During my November 2014 visit to see my sister in Raleigh, North Carolina, my mom and I checked out Mill Outlet Village. We picked up a bouclé on clearance for $7/yard, while waiting for the saleslady to measure out fabric for Maman's ambitious beach house slipcover project.
We were both set on making pencil skirts and I bet her I would have mine finished in time for the holidays in France. Of course, she showed up with the finished skirt (and a coordinating bouclé jacket) and I had nothing to show for myself.
Next, I decided I would finish the skirt for our next Raleigh girls weekend in early March. Ever confident that I would make the deadline, I asked her to bring her skirt for a "mommy and me" photo. Instead of finishing the skirt, I found myself on the couch with a friend eating cookies and drinking wine the night before my flight...:)
Maman in Raleigh with her skirt:
We both used McCalls 3830 and I followed her lead on the initial construction. After cutting, I immediately zigzagged the edges to prevent unraveling and interfaced the waistband for stability.
She always sews her lining to the zipper by hand. Contrarian daughter that I am, I wanted to install mine to the zipper by machine. So, I made up my own rules of construction without consulting the internet (gasp!). Instead of sewing the lining in full and then attaching it, I installed the two individual back lining pieces to the invisible zipper. Next, I sewed up the sides of the boucle BEFORE sewing the lining side seams. Finally I attached the lining to the waistband with right sides together and edge stitched all the way through the boucle, lining, and seam allowances. If you are a seasoned sewist, you should be shaking your head right now!
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| (Yes, we are even wearing the same belt!) |
I had a feeling something was wrong, so I waited for Sharon to weigh in at our next lesson. Let's just say that I now understand that I need to sew the bouclé and lining in full before attaching one to another. For the record, I did reattach my lining to the zipper by hand. Moms always do know best!
The skirt now looks near perfect inside and out!
