With Confidence and a Little Faith: Pick Pocket Skirt

K.C. has completed her 1st sewing project, the Pick Pocket Skirt from Sew News Magazine’s website Sew Daily.  The website provides a collection of download patterns for beginners.  Shout out to Bianca (@thanksimadethem on Instagram) for suggesting this group of patterns.  Bianca says “Every sewing kit comes with a seam ripper and every expert was once a beginner.”  I think we can all say AMEN to that!  (Photo Credit: @byleahlegend)  (Fabric is sold out)

I downloaded the Sew Quick + Easy pattern collection because it’s for beginners and I’m a beginner. The collection had all the patterns in it except the Pick Pocket Skirt pattern. So I had to purchase the pattern from Sew Daily for $4.29.

I didn’t particularly care for the extra ruffle at the top of the skirt so my Mom and I decided not to include it. The pattern was different from the patterns I am used to. The download included directions for the skirt (no pattern just measurements on how to cut 2 squares) and a pocket pattern.

When selecting the fabric for the skirt, the color of the fabric grabbed my attention first. I mean, how could I pass it up? I didn’t even know it was called ROSEWOOD. The name was just a plus. I also didn’t own any corduroy, and I figured it would be a great addition of texture to my wardrobe.  To prepare for the sewing process, I pre-washed the fabric separately in the washing machine in a cold setting. The fabric shrunk just a little.

I am becoming more comfortable with using the machine. I have to remember the pedal is just like a gas pedal of a vehicle, and I definitely need more practice using the machine. I’m not completely comfortable with just allowing the fabric to glide its way through the machine. I guess this means the sewing machine and I are still getting to know each other. When I watch others sew they seem to have a certain level of trust with the machine that I don’t have just yet, but we’re getting there.

 

 

So I still need to work on my patience when cutting fabric. (face palm) Cutting items has always been nerve-wracking for me. It started when I was a kid. There’s just something about cutting along lines that don’t sit right with my fingers and hands lol. We didn’t have to pin the fabric when cutting the skirt itself, but we did pin the lining fabric because the fabric moved around easily.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The Good
The best thing about learning from my Mom is that we are both educators and believe in the instruction cycle of modeling, guided practice, then independent practice. This skirt was more of guided practice, so my Mom did help a lot with this skirt. However, I did more sewing on this skirt compared to my previous project for my birthday. As we progress, I will be doing more sewing independently in the future. Working with my Mom is allowing me to grow more confident in the sewing process. I believe the project came at a perfect time and gave my Mom and I more time to bond through the craziness happening all around us.

The Bad
My patience is bad. When I got to the end of the skirt (the elastic band and hem) I wanted to rush and get it over with. My Mom could see that I was growing impatient, and kept repeating, “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right.”

The Ugly
I mentioned before that my Mom and I worked on the skirt in two sessions. Before the first session, tragedy hit. My Mom lost a very good friend of hers from COVID, and I honestly didn’t know if it was even a good time to start the project. After the first session, tragedy hit again. My Mom’s uncle (my great uncle) passed away. Then two days later, my Mom was in a serious car accident. It was definitely a trying couple of weeks.

What I Learned:
How to thread the bobbin
How to make the casing for the waistband
How to use the reverse stitch

What I will Improve On:
Sewing in a straight line
Allowing the machine to guide the fabric
How to stitch/sew by hand

Honestly, at first, I was nervous about the skirt. My mom and I worked on it in two different sessions, and after the first session, I wasn’t impressed. I was actually terrified and wanted to throw the whole skirt away. In the second session, however, I began to finally see the skirt actually look like something. Now that the skirt is complete, I LOVE it!! I want to make another one because there are a few spots on the skirt that could look better. For example, the hem isn’t straight, and there are some spots on the pockets that could be neater.

Wardrobe Planning

When we first started the Pick Pocket skirt project, I just knew I would be able to put at least three outfits together. As the deadline drew closer, I had no luck. I knew I wanted a casual look, and I could envision the skirt with a graphic t-shirt because when we finished the skirt I was wearing a graphic t-shirt, and the two actually paired well together. I struggled to find tops to match the skirt in the local malls, but at the last minute, I found one in Forever 21. It was the only small left in the store, so I hid it and went to look at one last store with no luck. When I got back to Forever 21 it took me at least 10 minutes to find the shirt I hid. The next night we had a wardrobe meeting. Ms. Roz started asking me if I had tops in specific colors. She literally had me pulling out items I forgot I owned or had even purchased. The outfits pictured are just 3 of the 5 outfits we were able to put together with the skirt.

I’d like to make another Pick Pocket skirt with different fabric. I’d like to add the ruffle around the top for the next Pick Pocket skirt, and  I want to use a lighter cotton blend and a darker color. I am also going to keep working through the patterns in the Sew Quick + Easy pattern collection.

I absolutely love this skirt. I think it was definitely a great addition to my closet. I think I set the bar kind of high for my future projects which is fine with me because like my Granny told my Mom when she was learning to sew, “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right.” Stay tuned for my future projects and check out my youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/roseconcrete.