The Mini-Wardrobe Swap

Of course I'm playing! I'm addicted to this wardrobe thing.

After the whirlwind of April though, it took a while to get back in the sewing groove. I'm still sort of out of it, but I've slowly sewn up my two skirts for this wardrobe.

My theme is called Adding In Ethnic.

Ethnic - inspired by Cidell's dress , Cidell's other dress and Christina's dress, as well as all the ethnic trends in Spring/Summer 2008.

Adding in - because I want the pieces to work with my Mellow Yellow wardrobe.

I'm making the 4 piece option - 2 skirts and 2 tops. (I should get a storyboard going.)

ETA - here's the storyboard.


Skirt 1 - McCalls 5474



I was really looking for a skirt with box pleats, otherwise I'd have scrolled right past this picture. The picture is, how should I put it? a little young. I'm too old to wear a mini-skirt. However, I own a skirt with box pleats, a skirt that really works well for me, and the lines on this McCall skirt were right.

My fabric was an ikkat-style cotton from my stash. My mom bought me this the last time she was in India. She paid the equivalent of $1 for it, I think. (What can I say? cotton is ridiculously cheap in India.) Unfortunately, she bought this before I was garment sewing - so I had a scant meter of this. Ah well. I made do. (Just about.)

This pattern is EASY!!!! There's two pattern pieces - a skirt and a waistband. That's it. If you know how to set in a zipper, you can make this skirt. I love easy! (Also, for some reason, places like Ann Taylor charge $40+ for a skirt like this. Bah. My version was $2. ($1 - fabric, $1, zipper.)

The not-enough fabric modifications? Not a fan of the waistband, which I didn't have enough cloth to cut with the stripes vertical.

(Bad waistband.)


However, I never tuck in - ever. (I have a tummy.) So, skirt works fine.

(And the inside facing is a solid red, since by now, I'd TOTALLY run out of fabric.)

Skirt 2 - Simplicity 4036.



I think I could make this skirt in my sleep, I've made it so many times. (The first pattern I ever made, too.)

Repeat from above - EASY!!! I LOVE easy.

My fabric was a batik wall hanging that I found this in my local Salvation Army/Goodwill. It was $1.99? $2.99? Something like that. I knew I wanted to make it a skirt, but was on the fence about it a little, since that was a little weird. But the cashier had already rung it up, so I think it was meant to be.

(Back of skirt.)



Vintage Advance Dress Muslin - I had 11 comments on the dress!!!!! Wow. How cool! Thank you everyone who weighed in - the consensus was OVERWHELMINGLY, no belt/skinny belt. I don't own a skinny belt, and I'll earmark some time over the weekend to look for one. In the meanwhile, however, I'm going out tomorrow night, and its supposed to be super-warm. So, perhaps, the dress will get a preview, without belt.