McCalls 3830 Skirt

View E-shortest one!

Hey, since I am between classes, I might as well make another skirt for the going-out-to-dinner mini skirt (with fab boots or wedges) or perhaps the ideal look for the typical mall rat at any usual shopping centre. 

But here is where my imagination takes flight sometimes.  It usually happens when I have enough fabric left over in my storage for anything to come into existance, so, I go on an embroider bender and try and finish up any projects that I can do so that I can free up some valuable square footage in my apartment.

So, since my last black skirt was black with white lillies, I  used Trish Burr's Long and Short Stitch embroidery book template for my mini skirt and went with the arum lily project.  Now, keep in mind I do have my own pictures to create my own templates but it was just so much quicker. 

(Anyway, Trish does some good projects in her book, so thank you)

Now, I also must confess that this idea spawned even earlier than I realized.  When I bought the DVD to the 'Other Boelyn Girl', Anne Boelyn had a couple of arum lillies on one of her stomachers in a scene.  However, I didn't choose to do that particular arum lily but actually settled on Trish's lily.  This looks a lot like the species ' Spathiphyllum sp' but may be another of the type like 'Arum maculatum'.  Either way, this plant belongs to the Arum family (Araceae).(AIR-A-CEE-E)

Anyway, the size of the flower was right for the mini skirt.  It didn't take me 3 weeks, but less than one.  Yes, I guess this was a "quick and easy" project, but still finding myself back to the fabric store buying invisible zippers for the closures to dresses and skirts.( And you may well have guessed that I like making skirts, handbags and fancy dresses.)

So, after completing the hand work I always buy the prescribed colours for the project and end up using way less than required.  I don't get that.  So, here are my progess pictures:

Trace out and place drawing on fabric




 






Out line back split stitch and begin work









Near completion


As you can see my trace for the leaf of the arum lily is somewhat faded.  This is the part that gets me.  I usually have to keep redrawing the outline until I can do a split backstitch on it especially on black fabrics
In the picture below, work is completed but next step is to get rid of that nasty hoop crease left on the outside of the work.

Completed

As for the rest of the skirt, all the hard work is done and what is left is the construction-to-completion jobs.  So, as you may have guessed, I do put in 8" invisible zippers in matching colours, this one being black.  Easy to find anywhere.  So, I hemmed the bottom at 2 " or (5.08 cm) instead of the pattern prescribed 2-1/4 ".  I just needed it to be a bit longer.

2 " (5.08 cm) hem hand stitched

When adding optional belt carriers, a common rookie mistake of mine was to let the weight of the machine foot to keep it in place while sewing in the permanent stitch.  I must say, DO NOT do this!!!  Basting is the way to go. I don't want to say how crooked your carriers can look if you don't baste them in place.

I also don't like the companies instructions on how to construct and sew the carriers until finished.  I have another way that works better.  Until then, I won't do it their way.

Basting on belt carriers.

Okay, that is it for now.  The skirt looked  exactly like the finished picture from McCall's with a silly arum lily slapped on the left front.  More pictures updated soon.  But it's done!

Bye for now.