Just in time for Labor Day weekend, I completed the Butterick See & Sew 5737 skirt made with the gorgeous embroidered linen from JoAnn’s.
I had gone into JoAnn’s looking for a natural linen to make the skirt. I thought I might explore using some machine embroidery along the hem, but then I found the embroidered linen. Perfect!
Here’s the before:
I made view A, on the left.
And here’s the after:
I love the drape! This skirt makes me very happy.
After making the plaid version, I decided to make the pattern 3 inches longer, and the length feels great. I also reduced the waistband to 1 inch (as I did previously) because I prefer a narrower waistband, and I like to use the Palmer/Pletsch waistband interfacing, which is 1 inch wide.
The fabric necessitated a change in the pattern layout. It originally called for the center of each panel to be on the lengthwise grain, which would put each seamline on a bias (perfect for a plaid or stripe). The embroidered pattern on this linen is done in barely perceptible vertical rows along the lengthwise grain. The idea of those rows meeting at an angle made me anxious, therefore I cut the center front and back to meet on the lengthwise grain. I made a rough match of the embroidery.
These grain changes put the center of each panel on a bias and the side seams close to true bias. The resulting drape is really lovely.
If you have ever made a garment cut on the bias, you will know that the instructions tell you to let it hang for 24 hours so the bias stretches out as much as possible before you trim and hem. To even off this hem, I had to trim as much as 1.5 inches in some spots! But it’s even, as you can see.
The nice even hem, at least when worn by Gene the Dress Form. I have no way of marking the hem while wearing it myself.
On the inside, I finished the heck out of this skirt with Hug Snug rayon seam binding.
So pretty on the inside, but I’m not sure that I’m completely satisfied with how I handled the hem.
I’m wondering if I should have turned back a deeper hem. The pattern calls for a double-fold 5/8-inch hem (and I didn’t want to lose any length), but I didn’t want the topstitching on the outside. Instead, I sewed on the seam binding, turned and ironed the hem, then finished with a catch stitch.
Meanwhile, the way the zipper looks on the inside is an improvement over the navy zipper hand picked with white thread that I did for the plaid skirt.
The inside of the hand picked zipper looks pretty tidy because the zipper and thread all match, but I’m still trying to devise a more finished look.
I was thinking a wide grosgrain ribbon placket over the back of the zipper might look better, but I’m still puzzling through that idea. I’m getting obsessed with the notion of the inside of the garment looking as good as the outside.
And here it is on me!
Long and swishy! Photo by Matt Henry, 9. Can you tell from the angle of the photograph that he’s quite a bit shorter than my teenage daughter?
My goodness, the skirt was cool and comfortable in the hot Sacramento weather today. My friends and I made our annual trek to the Sacramento Greek Festival for lunch. The SacAnime convention was held at the same time and location, so I was not the only person at the Convention Center in a homemade garment. Crazy costumes!
Next up, a simple white blouse from New Look 0134/6104. That’s the pattern I already made in the plaid. This time, I’m planning on honing in that side dart on the proper location.
Jeanne Marie’s Sewing Studio 