Monday 8 December 2014

Rachel Comey Skirt and Maria Denmark Kirsten Kimono Tee Take Two.


Front in seam pockets.
After reading the many rave reviews of Vogue 1247, and seeing the multitude of various takes on this pattern in the blogging community...I was persuaded to try it for myself. I will only be discussing the skirt as I have not made the top yet.

Line Art


Invisible zip

This skirt is super short. I added 10cm (almost 4 inches) to the length. This has still resulted in the skirt being quite short, and I will add more length before I make this again. I also added a bit of flare to the side seams to exaggerate the A-line shape.

Side view

Originally I cut a size 16 which fitted well in the waist but was quite loose at hip level. I took the side seams in quite a bit to fit better at the hip line. In hindsight I should have cut size 14 and graded the waist up to size 16.

Inside front showing pocket bags.

I didn't bother with using bias binding to bind the raw edges as instructed. I just overlocked the raw edges to finish them off which has worked out fine, just not as pretty.

Inside back

The fabric used was a non stretch denim purchased from Spotlight quite a while ago. It was really too heavy for this skirt. It is quite stiff and tends to ride up a lot when sitting, and is not very comfortable to wear. The waistband was cut with one edge along the selvedge of the fabric. You can see the green stripe along the edge of the waistband. I secured it by stitching in the ditch from the right side and because the raw edge did not require turning under, this method eliminated some bulk. The hem was hand stitched.


Maria Denmark Kirsten Kimono Tee
With the remaining white cotton lycra from my quest to find the perfect white T-Shirt, I have made another Kirsten Kimono Tee by Maria Denmark. 

Side view
I have made a few adjustments to the pattern to improve the look and the fit. Firstly, I lowered the neckline by 5cm (2 inches) at the centre front, using a french curve to redraw the neckline. When laying the front pattern piece on the fold of the fabric, I skewed the centre front slightly so that it pinched out about 1cm from the neckline and added 1.5cm width to the centre front at the hem line. I also did a swayback alteration according to the last method in this tutorial. To balance the extra width added to the hemline of the front, I added 1.5 cm to the side seam width of the back at hem level, blending back up to the waistline. 

Maria Denmark Kirsten Kimono Tees

In the photo collage above you can compare my first version with my second version, after my alterations. I think the second version definitely looks and fits better. 


These two additions to my summer casual wardrobe work well together and can be combined with many other tops and bottoms as well, making these very useful garments.


Happy Sewing

20 comments:

  1. Your T-shirt improvements definitely make a great difference. Sorry that the skirt feels stiff, because it is very cute. Next time it will be perfect!

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  2. Perfect summer wardrobe additions! They both look lovely ;)

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    1. Thank you MaciNic. I can see myself getting lots of wear out out these two garments over summer.

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  3. Ahh, one of my favourite skirts. I add 7 inches to the length of mine - and I'm short!! Yours is lovely and the t-shirts look comfy and practical.

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    1. I can definitely see more of these skirts in my wardrobe, but they will be a bit longer so that I can actually wear them out of the house.

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  4. Oooh, so cute!!

    And only in sewing land can you say to someone; your butt looks GREAT in it!!! :)

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    1. Thanks Nakisha for your lovely comment. You made me laugh.

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  5. You look so cool/casual. Your second go at that tee is definitely an improvement. It's nice to see the comparison. And lucky you ... you have the legs for that skirt length. Not me, alas, so I'll admire from afar. :-)

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    1. I have found that I am learning a lot about fit by studying photos of myself modeling the clothes. You can see so much more when you can see all angles. I was pretty pleased with the improvements I made to the fit of the tee. Thanks for your kind comment Debbie.

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  6. Both pieces look awesome :) I'm tempted to make this skirt as well...it seems to flatter any and everyone! I've made the top....I like the result but be prepared to make a muslin for sure.

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    1. Thanks Carrie. I can see why the skirt is so popular and you should give it a try. I have traced the pattern for the top but I just need to find the right fabric.

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  7. Amazing that such little tweaks make such a difference to the look of the t-shirt. I will have to remember these!

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    1. It is quite satisfying to see the improvements from these little tweaks.

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  8. Love your skirt. I have made three now and have had to lengthen each one a bit more each time to make it "respectable" :) I don't think I will ever make the top but I am definitely going to make the Kirsten Kimono Tee and have made a note of your tweaks. A lovely set.

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    1. I quite like the skirt too, but I will be adding some more to the length before I make the next one. I'm sure you will love the Kirsten Kimono Tee...it's such a simple pattern.

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  9. I love your skirt! this is one of my favourite skirt pattern too, although like you, I've always had to add length :)

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    1. Thanks so much Carolyn. I think all credit goes to you for my inspiration.

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  10. It's a great little skirt - like you, mine was too loose at the hips. I love the little t-shirt and scarf, a very nice look.

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    1. Thanks for your kind words SarahLiz. I find a scarf is a great way to add colour and interest to an otherwise plain outfit.

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