Skip to main content

Made By A Fabricista - "Boden" Skirt with Shetland Wool


And our next new Fabricista is.....Diane from Gatorbunny Sews! Some of you might remember Diane from last year's Fashion Challenge. We loved her style and are excited to have her here back on the blog.


~My Pinterest boards, like many of yours, are full of all sorts of “wanna wears” and “wanna makes”.  If you were to look at my boards you might say “This girl likes Boden clothing". Their clothes are classic but fun and their fabrics are never boring, something that speaks to the sewist in me.



Although it’s been unseasonably hot for a while where I live, I've been wanting to make something for winter and what better project than a Boden inspired skirt.  And I love this one!  It’s cute, classic, easy to wear and it gives me the opportunity to use wool, one of my favorite fabrics to sew with.



small plaid Shetland wool from Fabricmart  in muted violets and purples won out as my fabric choice but I would've been happy with this one or this one too (always the problem...choosing just one).  Shetland is a medium weight springy wool, that’s soft and easy to sew.  It doesn't fray and when you pin and sew, the fabric pieces want to stay together.




I chose Butterick 4686 View C skirt and made just a few changes.  I shortened the pattern 4” and lined it. I changed the order of construction by attaching yokes to the skirts on both the front and the back, putting the zipper in the back and  finally sewing up the side seams.  That way, I was allowed to make last minute fitting adjustments along the side seams without pulling the yokes apart. 



When working with a medium weight fabric, it's important to reduce bulk wherever possible.  I cut away the seam allowances on the fusible woven yoke interfacing and graded all seams.  Instead of using the outer for the facing (as the pattern called for) I used lining fabric.  It made for a smoother and less bulky yoke.  And any way I can make my middle section “less bulky”, I’ll do it (especially if it doesn't  involve giving up Reese’s peanut butter cups).



There are a hundred tutorials on how to put an invisible zipper in so I don’t need to cover that here, but for this pattern it was important to line up not only the skirt top but also the yoke. 



I sewed one leg of the zipper in, then closed the zipper.  I made a small chalk mark at the yoke seam (see above).  I then pinned the other leg of the zipper, making sure to match the chalk mark to the opposite yoke seam, then I basted it in.  




I checked to make sure everything matched, then sewed it in.  Can’t beat that for matched up seams.


So, my new favorite “Boden” skirt (for a fraction of the price!) is the first winter piece I made this season. Great way to break the ice, don't you think...so to speak?



Comments

  1. That skirt is super cute! And I never would've thought you could use that pattern with that fabric. The pattern pictures look like you'd want to only use lightweight fabrics.
    Thanks for the inspiration!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Boden. Check. Shetland Wool. Check. LOVE.

    Very cute and flattering on Diane!!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lovely skirt! I love the idea of how you constructed the yoke and zipper on the skirt. Thank you for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Very cute skirt! I like how you've styled the outfit as well. Thanks for the tip on lining up the yoke seams with the chalk. I always have issues with that, so will definitely give your method a try on my next opportunity!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Its adorable and I love the color!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Seriously love that tip for the zip on a yoked garment! Thank you so much for sharing it!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi, I like your ideas of showcase the clothing by using real model, fabric design texture details, the great content, it seems every pieces blend in well to match it. I got it, thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Your skirt look great. I am surprised as I purchased the fabric and considered it a bit heavy for a skirt. Great for a light jacket or blazer. Ya just never know!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for leaving a comment! All comments are reviewed before posting to help us eliminate spam. Your comment will be posted within 24 hours.

Popular Posts You Might Like

Made By A Fabricista: Why Sew A Muslin

Here it is, my September blog post featuring Newlook N6692 and this pretty rayon challis from Fabric Mart! This pattern style is so in right now. The square neckline, cute puff sleeves and the tiered skirt are all exactly what I was looking for in a summer dress. As always I started with making a muslin first!  Let’s get into why it’s important to start with a muslin.  A muslin is basically a practice garment. It prevents you from cutting into your good fabric prematurely.  I usually use a muslin fabric (natural cotton) but you should also consider using a fabric that is the same weight as your fashion fabric. This will give you a truer gauge of how the garment is going to lay in the final fabric. Anytime I try out a new pattern company I make a muslin. This was my first time using a Newlook pattern so I need to know what the ease would be like for this pattern. Also I need to see how the bust would fit me and where I would need to make adjustments. Plus there were some new techniques

Made By A Fabricista: The Love of Sewing - Basic Pieces for a Beginner

Happy Friday All! It has been a while since I made myself a dress. I am excited to sew after not making anything since my last post (whew) and finally sharing some photos.  This past summer has been a roller coaster journey with plans to release a small collection and then deciding that right before the launch to postpone. Sewing has brought me joy over the past 8 years and the mere fact to sew daily for orders had me in a panic mode. I really don’t want to walk away from my craft due to burn out  and decided that if I do sew for others, it would be only for local clients. Moreover, If next year I decide to launch, it would be seasonal and not year round. I really want to share my talent and love for sewing with others but don’t want it to be a full time job and lose the passion in me.  After a bit of soul searching, teaching and sharing my talent with my community will always be my first love. For the past 2 summers, I was blessed to partner with two nonprofit organizations’ local sum

Made By A Fabricista: End of Summer

Summer is nearing to an end but here where I am in Texas the heat isn’t letting up any time soon!  I still have plenty of time to get a few more summer looks out of the way.  In this blog I will be sharing two separate projects. The first project is this denim set; I had the inspiration saved on my list of makes to make.  For this project I got this gorgeous denim and matching thread to start my project. Yes, Fabric Mart will match the thread to your fabric perfectly and with my favorite thread brand Gutermann.  The denim had a very great weight and wasn’t too stiff.  It was very starchy when it arrived, so I did a prewash before working with it.  I’m so glad I did because it had a lot of dye saturated in which would not have been great for the skin and other clothes. For the first part of the set, I drafted a corset with the scallop edge cups, such a cute detail!   To start I used my bodice sloper to make the corset, I was not worried about the design details and focused more on