Sometimes a sewing project begins with a beautiful piece of fabric or a pattern you just have to make. This one began with my closet.
Recently, I did a major closet purge. I took a good look at what I actually wear, what I kept reaching for, and—maybe more importantly—what was missing. Once the pieces I no longer loved or wore were gone, something became very clear: I want to be more intentional about what I sew next.
Instead of sewing individual pieces that I love but don't necessarily wear together, I want to build a wardrobe where my handmade garments coordinate with the clothes I already own—and with the pieces I'm planning to sew next.
For this month's Fabricista project, this beautiful lightweight shirting from Fabric Mart turned out to be a wonderful place to start.
Fabric Mart provided this beautiful oatmeal and black heathered shirting, along with the matching thread for my project.
One of the things I love most about this fabric is its color. It isn't quite one thing or another—and I mean that in the best possible way! Depending on the lighting, it can look almost olive, while in other light it leans more grey. There is also a very slight sheen to the surface that gives the fabric a little something extra without making it look dressy.
That combination makes it a fantastic neutral.
It coordinates beautifully with several pieces I kept during my closet purge, and I can already see it working with some of the garments on my future sewing list. That's exactly the kind of fabric I want to add to my wardrobe now: something versatile enough to create multiple outfits instead of just one.
The fabric has a dry hand and is very lightweight—much more like a shirting than a traditional bottom-weight fabric. That lightweight quality makes it especially appealing for our hot Florida weather.
Before cutting, I washed the fabric, and it came through laundering beautifully. It maintained its texture and drape and was ready to become my skirt.
One thing I noticed after cutting was that the fabric frayed a bit along the raw edges, and continued to do so as I handled the pieces during construction. To keep that under control, I serged the raw edges as I worked, rather than waiting until the skirt was completely assembled. That prevented additional fraying and kept everything much neater and easier to handle throughout the sewing process.
I also discovered that this fabric prefers a gentle hand when it comes to pressing. A low iron setting worked best. Too much heat or pressing could create new ripples and creases, so once I figured that out, I kept the temperature low and used a press cloth when needed.
The finished skirt is lightweight and wonderfully cool to wear. The fabric does have a little translucency because of its weight, and since I chose not to line the skirt, I'll simply wear it with a lightweight, cool slip. For Florida, I actually prefer having that option rather than adding another permanent layer to the garment.
I wanted a skirt that could fill a very specific gap in my wardrobe: something feminine and polished enough for church or a ladies' luncheon, but still comfortable and practical for my lifestyle.
New Look 6106 gave me exactly that.
The yoke provides some shaping around the waist and upper hip before the skirt falls away from the body. In this lightweight fabric, the skirt has movement without becoming overly full or stiff.
The finished length falls just below my knees, and I think that proportion is just right. With a low heel, the length feels feminine and polished without being overly dressy. It's long enough for church but still light and easy enough to wear on a hot Florida day
I spent some time working through the fit before committing to my Fabric Mart fabric. The yoke needed to sit comfortably at my waist while transitioning smoothly into the skirt, so taking the time to work through the fit before sewing the final version was worthwhile.
And because sewing keeps us humble, I have photographic evidence of that process!
The fitting photos may not be glamorous, but they tell an important part of the story. A finished garment that fits well usually has a few decidedly unglamorous moments behind it!
It took me three tries.
Because this skirt has a yoke and seam lines that meet at the zipper, I didn't just want the zipper to close—I wanted those seams to line up properly when it did.
The first attempt wasn't quite right.
So out came the seam ripper again!
On attempt number three, I finally got the zipper installed with the yokes and seam lines matching the way I wanted them to.
Was it frustrating? Absolutely.
Was it worth taking it out and doing it again? Absolutely.
Those little details are the difference between a garment that I know will bother me every time I put it on and one that I'm proud to wear.
Purging my closet changed the way I'm thinking about sewing.
If you'd like to see more of my closet purge—and what I learned about my wardrobe and sewing plans in the process—I shared the whole experience in my latest YouTube video.
You can watch here and see how taking a hard look at what I actually wear is helping me make more intentional sewing choices going forward.
I'm paying more attention now to whether a new garment will coordinate with what I already have. I'm thinking about color, proportion, lifestyle and the gaps that really exist in my wardrobe before deciding what to sew next.
