And Then There Was An A-line Skirt

Once upon a time a sheet was hanging at a thrift store. That sheet did not know what it's purpose was any longer since it's partner was no longer around. In came a bright determined sewer who looked at that sheet and saw a skirt. Took a few dollars to to buy the sheet. She then brought it home and cared for its needs with a good hot washing and drying. Gently fold that sheet and placed it promptly in the sewing corner of the kitchen.
For weeks the dressmaker tried to figure out what to do with the sheet. Drawing pictures and looking through patterns to find just the perfect garment or two.
One cold and dreary spring.... Are we sure it was not still winter? No, spring weekend the sewist dreaming to become a designer decided to watch the Patternmaking Basics: The Shirt Slopper offered on Craftsy.  New inspiration began fluttering and and singing in her brain. Although this would be designer had a perfectly good skirt block made from her Surefit Designs Dress Kit she thought it would be great fun to see how she could change that pencil skirt (straight) into some thing new.
When it came time to work with the fabric she released she could not separate the sheet from her new friend, some pink broadcloth, and decide the broadcloth would be the perfect lining.  Other decisions went into the plan and inspiration began dancing in her head. The skirt no longer would be a straight skirt but and a-line for summer with in seam pockets.  So at last the day came and the button was sewn on. The happy seamstress looked at the creation and said yes this is good. Smiling as the sheet now skirt fluttered in the wind with all it's glory.

The magic of dart manipulation and adding volume. I've been reading about it in several books including  Patternmaking of Fashion Designers, and Make Your Own Dress Pattern. It was just the right time to take a new step. One of the things I have learned is that having several well fitting basic patterns is all you need to start designing more for yourself. A rather good wardrobe can be at your finger tips.  I will be sewing this skirt again. After a few more minor adjustments  I commit it to card stock like my initial pencil skirt I made earlier this year. I'm not sure what's up next on my sewing table but several Lutterloh tops have been calling. Happy sewing!

Update: My daughter tried on my skirt and it fit her perfectly. I decided to give it to her as one of her Mary Kay outfits. Here she is styling it.

The Makings of a Great Skirt Sew Off

The weather this winter has been horrible. Snow, cold, snow, cold etc. Enough already!I really should not complain the cold had me looking for spring/summer skirts which lead me to Lutterloh 267-159-2007. This skirt had my mind moving and my yearn to play with fabric going. Never dreamed it would become a  huge disappointment for me. Three tries later we got to the point of one I might wear this summer but the verdict is still out on that with ten inches of snow still on the ground. On to the review.

Pattern: 
Lutterloh 267-159-2007 (supplement-pattern-year) 
Pattern Description: 
This is a mermaid skirt that would be used in conjunction with a sari or other ethnic type garment. Sorry don't have a better explanation.
Pattern Sizing:
Lutterloh is based on your bust and hip measurement. Your pattern is drafted out using these two measurements. So ideally if your bust and hip are 50cm to 140cm the system should work for you. 
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?.
Yes but in one fabric.
Were the instructions easy to follow?
Lutterloh has no instructions. I checked a few of my resources about fit.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I like the general shape of the pattern. What I disliked once it was made was that it had no darts or other helps to fit it properly.
Fabric Used:
This was a piece of poly mix of some sort I picked up in Jo Ann fabrics clearance section.
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I drafted this pattern out a total of 2 times with 3 alliterations. The first was in a 122cm hip to try to create it as a wrap skirt. I ended up having to cut over 2 inches from the hem. the skirt was so large I had to remove my over lap and still take it in over 2 inches on each side seam. after much putzing with it I decide a need to re-draw the pattern. Second draft was done in a 120 hip. the ease was still huge 6cm in the waist and 4cm in the hip according to the patter paper. Once I sewed it up it still was about 6 inches to big in the waist so I took in each seam by about 1 inch. By this time I was very tired of playing with pattern and put the wearable muslin in my closet not taking it back out until today. 
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Yes to both questions. I’m determined to get the fit correct on this one. I have some wonderful bright summer tropical fabric waiting to be made into this skirt.
Conclusion: 
This one might end up in the waste basket.

When it comes to sewing the best 2 cents I can give is try something new. So I did. For the first time in a long time I drafted a pattern from scratch to use to compare to my other patterns and then I decided to to give my SureFit designs a try. My endeavor is to eventually remake the above skirt from scratch. In the mean time why not have a little fun making some new skirts and playing with different styles. This leads us to my first SureFit pencil skirt that I made with the aid of the dress kit  and the pencil skirt design sheet. There is nothing like learning a new system, but after making a quick skirt sloper this pencil skirt went together like a dream.

Pattern: 
This pattern was drafted using the SureFit Designs dress kit and downloadable pencil skirt fashion leaflet.
Pattern Description: 
Pencil skirt with back slight, darted waist, waist band and back zipper.
Pattern Sizing:
I used my measurements to create the pattern. With SureFit’s dress kit it teaches you how to use your body measurements to get a good fit to start out with.
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?.
Yes
Were the instructions easy to follow?
Yes the instruction used to draft the skirt were easy to follow. I checked a few of my resources about fit only to make sure I was not seeing anything that I need to fix.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I wanted a blank canvas to work with to create other skirts. This simple pencil skirt will work great as a starting point. The waist may have been taken in to far but that maybe a measurement mistake on my part.
Fabric Used:
A denim remnant found at my local Goodwill.
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I first drafted out my skirt sloper to address any fit issues. I found on my slipper that my waist and hips were too big so I had my daughter remeasure me. I then drafted a new copy of the sloper. Next I adjusted the this pattern to be a pencil skirt according to the fashion leaflet. trying on the pencil skirt mid way through construction I thought I saw some pooling in the back under my bum but after having my son take the pictures I don't seem to see it any more.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Yes to both questions. This may become a TNT skirt to use to create other skirts and designs from.
Conclusion: 

This is a good wardrobe builder.

Let the skirt sew off continue. 
If you are wondering what books I might consult when sewing and fitting something new it would be Easy Guide to Sewing, Fit For Real People, Fitting and Pattern Alterations, and A Guide to Fashion Sewing.