After a tough school year, (shout out to all school teachers) K. C. is back at the sewing machine! K. C. decided to sew another Pick Pocket skirt from Sew News Magazine’s website Sew Daily to get back into the swing of things. I thought this was a great idea because the best way to get better at anything is to practice, practice, practice!
I used the same pattern from the corduroy skirt. With the previous skirt I made, I downloaded the first book because it’s for beginners and I’m a beginner. Unlike my first skirt, I wanted to make sure I included the extra ruffle at the top of the skirt this time. This pattern included directions for the skirt, and an actual pattern to use for the pockets.
I thought a light denim skirt would be a nice addition to my wardrobe. I can wear it in the summer. I could add tights for the cooler months. I think it’s a great versatile piece to own.
To prepare for the sewing process, I pre-washed the fabric separately in the washing machine in a cold setting. I honestly didn’t notice any shrinkage with this fabric.
So I still need to work on my patience when cutting fabric (face palm). I like to think my cutting has improved. Again, I didn’t have to pin the fabric when cutting the skirt itself. Cutting the denim was easier than cutting the corduroy fabric. Funny story: I forgot my safety pins and straight pins at my mom’s house the last time I was there to sew. I didn’t realize this until I couldn’t find them when it was time to pin the lining fabric. After my mom took a quick trip to Wal-Mart to get pins (Thanks again, Mom 🙂 ) I pinned the lining fabric down in order to cut the pockets out.
I think I love this skirt more than the first skirt because I did most of the work on my own, so I feel more of a sense of ownership and accomplishment. In the middle of the process, I was concerned. The skirt wasn’t turning out the way I envisioned it, but I saw it through to the finish line, and I’m really glad I did.
Putting the outfits together this time was not as challenging for a couple of reasons. 1. It’s denim, so it’s extremely versatile. and 2. It’s summertime in Houston, soooo I don’t think I need to go into detail with that one. 🙂 I had a variety of tops to pair with the skirt. I decided on the cream bodysuit from Forever 21. The orange crop top is also from Forever 21. They’ve been in my closet a while, I just haven’t had the chance to wear them yet. The white one-shoulder top I ordered from Amazon because you cannot go wrong with a white top. I was determined to pair the white top with my white Air Force 1s because I wanted to wear them with the corduroy skirt but it just didn’t work out well at the time.
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
The Good
Learning to sew from my mom is really special to me, so that will always be positive. I did the majority of the sewing on this project in comparison to the last skirt, and I am becoming more comfortable with the use of the machine.
The Bad
When making the elastic band for the denim skirt, I had to use the zig-zag stitch on the machine which was new for me. It was not great. At all. I will be practicing with that. I’ll also be practicing sewing in a curve. Sewing the lining of the pockets was tricky for me.
The Ugly
Threading the bobbin was challenging for me this time. I will be practicing loading the bobbin and setting up the machine until it is automatic for me. So this elastic band really gave me a run for my money. I accidentally stuck myself with the safety pin while trying to pull the elastic through the casing. It was a pretty bad little stick and it hurt. A lot. My mom ended up finishing the elastic band for me. I should be able to do it myself next time, though.
I absolutely love my denim skirt. After sewing my last skirt I thought I set the bar kind of high for my future projects, but with this denim skirt, I know for sure the bar has been set. My confidence in my sewing abilities is continuing to grow as I learn more with each project.
Things I Learned:
The bobbin is extremely important
How to use the dial on the machine to change the stitch pattern
Use zig-zag stitch
Still needs work:
Sewing in a curve
Pulling elastic through the casing for the waistband
How to stitch/sew by hand
I NEED TO START A SEWING KIT
I am excited about what my sewist journey has in store, and I know the best is yet to come. Stay tuned for my future projects and check out my youtube channel.
What’s Next…
As I am moving through the book, Sew Quick + Easy, I’d like to make the Antero tank top.