This skirt checks those boxes.
The unusual neutral coloring gives me plenty of styling options. The lightweight fabric works beautifully for my Florida climate. The just-below-the-knee length gives me the coverage I want for church and other occasions without feeling heavy or overly formal. And the silhouette works with several of the tops already hanging in my closet.
Even better, I can already imagine this skirt with some of the solid tops I have planned for future sewing projects.
That's the direction I want my sewing to take: fewer disconnected makes and more garments that work together to create a wardrobe I actually wear.
It washed beautifully, and although the raw edges were prone to fraying during construction, serging them as I worked made the fabric much easier to handle. At the ironing board, a low heat setting and a gentle touch were all it needed.
And after three rounds with that invisible zipper, I can happily say this skirt has earned its place in my newly edited closet!
Thank you to Fabric Mart Fabrics for providing the fabric and matching thread for this project. This skirt feels like the first step toward a more intentional handmade wardrobe—one where the pieces I sew don't just look good on their own but work together with the clothes I already love.
And I think that's going to make deciding what to sew next even more fun.
Recently, I did a major closet purge. I took a good look at what I actually wear, what I kept reaching for, and—maybe more importantly—what was missing. Once the pieces I no longer loved or wore were gone, something became very clear: I want to be more intentional about what I sew next.
Instead of sewing individual pieces that I love but don't necessarily wear together, I want to build a wardrobe where my handmade garments coordinate with the clothes I already own—and with the pieces I'm planning to sew next.
For this month's Fabricista project, this beautiful lightweight shirting from Fabric Mart turned out to be a wonderful place to start.
The Fabric That Started It All
Fabric Mart provided this beautiful oatmeal and black heathered shirting, along with the matching thread for my project.
One of the things I love most about this fabric is its color. It isn't quite one thing or another—and I mean that in the best possible way! Depending on the lighting, it can look almost olive, while in other light it leans more grey. There is also a very slight sheen to the surface that gives the fabric a little something extra without making it look dressy.
That combination makes it a fantastic neutral.
It coordinates beautifully with several pieces I kept during my closet purge, and I can already see it working with some of the garments on my future sewing list. That's exactly the kind of fabric I want to add to my wardrobe now: something versatile enough to create multiple outfits instead of just one.
The fabric has a dry hand and is very lightweight—much more like a shirting than a traditional bottom-weight fabric. That lightweight quality makes it especially appealing for our hot Florida weather.
Before cutting, I washed the fabric, and it came through laundering beautifully. It maintained its texture and drape and was ready to become my skirt.
One thing I noticed after cutting was that the fabric frayed a bit along the raw edges, and continued to do so as I handled the pieces during construction. To keep that under control, I serged the raw edges as I worked, rather than waiting until the skirt was completely assembled. That prevented additional fraying and kept everything much neater and easier to handle throughout the sewing process.
I also discovered that this fabric prefers a gentle hand when it comes to pressing. A low iron setting worked best. Too much heat or pressing could create new ripples and creases, so once I figured that out, I kept the temperature low and used a press cloth when needed.
The finished skirt is lightweight and wonderfully cool to wear. The fabric does have a little translucency because of its weight, and since I chose not to line the skirt, I'll simply wear it with a lightweight, cool slip. For Florida, I actually prefer having that option rather than adding another permanent layer to the garment.
The Pattern: New Look 6106
For the skirt, I chose New Look 6106, View C.I wanted a skirt that could fill a very specific gap in my wardrobe: something feminine and polished enough for church or a ladies' luncheon, but still comfortable and practical for my lifestyle.
New Look 6106 gave me exactly that.
The yoke provides some shaping around the waist and upper hip before the skirt falls away from the body. In this lightweight fabric, the skirt has movement without becoming overly full or stiff.
The finished length falls just below my knees, and I think that proportion is just right. With a low heel, the length feels feminine and polished without being overly dressy. It's long enough for church but still light and easy enough to wear on a hot Florida day
Getting the Fit Right
This was not a "cut it out and sew it up" project for me.I spent some time working through the fit before committing to my Fabric Mart fabric. The yoke needed to sit comfortably at my waist while transitioning smoothly into the skirt, so taking the time to work through the fit before sewing the final version was worthwhile.
