Hello Yellow! Skirt

I'm sorry to go on and and on about the weather, but you know, this is England... Anyway, it's still been gloomy and in desperation, I issued a challenge to the sun by making an electric yellow skirt. A skirt that can't help but make you feel good.

I'm loving this 70's throw-back look. Big, bold, unashamed blocks of colour, round pockets, big belt loops, red top-stitching and a long A-line cut.

Like my tea party skirt, the fabric is from Ray Stitch. The yellow is a Klona woven cotton, in the Corn Yellow colourway and I'm pleased that it's made right here in the UK. The funky red, white and blue patterned trim is also cotton, it's called Red Grid and is from the Pinelope range by Anna Griffin. 

I've used the same pattern as for my tea party skirt, Simplicity 2152. If it's not recognisable as such, it's no wonder. I adapted it pretty significantly. I used the same yoke because I was so pleased with the fit of my other skirt, but cut out the front and back without the panels. To do that I lay the front panel pieces side by side, overlapping them at the top so they were the same width as the yoke piece and gently tapering them away from each other towards the bottom. I cut round them as if they were one piece. I did the same with the back and made both longer.

I'm super proud of the pockets. They're patch pockets, although sewn into the side seams, and they're lined with the red print and top stitched. I drew the general shape I wanted onto baking paper and then cut it out in the yellow and the print. Then I sewed the right sides of the fabric together along the curved edges, sandwiching the piping between them on the longer curve. I found a great tutorial for flat piping here. Once turned right sides out and gently pressed, the round, lined pocket was ready to sew onto the skirt front. When the front and back were sewed together, the sides of the pocket are secured in place. The second pocket is a mirror image of the first.

The zip is a cheery red that peeps out at the back and I've lined the yoke with the red pattern. I found a great idea for the zip here. Instead of lining it up at the top of the yoke, I overlapped it a bit, zipped it right up, and so avoided getting a wiggly stitching line around the fastening part. I then zipped it down, folded the top of the zip down and now it's neatly encased in the yoke.

The tie just makes it I think - it was Zoë's idea! I showed her the skirt semi-completed and wondered out loud what it seemed to need ... something else ... "A belt" she said. And it was, though perhaps not the belt she had in mind. I attached belt loops to the yoke before I added the lining so there's no visible stitching inside and made the tie from lengths of the red print cut on the cross. It has a sliding tie knot to move it up and down so I don't have to undo it to take my skirt on and off.

And, you won't believe it! Today it was warm and the sun shone :) The only thing left to do is paint my toe nails ...