Simplicity 8612 Wrap Skirt & A TNT Shirt

When I was at Sew Camp LaQuana was making this Simplicity wrap skirt and I was intrigued. After she posted it to her blog, I was even more intrigued. See I'm trying to be open to new styles I wouldn't typically wear now that my lifestyle has changed.

So when I told Gaylen I was thinking about the pattern she picked it up for me from the craft store when they were having a sale on Simplicity patterns. 

But Imma be honest - I'm not the sewist that gets excited about a new pattern. Y'all know I love me a TNT...however, I own so many patterns and every now and then desire a new pattern so I need to get over it. Cause this was supposed to be a simple sew...

Supply List ~
* A midweight patterned denim from Fabric Mart purchased during my December 2016 trip there - as an aside I've used four pieces from that trip!
* Fusible interfacing from Fashion Sewing Supply

Pattern Alterations ~
I didn't make any alterations.  I made a straight 26 out of the envelope.

Construction ~  
I made the longer version of this skirt first and I've probably used a heavier weight denim than recommended on the pattern envelope. I really liked the pattern on the denim and I think it turned out okay. 

So a few things:
1. I hated the way the ties are assembled.  They are really long and hard to turn. No matter what trick I tried I had to suck it up and pull them through. Thank goodness I was binge watching Scandal...

2. I don't know if it's me or my body but the overlap didn't work completely. It separates underneath when I sit down.  Not enough to make my bare legs show but enough that it annoyed me. It doesn't separate or open when I walk probably because I made the longer version first.

3. So for the shorter version, I made a right and left overlap with the right one being bigger so it would cover all of me when I sit.

4. The buttonhole is definitely tricky if you don't think it through. Since my machine makes automatic buttonholes, I chose a button that was the size of the end of the tie. I used it in the buttonhole foot to make a buttonhole and it worked perfectly.

5. Also I didn't use the markings on the pattern piece to determine where to put the buttonhole opening. I put the skirt on my body and chose a point. I also topstitched the waistband and the ties.

6. For the waistline, I used the longest pattern piece for waistband available. I knew it was too long but it was easier to cut off the unused portion than have to worry about fitting the skirt. This is cheating I know but hey it works so I went with it.

7. When wearing this I've tied the ties really tightly and added a safety pin to the back to hold the ties together.  I wanted to insure that the two pieces don't separate and provides some piece of mind to me.

A few pictures ~

My TNT Shirt ~
A. The shirt is from my TNT pattern and a navy handkerchief linen from the collection by way of Fabric Mart. 

B. It uses most of the same construction techniques as in this shirt, however, I didn't burrito method the yoke. 

C. I stitched the yoke to the back seam and pressed the shoulder seam allowance flat.  Then topstitched it down on the shoulder seams. 

D. The other thing to note is that for the collar stand I doubled the navy blue handkerchief linen on one side because the inside piece of fabric I chose was a cotton sateen floral print. The print was showing through on just one piece of the linen.

E. Because I doubled the fabric, I did not add interfacing. The cotton sateen plus the doubled fabric give the undercollar enough stability.

The buttons and bias binding are from Pacific Trimmings. I made a special trip to pick up some shirt buttons because they have them in every color imaginable. It was important that the buttons matched the fabric so that it will be wearable with other things in my wardrobe including this skirt.

Conclusion ~
I really like this skirt and the construction.  There is a simplier version of this pattern on the Butterick website. However, I believe the addition of the side panels on this pattern makes it a superior choice. 

I haven't made alot of skirts for spring/summer in the last couple of years. I've concentrated on casual dresses for work but now that I have a good basic wardrobe, I want to add in some other pieces.

This outfit is the first one in my spring/summer sewing series - say that three times fast! I've made a list and it includes a few indie patterns, some Big4 and a couple of repeats from last year. I'm pretty excited about the list of things I want to create this spring/summer.  I completed this skirt and shirt prior to my sewcation. However, since I just wanted to sew during my sewcation, this is the first chance I've had to take pictures of all my recent makes. 

The short version of this skirt is up next on the blog.

...as always more later!