Stripy Mabel Skirt: Take Two!

Alrighty. So the saga of the stripy Mabel skirt continues... You may or may not recall that I made a knee length version in this black and white synthetic double knit back in January. I was concerned that it was too tight and too long, and would end up getting constantly over-looked when deciding what to wear. I was debating about what to do about it; do I simply shorten the version I'd made or to I remake the whole damn thing adding width to the thigh area? 

I forced myself to wear it a couple of times and came to the conclusion that it was definitely too tight and not enjoyable to wear. Taking the hem up a bit wasn't going to be enough to make it something I'd reach for regularly, so I found the remnants of the fabric and cut myself out another, shorter version (though not as short as the pattern's short version) with about 1.5 cm added to each side seam around the thigh. I was able to unpick and reuse my take one's waistband and facing which made my take two a little quicker to construct. 

So how does the second version fare? It's definitely better. I've worn it a couple of times and it doesn't feel restrictive anymore. I'm not in love with how it sits on the waist though. Perhaps it could be improved by tightening it up a bit or even exaggerating the curve of the back waistband, but I feel that those potential solutions would make getting it on and off difficult. I can't help but think that eliminating the curved waistband idea entirely and creating an elasticated waist would feel generally more secure. 

Although this second version is much better than the first and will see some wear for sure, at present it's still not the comfy-as-wearing-T-shirt-round-your-bum plan I had in mind for a knit skirt! Ideally I was going for something I could wear to play groups and mess around in without a second thought, but I do find myself somewhat conscious of this skirt (as I feel in all skirts to be fair) and have to readjust how it is sitting from time to time. I don't think I'll make another Mabel skirt, but at some point I may use it as a basis to draft an elasticated waist knit skirt pattern, which is probably what I should have done in the first place. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to get a pic of the second version actually being worn. Trying to get one actually delayed me in publishing this post, but with #mmmay15 just round the corner, I figured you'll see it worn (hopefully!) soon enough to get an idea of the fit!

Well, I wasn't going to waste the first version of this skirt, was I?! Using my go-to baby/toddler Playful Kitty leggings pattern, I cut the biggest size (size 92) as I wanted to get maximum use of the remaining fabric after the waistband had been removed. Dolores probably won't fit these for at least a year, but that's totally fine as I've made heaps of leggings for her for the nearer future, and have plans for many more pairs of stretchy bottoms in the pipeline. 

I attempted to make this version of the leggings pattern more interesting to make for myself by adding these appliquéd heart knee patches. The hearts are made from tiny scraps of the T-shirting left over from the retro running shorts and are adhered to the leggings with double sided bondaweb. Usually when I do  appliqué, I fuse some interfacing to the back of the area before satin-stitching round the edge of the shape, but I skipped that step this time as I didn't want to make them restrictive with too much bulk so that she can't easily bend her knees! It meant that the hearts looked a bit wavy and not as flat as they would do if I'd applied interfacing, but a good old press with the iron elimated most of the wobbly effect.

Stripy Mabel Skirt

I ran out of time to blog my final creation of 2014, so here she is paired with a black Dolores batwing top and The Mustard Cardigan That Will Not Die (despite near-continuous use for the last four years). 

Well, I'm not going to lie, I can be a lazy cow when it comes to sewing and pattern cutting. I could have drafted a simple knit skirt pattern myself if I had been arsed, but I couldn't so I bought the Mabel pattern by Colette patterns. I enjoy how neat and lady like I feel when wearing skirts and dresses, but rarely do so because I just don't find them as comfortable as jeans or trousers. So I thought a knit skirt might bridge the gap somehow, and I might trick myself into wearing more skirts if they are as comfy as wearing a t-shirt round my thighs!  

Pattern:

I'm not sure if I've written this 'out loud' before, but generally I'm not a massive fan of Colette patterns. I think they are beautifully designed and the packaging, website etc. is very pretty, but whenever I've actually made one I've found elements of the drafting that have annoyed me so I have steered clear of them for a long while. But a pattern as simple as this? What is there to annoy me?!  

Not much! Hurrah! I really like this pattern and its options. I basically made Version 1 but lengthened considerably. I could have blended Versions 1 and 3, but I didn't feel it was necessary and I wanted to avoid that stupid back vent detail on the longer version. That is the one sticking point for me with this particularly pattern, why make a back vent for a skirt made from stretchy knit?! The vent is unlikely to ever sit flat (in fact I saw a version that was made in double knit that was display on a dress form and the vent had to be pinned down because it wouldn't sit right), and surely the stretchiness would negate the need anyhow?

Anywayyyyy... I cut the medium size and it's almost perfect. However, in this fabric I think I'd have been better off adding an each 1 cm to each side seam around the thigh to give me an extra 4 cms in total. Plus I think I may have made it too long. I was aiming for knee length but I didn't bank on it sitting as low as it does so it's it feels kind of grannyish (no offence, grannies).  

Fabric:

This weird synthetic double knit has been in my stash for years and is from an unremembered source, perhaps from when I worked at TRAID. I think it may be the same stuff, or very similar, to the fabric I used for the top part of this dress I made three years ago. Actually, remind me to dig out that dress and cut it down to make a top. 

This fabric is very solid and a joy to cut and sew. There's a good stretch content, but equally good recovery, hence I'm feeling the lack of those 4 cms round the thighs where a 'looser', more forgiving knit might not highlight it so much!

Thoughts:

Hmm, this was always going to be a wearable toile, but how wearable is it in its current state? I need to wear it again for a full day to decide if it's comfortable enough to bother re-hemming it about 4 cms or so shorter, or if the fabric should be transformed into baby/toddler leggings. If I choose the latter, I actually have enough of this fabric left to squeeze out one more attempt. 

Does anyone else feel the same as me about wearing skirts and dresses? Do you have a way of tricking yourself into wearing them? I think one of the problems I have is that I rarely find tights that I like the fit of and I can wear all day. Maybe I'll try making my own tights this year to spec and alleviate one of the main discomforts of skirts and dresses when worn not at the height of summer.