I’ve been going through a sort of sewing renaissance. I’ve been on a sewjo high sewing spree. Every free moment I get these days I’m sewing. I’ve temporarily broken with my pant sewing binge to sew something I hardly ever wear: skirts. That’s funny to even think about, because since I was a little girl I have absolutely hated wearing skirts. It’s is my least favorite article of clothing to wear, yet somehow I’ve found myself wearing a ton of skirts this season. I’ve been pairing them with panty hoses, leggings, boots and heels. I guess I’ve been feeling quite girly these days. Not sure how long this sewing renaissance will last since I’m coming up on my busy season work wise, but for now I’ll continue to sew away to my heart’s content.
PROJECT DETAILS:
Classic Staple: Turtleneck: Itch-To-Stitch HepburnTurtleneck. There are at least a gazillion turtleneck sewing patterns floating out there, and honestly I feel like you can choose almost any one of them and not go wrong. I however chose a highly regarded and tried and true pattern from Itch-to-Stitch based on the reviews. I was not disappointed. I loved that it fit almost to the exact specifications on the fit measurements. I literally was able to sew this pattern from start to finish in about an hour. I sewed this pattern without looking at the instructions it’s that easy to sew. Turtlenecks has to be one of my favorite fall/winter wears as I always tend to run a little cold. This one was flattering and I can definitely see myself making a couple more before the cold is done in Southern California.
FABRIC – I used this double sided patterned sweater knit jersey that I bought at the old Michael Levine (new Michael Levine has different owners) in downtown Los Angeles in the fashion district. This has been in my stash since forever and was during one of my fabric hording binges. I never could part with it, even though I have since purged my fabric storage at least four times since.
Front Button Down Skirt – Style Arc Sutton Woven Skirt. I bought this pattern on a flux. As I mentioned earlier I don’t like skirts, but something about this pattern just caught my eye. I think it’s the fact that you can make a fabric belt to match, or it’s a skirt that is long enough and hits me right where I like to wear skirts. I’m uber fussy about length, fabric and movability when I do wear skirts. I’m glad I took a chance on this pattern as it was delightfully easy to sew as well. In this case the fabric inspired the selection of this pattern. It also doesn’t hurt that I’m a big fan of Style Arc patterns. They tend to be a bit light or lacking on the instructions. I probably would not recommend their patterns to new and beginning sewers, as I feel like their patterns while excellently designed, does not sew up fast if you don’t already have a strong grasp on sewing construction as well as understand order of construction. I also love that their patterns for some amazing reason (the sewing gods rejoice!) fit me perfectly in the waist-to-hip ratio. It’s like their pattern slopers was based off someone that had my measurements.
FABRIC – While I was in Joann’s not too long ago to pick up some notions, as I literally hardly ever buy fabric from them currently, I saw this double sided faux suede fabric in their clearance section. Most of my Joann’s fabric has been in my stash pre-COVID era shopping. So I was pleasantly delighted to see this beauty. What sealed the deal was that I could not stop touching this fabric. They only had two and half yards left, so I knew whatever I made was going to have to fall into that limitation. Hence a good skirt.
STYLE – I wore a pair of my favorite boots that I only get to bust out this time of year. The rest of the year these Nine West cognac knee high leather boots reside in the recesses of my back closet hidden behind a business suit and a ball gown (go figure!). I bought them at least a good 10 years ago, and while they could use a good repair on the inside, they are still fantastic.
Nikki Nicole Sew 