Velvet Pencil Skirt

Self-drafted pencil skirt & my Seamwork Astoria sweater

The day has finally come my friends - I finally finished my first self-drafted pattern!!! A lovely and versatile pencil skirt! As some of you know, I took a pattern drafting class this past winter where we used our personal measurements to make a sloper. From the sloper, we created basic pattern blocks (fitted to our own bodies) that can be altered to make tops, dresses, skirts, & more! I didn't have to make too many alterations to my front and back skirt blocks for my pencil skirt, I just took the sides in (for a more fitted look) and narrowed the skirt as it got closer to my knees - to give me an hourglass shape.

Invisible zipper in back

Overall, I'm very happy with how the skirt turned out! It's hard to go wrong when you find stunning velvet like this! I picked this up at a fabric store in Charlottesville, VA. They sell a mixture of vintage and new fabric - I always find something I want. This lovely velvet wasn't on a bolt, so I'm thinking it's a vintage treasure  :)  I knew right away that I wanted to use it for a skirt. It ended up being a really close call getting it all cut out - there was no extra yardage whatsoever! I had to pull out some magic maneuvering for the pattern pieces to fit!

Found a friend on our photo walk!

I kept the skirt really simple, so the fabric could really stand out. I lined the skirt with some plain navy blue lining fabric. I had fun styling out a couple different looks with my new skirt  :)  I love how the rich velvet looks paired with my boucle-knit Astoria sweater! The mix-matched patterns and textures work so well together. It will be such a pretty outfit for fall. 

Next on my sewing table:

I'm cutting fabric for another Mesa dress! I was so thrilled with my first outcome, that I immediately wanted to start another one  :) Stay tuned for yet another color-blocked Mesa!

Color Blocked Mesa Dress

Hello friends, it's been too long! I set aside my sewing for a few weeks this summer, and replaced it with bike rides, weekend trips, and soaking-up the sun  :)  I've had a great summer exploring the east coast. Weekend trips included checking out the Blue Ridge Mountains, Washington DC, Rhode Island, Rehoboth Beach, and camping on the Potomac in Virginia!

This past weekend my friend Jessica visited and we sewed the Seamwork Mesa dress. We were both really happy with how our dresses turned out. They are simple and stylish, and they will be great for layering when colder weather comes.

Jessica & Melissa: Sewing Sensations!

We went to a print shop and printed the large format version, it's such a hassle taping all the 8.5"x11" pages together. The dress was really easy to sew - we cut, pinned, and sewed it together while watching the Wuthering Heights mini series with Tom Hardy. The pattern says it will take 1 hour to sew, but those estimates never seem to match up for us - haha, it took us several hours (including cutting and pinning). The only change I made to the pattern, was lengthening it. I like to wear my dresses closer to the knee, so I cut the pattern about an 1 1/2" longer.

pinning the neckband

I used some black textured knit leftover from my Midnight Myrtle dress, and a mid-weight grey knit with tiny pinstripes. Jessica helped me decide which fabric to put where for my color blocking. I love, love, love the color blocking! Now I need to buy more knit fabric, so I can make another Mesa!