First Polytech Hand-in - A Skirt

Ha ha - A Skirt - because it is actually a A-Line skirt. So that's not even slightly funny. Which just makes it funnier. I love not-funny funny things, people get so confused, and that to me is funny.
So we had to had in our work to date in the pattern-making course in the last class.
This included:

• our basic skirt block
• our A-line skirt block
• our pattern made from one of the blocks
• the notes we took on some ways you can modify the skirt blocks to make more interesting stuff, as well as our little 1/4 size examples of how you actually do that
• our skirt made from our patten

For those who don't know, which I imagine is many people, a block is a like a pattern, but it doesn't have the seam allowances and other useful information like that. It is basically the pattern without seam allowances and punch holes and stuff, and is what you make first, what you make the the pattern from. You can also trace it out and cut it up and stuff to make new blocks or patterns.

So the skirt I made (onto the interesting bit). I got the material the other week when I was standing at the counter in Spotlight while the lady cut out my material and I suddenly remembered I needed material for class. I have a lot of material already, but did I have anything to use? I had better get something. So in between telling the lady what to cut, I perused the bargains table that was conveniently behind me, and got some nice stuff, which seems to be a linen or linen-cotton, for $4/m. I think I only got one metre, which was silly. And also the exact (and I mean EXACT) amount I ended up needing for the skirt.
I had bought some brown cotton the other week, and I decided it would go nicely as piping down the seams. See pic of making piping.
It is string, with a folded strip of material seen on around it, then the material is sewn into the seam. It is in the side and back seams, and you can vaguely see it in the photos. It is mostly subtle.

It sort of turned out ok, as you saw in the very nice and moody picture at the start of the entry. But there was the problem of the side seams, which looked funny. At the point where they changed from the curve that takes them over the hips, to the straight line that makes the shape of the skirt, they kind of stick out. I think this was exacerbated by the stiffness of the seams from the piping, but was still a problem in the pattern. The teacher of the class seemed to say that it was the fault of the piping, but I think if the curve were not so pronounced, either by changing the curve in the top section of the skirt or by flaring it more from the sticking out bit, it would be better and maybe fixed. It just doesn't really need to be that shape, because it essentially sticks out and then changes direction of the curve in an arbitrary place, because due to the nature of the skirt is not very fitted or anything in that area. So here are the pictures. For some reason they are wonky. The skirt itself is not at all wonky.


This is the best bit though (which the teacher seemed to think was a mistake!) - the button!
Isn't it great? So a totally different colour... And I only had one too, so it is not likely I would end up using it otherwise. In that pic, especially when you click on it and view it bigger, you can see the nice texture of the material. It is a good photo.

The skirt doesn't look as good on me as it does in the very top picture, but it is ok. It even looks good when you can see the waistband AND when I wear something long over it. Not everything does. It hangs very nicely when viewed from the side doesn't it? I was going to put piping around the waistband but I forgot...

The more I look at the material, the more I wish I had bought more. But it seems to be increasing in price - last time I saw it it was on the $5 and more table, rather than the $4 and under table. And since it has no price tag, it really depends on what the cashier person thinks.