Monday, April 20, 2015

Remaking my TNT straight skirt pattern

Let's start with some pictures first ~




This outfit is a direct rip off of some Talbot pieces. I've owned the blue & navy large gingham print fabric since last year and the cardigan is a recent purchase.




Cardigan from Jessica London 
 Fabric from Fabric Mart - no longer available

So let's talk about the changes I made to the pattern to make it work for me.

Pattern Alterations ~
  • First I started with my TNT straight skirt pattern.
  • I measured the pattern pieces at the hipline first to determine how many inches needed to be removed from the pattern piece.
  • After measuring, I determined that I needed to remove 5/8" from the skirt's center back. 
  • I removed 1/2" from the skirt's center front.
  • Then I pegged the skirt's hem - starting just below the hip curve 1/4" to a full inch at the hemline on both the front and back skirt pieces.
  • When making the new pattern pieces I made the hip curve softer rather than the angular one that is on my TNT piece.
Old TNT front skirt pattern piece vs. revised skirt pattern

New skirt pattern on top of the old pattern

Back pattern pieces - old vs. new

New back pattern piece on top of the old piece

Hopefully the photographs illustrate the changes I made to the pattern pieces. The new pieces are considerably smaller and are altered to give me a closer fit.

Construction ~
The plaid is the most important feature of this skirt and I wanted to make sure that my side seams all matched so I used a single layout to cut the fabric out. I cheated by laying the front piece on the fabric to make sure that the side back seams matched the front ones.

I opted to use a white invisible zipper for the skirt back only because I didn't have a navy one. I was really thrilled with the zipper insertion, as well as, the plaid match on the skirt back.



The skirt front has four darts - two one either side of the center front. I removed the darts closest to the side seams. This way I have some contour for the abdomen area but not too much. I left both sets of darts in the back pieces because I need the definition there.

The skirt is lined with an ivory bemberg rayon.

I couldn't decide whether to add a waistband or not. Finally went with a very thin waistband that is the measurement of the skirt's waist 42" long and 1.5" wide. This resulted in a 5/8" wide waistband.

A button/buttonhole closure on the waistband is my closure of choice. The best thing about my sewing machine is the variety of buttonhole choices available to me.  This time I went with a buttonhole that is rounded on both ends.

Conclusion ~
I like this new skirt and plan on making quite a few more. I'm also going to use these skirt pieces as the skirt for another version of my TNT dress pattern. So the pieces will need to be transferred to pattern paper for longevity.

A few more pictures of the skirt in action~




Outfit with my Keds - which I wear to walk to and from the bus

Next up on the cutting table is Vogue 9079 from some ponte prints.  I'm kinda excited about this dress because it's not my typical look!

Finally a parting shot ~
The white wedgies that I wore in these photos and the one of the gingham dress are about 10 years old and back in style.  So these are also back in rotation now too...




...as always more later!



47 comments:

  1. Gorgeous skirt, I just love that large scale gingham.

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  2. Gorgeous! I love the new big-gingham trend and this is right on point.

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    1. Hey Jenny - I love that gingham is back in especially since I have a few more pieces in the collection that I hope to use this season!

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  3. Yep very trendy and great fit.

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  4. As always, you did a great job of fitting and sewing the pattern. I love your fabric choice. And you look wonderful!

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  5. What a cutie! The cool thing about you is your ability to copy RTW but make it your own so that the rest of us feel almost able to follow you! You also manage to co-ordinate RTW with your own from scratch garments for such practical outfits...another winner!

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    1. Thanks mrsmole - I do like to interpret RTW & designer garments for my wardrobe.

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  6. If you hold on to some things long enough they do come back in style!! Love the gingham skirt with the sweater, nice look perfect for upcoming heat!

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    1. Linda thanks! I'm loving the subtle pattern match of this outfit.

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  7. Skirt & you look wonderful !! I love ho detailed your posts are - I always learn some thing from your pattern altering tips ! Thx

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    1. Mary Ellen - I'm so glad that you appreciate the pattern altering information. I wonder if I'm boring anyone by including them so I'm glad that they're helpful!

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  8. You look FABULOUS! Don't you love it when old things become new!

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    1. Thanks Terri! I'm just thrilled that I got the pattern to work again. I have a bunch of summer fabrics that I'd like to make into straight/pencil skirts for spring/summer.

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  9. Ooh I like this! Really great fabric. You look wonderful!

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    1. Hey Debbie - thanks for appreciating the outfit and noticing the weight loss.

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  10. I love the pattern mixing. Your skirt is fabulous!

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    1. Natisha - it's a nice subtle pattern mix isn't it?! Thanks for liking the outfit!

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  11. Great on trend skirt. I especially love it paired with the cardigan. I could 't help but notice that your legs have slimmed down along with the rest of your body!

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    1. sewingkm - skinnier legs, less belly, slimmer face - hard to believe that 40+ lbs makes that much difference - thanks for noticing!

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  12. Girl, the weight loss looks good on you!. I'm enjoying following your journey as you remake your wardrobe.
    Theresa in Tucson

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    1. Thanks Theresa - it truly is a journey! Not sure if I'm totally enjoying it yet but I'm satisfied with the results! *LOL* Thanks my weight loss is all about maintenance now...I just don't want to regain any of it.

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  13. Loving this outfit! You looks o fresh and J. Crew and ready for spring!

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    1. Heather the JCrew reference made me smile! Yeah I guess it is kinda JCrew isn't it? Thanks for that!

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  14. Stellar job. I love the outfit and your Keds.

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    1. patsijean - can I tell you that I own Keds in 4 colors - white canvas, white leatherette, black and red. Almost bought a yellow pair but thought that was a bit much! *LOL*

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  15. The cardigan is awesome. HOWEVER, I do believe that it is...too large! Is there a way to take up some of the excess fabric in the sleeve and upper bodice? I think it would be more flattering taken in just a bit in that area. I ADORE the print combo and navy is always right for any occasion!

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    1. Schmoomom - thanks I realize the cardigan is larger than I want. I've sent it back twice and now have to decide if I want to fix it or to let it be. However, I did want to take pictures of it with the skirt to see if the outfit works. Sometimes things work out as planned and some times they don't!

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  16. You look so fun, comfortable and relaxed. I love this side of you! Let's go to brunch!

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  17. Lovely skirt! The pattern puts me in the mood for summer. Fun combination with the polka dot cardigan.

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  18. The check looks so fresh. i'm really loving navy too at the moment.

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    1. Vicki - I love navy all year round but it seems especially fresh in the summer when you add it to white garments!

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  19. Lovely outfit. Very light.

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    1. Thanks BeaJay spring is finally coming and this should work well for spring/summer!

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  20. Replies
    1. Sarah - thanks! You know how much I love interpreting Talbots looks!

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  21. What a fun mix of bold patterns! They really pop on you!

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  22. Legs !!! Good work on the skirt , Carolyn

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