Ginger (Skirt) Ninja

After the Ginger Jeans sewathon I needed a bit of a palette cleanser – a spot of ‘sewing sorbet’ if you will 😉 It just so happened that I stayed Ginger and went with my TNT Ginger Skirt by Colette Patterns.

The Fabric

I love this pattern and thought it was about time it deserved some fine fabric. I’d specifically bought some Robert Kaufman multi colour speckled denim from Guthrie and Ghani – I had coveted this fabric for years but hadn’t thought my dressmaking skills could warrant the £28.50 per metre price tag! Fortunately I took advantage of the Black Friday sales and, because G&G sell in 10cm increments (hallelujah – minimal scrap wastage!) I didn’t need to eat beansprouts for a week.

To give the fabric it’s due I decided to line the skirt which I had done before, and with amazing foresight, I had made notes in the instructions (thank you Jillian of the past). I had originally used the Tilly and the Button’s guide to sewing skirt lining tutorial.

The Pattern

This is the fourth time I’ve made this pattern – it’s so simple and enjoyable to make. Well, apart from the first time I made it! I had chosen some lovely (and expensive) wool blend that had a slight stretch to it. I decided on version 3 cutting the fabric on the bias but alas I ended up with the dreaded zip bulge. I tried everything to remedy the situation but I had stretched the fabric out of shape and it could not be rescued. Binned. Not happy.

Since then I have stuck to version 1 using with wovens with no stretch. Yes, I am a coward.

So, the only adjustment I have needed to make to the pattern is my usual waistband amendment – I added two darts in both the front and back to significantly draw in the waist edge to accommodate my ‘hip shelf’!

The Result

Love it. The camera really doesn’t show just how amazing the fabric is but I now want to make a jacket out of it. I will await the next sales and stock up on beansprouts.

Of course it’s now far too warm to wear it so it’s only had one outing but I think it will make a great autumn/winter skirt. I have realised though that I’m really short on simple fitted tops to go with it.

Next stop simple, fitted knit tops. And lots of ’em.