Pinstripe Magic ~ Dress & Skirt

I bought four yards of a wool crepe grey & cream pinstripe from Fashions Fabrics Club, that is presently sold out.  As an aside, I remember now why I stopped purchasing from them...it takes forever to get the fabric!  And it didn't help that a snowstorm shut the middle of the country down a few days after I ordered. However, that's neither here nor there because the fabric did arrive and only scraps of it remain now.

In my quest for more basics...what could be more basic than a gray wool crepe pinstripe fabric.  It's perfect for the conservative environment that I work in. So after a quick trip through the dryer (love, love, love this pretreating method now!) I was able to get a basic sheath dress, a pair of pants and an elastic waist longer length straight skirt from the fabric.  This post is about the dress and skirt which are the next pieces in my "It's All About the Basics" series.

A basic sheath dress from my TNT dress pattern ~

Notions:
22" invisible zipper
white braided satin piping
polyester charmeuse print lining
gray rayon seam binding
bias binding

This is my TNT sheath dress with some white piping at the neckline and armholes to give the dress a little pop!  To make the dress a little less boring, I used a vivid print polyester charmeuse print for the lining...

Lining Alone

Lining inserted into the dress

...and I used the last of this striped bias binding from the notions collection at the armholes.  I'm going to miss this bias binding...I've used it in quite a few dresses and made piping from it too.

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This is how I will wear it to work...

...with a RTW ivory cotton cashmere cardigan and some Kenneth Jay Lane pearls that I purchased several years ago because they reminded me of Michelle Obama's Erickson Beamon pearls.

Gray long straight skirt ~

Notions:
1" non-roll elastic
polyester lining
gray rayon seam binding

This is literally a large rectangle based upon my hip measurements with elastic in the waistline and a slit for walking ease.  I wanted the skirt to be close-fitting but not so tight that I couldn't sit in it.  I sit for most of my day so it needs to be comfortable.  To figure out the right measurement, I sat in my sewing chair and took my hip measurement, then added an inch.  This measurement is larger than my standing hip measurement, because let's be frank here people, fat spreads.

I added a lining to the skirt even though initially I wasn't going to.  I was going to do a quick and easy sew and wear a slip.  But me being me, I just couldn't let it rest. So the lining is the same rectangle just a little shorter with a 1" lace trim added to the hemline.

Honestly, I chose this length for the skirt because I wanted to wear it with these shoe booties. Hey I'm cold and I'm using everything I own to stay warm! *LOL*  

A few more pics of the skirt and cardigan, how I'd wear it to work...

Yes by this time I'd gotten quite silly!

I'm onto my next sewing adventure.  I'm finishing up another sheath dress before I return to the Crazy 8 wardrobe pieces and the Simplicity 3833 dress. I'm believing that it's not going to remain frigidly cold forever. When we return to decent winter weather, I'll pull out my new sheath dresses to wear.

...as always more later!