Momma Quail Pattern Tour: Abilene Skirt Hack
Yay! This is my first official blog tour! Thanks to Momma Quail Patterns to letting me join in on the fun. Let’s get to it.
For the tour we were given the opportunity to select a Momma Quail Pattern and sew it up. The rules… There were none. We could sew as written, hack it, mash it, or whatever our hearts desired. Let the creative juices flow.
I searched through the pattern options and every time time I looked at the Abilene Skirt I was reminded of a father-daughter Girl Scout dance I attended when I was quite young. My mother had two skirts fashioned from some old jeans that no longer fit. The legs were hacked off just above the inseam and tiers of ruffled fabric were added to make perfect cowgirl themed skirts for the occasion. I would have sketched a picture of my memory, but then you might stop reading, so I spared you. The features of the skirt remind me of classic denim jeans while still being a stylish skirt ready for many woven fabric options. My memory helped me to create my plan for the pattern tour. I wanted to take the Abilene Skirt and throw in some of the features from my memory skirt by removing some length and adding a few tiers of ruffles for sass. Our version is going to be part of Peyton’s Thanksgiving outfit.
The Hack Job:
To create my look I cut the pattern pieces for the Abilene skirt as written. I chose to include the front pockets and faux fly options. Thank you designers for including faux fly options! I just don’t want to take the time to do a real-deal-holy-field zipper fly. I also cut the back pockets and belt loops, but opted later to leave them off. I’ll talk about that later. Along with the pattern pieces, I cut the ruffle pieces that I planned to add to the skirt bottom of the skirt. I cut two pieces 5 inches x WOF and two pieces 4 inches x WOF.
I started sewing by stitching each of the ruffle strip pairs together and finished them with a rolled hem so they would be ready to go when I needed them. I constructed the skirt per directions until I needed to add the back pockets. I opted to leave the back pockets off because I wanted the center panel of the skirt to be visible since I used a contrasting fabric. I skipped the details on finishing the vents as I knew I was going to be chopping off that portion of the skirt. Yes, I know I probably should have modified the pattern pieces before cutting to save fabric, but I honestly was just too lazy to do the math ahead of time. Once the front and back wear sewn together, I cut about 5 inches off the bottom of the skirt. This was just above where the vents ended. I then measured the finished width and cut the ruffle pieces to be twice the circumference of the skirt. (For size 5, the width was about 14 inches on the front which makes the total for the front and back 28. I cut both sets of ruffle at 56 inches so I would have plenty of length for gathering.) Next, I sewed the ruffle strips into loops, slid them together, with the 4 inch piece on top of the 5 inch piece right sides up. I gathered the ruffle strips together and then added them to the skirt pressing and top stitching after they were attached. I finished up the skirt by following the rest of pattern directions to attach the waistband and back elastic.
I love the finished product. It screams fall with a bit of flair, yet still allows for Peyton to wear it to school without feeling like she is flashing her booty while sitting on the rug at story time. Hopefully I will get the other two girls something to wear for Thanksgiving before it gets here as well!
Momma Quail Sale:
Use the coupon code “MQPATTERNTOUR” for 30% off in the Etsy shop through 11/21/15. This is going to be the biggest Momma Quail Pattern sale in November – don’t wait til Black Friday.
Momma Quail Etsy Shop Here
Momma Quail (Friends Stitched Together) Blog Here
The Tour:
Are you still with me? Yay! Tell me what you think of my version in the comments, then be sure to check out the rest of the Momma Quail Pattern Tour and enter the Rafflecopter! I’m sure the other bloggers are going to have some great contribution to share and inspire you with. I know I’m on the lookout for what everyone does with the Hobbes Hooded Jacket!
11/16:
Sew Thrifty • Willow and Stitch • The Wholesome Mama
11/17:
Create 3.5 • Lulu & Celeste • Pear Berry Lane
11/18:
The Berry Bunch • Paisley Roots • Call Ajaire • Falafel and the Bee
11/19:
House of Estrela • Adventures with Bubba and Bug • Swoodson Says
11/20:
Rebel & Malice • Knot Sew Normal • Sew Thrifty
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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