the plaid suiting in my full circle is far less dramatic than the results with the stiffer fabric cut into gores with the 3/4s.  No matter I love them all.

But here is the true bliss of the circle skirt, no?

Self-Stitched September Wrap Up

collage created at Picnik 

the calliope crashed to the ground..

photo inspiration giving me opportunity to quote Springsteen in my Fall Palette

It's been fun refining my Fall Palette, but it's has been less inspiring to write about apparently.  Also I am mad at Colourlovers for only allowing 5 colors in a palette..Here's my final Fall Palette I guess.

Simplicity 2655, the "Yabba Dabba Do " Skirt

Simplicity 2655 in Dagmar by Alexander Henry

On Tuesday I was slummy again for my day off, but I didn't look slummy in my recently finished "muslin" of Simplicity 2655 (view E).  I say muslin, because I was really just testing the pattern for size/etc, but wanted to be able to wear it.  Since I wanted a skirt to ride on my hip, rather than much higher on my waist- I decided to make this pattern up in size 22, but since I sewed most of it on the serger, I could have sized down to 20, because this skirt certainly does have a low rise now.  It's impossible to call the yoke a waistband yoke, since it falls a good inch below my belly button, and my natural waist is about 4 inches above my belly button!  It's a hip-yoke, I guess.

Denied! (wherein we come to a fork in the road toward my Fall Palette Wardrobe)

My Fall Wardrobe Palette has been thwarted!  I was planning most of my separates around this Anna Maria Horner velveteen, of which I was going to make a jacket and yesterday I watched a lovely customer buy all we had left.  Stupid me, I could've controlled my destiny, but instead I lost out.  Boo.

And now let us turn to Autumn

More to come.  Dreaming of wearing layers won't make it so!

And now let us turn to Autumn by mommylap on Polyvore.com