And because sewing keeps us humble, I have photographic evidence of that process!
The fitting photos may not be glamorous, but they tell an important part of the story. A finished garment that fits well usually has a few decidedly unglamorous moments behind it!
And Then There Was That Zipper...
The final challenge was the invisible zipper.It took me three tries.
Because this skirt has a yoke and seam lines that meet at the zipper, I didn't just want the zipper to close—I wanted those seams to line up properly when it did.
The first attempt wasn't quite right.
Neither was the second.
So out came the seam ripper again!
On attempt number three, I finally got the zipper installed with the yokes and seam lines matching the way I wanted them to.
Was it frustrating? Absolutely.
Was it worth taking it out and doing it again? Absolutely.
Those little details are the difference between a garment that I know will bother me every time I put it on and one that I'm proud to wear.
From Closet Purge to Intentional Sewing
What I like most about this project may actually be what it represents.Purging my closet changed the way I'm thinking about sewing.
If you'd like to see more of my closet purge—and what I learned about my wardrobe and sewing plans in the process—I shared the whole experience in my latest YouTube video.
You can watch here and see how taking a hard look at what I actually wear is helping me make more intentional sewing choices going forward.
I'm paying more attention now to whether a new garment will coordinate with what I already have. I'm thinking about color, proportion, lifestyle and the gaps that really exist in my wardrobe before deciding what to sew next.
This skirt checks those boxes.
The unusual neutral coloring gives me plenty of styling options. The lightweight fabric works beautifully for my Florida climate. The just-below-the-knee length gives me the coverage I want for church and other occasions without feeling heavy or overly formal. And the silhouette works with several of the tops already hanging in my closet.
Even better, I can already imagine this skirt with some of the solid tops I have planned for future sewing projects.
That's the direction I want my sewing to take: fewer disconnected makes and more garments that work together to create a wardrobe I actually wear.
Final Thoughts
This Fabric Mart shirting turned out to be such an interesting choice for New Look 6106. Its dry hand gives the skirt a little structure, while the lightweight nature of the fabric keeps it comfortable and appropriate for warm weather. I especially love the subtle sheen and the way its color seems to shift between oatmeal, grey and olive depending on the light.It washed beautifully, and although the raw edges were prone to fraying during construction, serging them as I worked made the fabric much easier to handle. At the ironing board, a low heat setting and a gentle touch were all it needed.
And after three rounds with that invisible zipper, I can happily say this skirt has earned its place in my newly edited closet!
Thank you to Fabric Mart Fabrics for providing the fabric and matching thread for this project. This skirt feels like the first step toward a more intentional handmade wardrobe—one where the pieces I sew don't just look good on their own but work together with the clothes I already love.
And I think that's going to make deciding what to sew next even more fun.
Great work Carmen! Love it.
ReplyDeleteThank you! 😊
DeleteWhat a lovely and useful project! Thank you for the inspiration.
ReplyDeleteYes, sewing is humbling, but you should be very proud of the wonderful results you got with all your work on this skirt! You are right about really analyzing what we need and wear - I have more than one item that maybe gets worn once a year, as it is such a one-off and not versatile enough for more use - don't want to keep spending my time, effort and money on something that is seldom worn and loved.
ReplyDeleteI can really relate to this! That was one of the biggest things I noticed when I cleaned out my closet. Some things were beautiful, but if they only worked one way or didn't fit my real life, I just wasn't wearing them. It really made me think about the time and effort we put into sewing and how much more satisfying it is when something we make actually gets worn. 😊
DeleteI have always enjoyed your makes whether intentional or unintentionally. I like to sew wardrobe staples but I am often drawn to patterns. This is a beautiful color that can be coordinated with many different tops. 👍🏾
ReplyDeleteLovely skirt Carmen! - Sharon Sews
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your experience. It's good to know that the seam ripper is not just my friend. : ) You did a fantastic job!
ReplyDeleteBeautifully and thoughtfully executed! Your instincts to go outside the box when selecting a fabric was bold, and spot on. Thanks so much for the behind-the-seams fitting session photos too - a good reminder about how we have to work through the challenges to get the results we want.
ReplyDelete