Thursday 15 December 2011

Patternless

So we decided this week to try going patternless.  Now that I have my dressform (dubbed by my daughter: She Need a Head, or SNAH), it should make learning a lot easier.  On the other hand, I had about 2 hours to myself this week, so it had to be a lightning fast project.  Enter the maxi skirt:
Don't get me wrong, this wasn't a cop-out;  I've been planning to make a maxi skirt since the summer, and have lots of images pinned.  I was just waiting for the right fabric to come to me, and this rayon sarong fit the bill nicely.  This rayon has a great drape (almost like a jersey), and such a great combination of colours that will go with just about anything. 
 It's actually more of a burnt umber/black than a mustard/navy, but I just don't have the time or inclination to adjust the colours right now.  Take my word for it, it's great.  Oh yeah, and it's batik.  You expected something else?
 
 I love the border, and so I immediately thought, "Fold it in half and make a knee length skirt with the border on the hem.", but then I checked my closet, and (all my skirts)-1=knee length, so it was time to stir it up a bit.  I didn't want to hide the border print, so I sewed those ends together to make a tube, and then.....hey, I don't really have to describe how to make an elastic-waist skirt, do I?  How about I just show you some photos of the skirt in action:

 Good for kid wrangling...


 ....and putting decorations on the tree, and taking decorations off the tree, and putting decorations back on the tree, and....(you get my drift)

I wanted it to be MAXI maxi, and sweep the floor, even though I'm reminded of that quote from Heidi about long skirts: 

 "....(cousin Dete)...had a long trailing skirt to her dress which swept the floor, and on the floor of a goatherd's hut there are all sorts of things that do not belong to a dress."

I should amend this quote to read:

"...she had a long trailing skirt which swept the floor, and on the floor of a parasitological research facility, there are all sorts of things that do not belong to a dress." 
 
Ah well, rayon is machine washable.

10 comments:

  1. I love the pattern in your fabric! Also, this looks great as a maxi skirt - you look comfy and ready to party. Love it with the belt and black shirt - a fabulous ensemble!

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  2. Fabulous skirt...and such perfect fabric! Love your christmas tree---such a sweet picture with both of you!

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  3. eeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEP.

    i am equal parts in love with skirt and in horror at quote.

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  4. Thanks gals. I made it in 30min. last night, wore it to work today and got loads of compliments (and some amazed "You MADE that?!")
    Oona: you really wouldn't like the mega-nerdy game we played at our Institite Christmas party the other night, after too much dep wine: name that parasite and win a prize! I won $20 for being the first to recognize a tape worm. See, education really does pay!

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  5. Hee hee! I adore maxi-skirts, but then I like my skirts either really long, or really short. And that fabric looks delicious!

    We used to share office space with the veterinary parasitologists. I must admit to being a tiny bit glad it was just office space, not lab space. I'm pretty sure there's nothing more frightening on the floor of our lab than some very, very old dust...

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  6. great fabric, and I am astounded it only took 30 mins!!

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  7. @Tanit-Isis: Actually, I don't have to handle any parasites at the moment. My project is purely molecular modelling using a yeast system, so no creepy crawlies coming home on my skirt.

    @Charlotte: Thanks, but it was a sarong, so it was already finished on all the edges with a baby hem. All I had to do was join the sides and create a channel in the top for the elastic. It was so fast that I even managed to do it before I put the kids to bed - imagine!

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  8. Hehe, who doesn't love parasites on their sweeping skirts? ;) Love the skirt, such pretty fabric!

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  9. I laughed so hard at that quote! I remember being a very tomboyish, no-fuss-no-skirts kind of girl growing up, and scorning Dete when I read that passage...who would've thought that I'd grow up to be Dete with her long skirts sweeping the floor every time I got chemicals off of a bottom shelf!

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  10. I realize this post is from many years ago, but I'm thinking of making a maxi skirt from a border print rayon, and when I googled, this post came up! I was wondering if you remember/know what the width of the fabric was. I don't want to make too narrow or too wide a tube, and I like the look of yours.

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