Refashion: Too small suede skirt....my first time sewing suede!

Just when I said I didn't wear skirts a lot these days in my last post - here is another skirt refashion! I thrifted this too small suede skirt last year. I am not usually a leather/suede clothing person. But I liked the colour of this skirt and at this low price, I thought I could learn to sew with suede. If it didn't turn out wearable I could always disassemble it and make a purse!

The skirt was so tight that I couldn't even put it on. I laid it down on the floor and measured it with the Vogue 8126 skirt I just made. I needed to add about 8 cm in width from waist to hem in order for me to put it on.

1. First I disassembled the whole skirt with my trusty seam ripper: waistband, lining, side seams.

2. Then I used some remnant black ponte knit and cut two 6 cm wide strips. I attached them to the side seams with leather needles. (NOTE: I had to buy Leather needles. I tried using a Jean needle and it didn't work at all. The Leather needle had no problems whatsoever. I was able to sew at at regular pace with the leather needle.)

 3. I then trimmed everything to length. I don't usually look good with waistbands so I just omitted it and cut and sewed a new lining (Bemberg) directly to the top of the skirt. I then flipped the lining over and topstitched the waist. I tried it on and it fit perfectly with the black knit panels slightly stretched (Too perfectly actually. The suede has no give which means I can't eat a a meal in this - hahahaha!).

 4. And to add some interest to the skirt, I added this black ponte knit detail at the back:

It's actually not too practical to have this embellishment at the back. I just wore the skirt and sat on it and the bow became all wonky! I guess it's the kind of skirt that you can't sit down in - just kidding! I'll just take the bow out.

I'm pretty happy with this simple refashion. I'm not scared of sewing with suede anymore. Yay!!

Pattern Review: Vogue 8126 skirt in Mykonos Blue

Ah time for some Fall/Winter sewing again! I'm using stash fabrics and a stash pattern. I bought this pattern years ago when I was trying to make a nice skirt suit for the office. This is the skirt pattern I chose.

Pattern Description: 
Misses/Misses' Petite skirt - below mid-knee, straight skirt has back zipper closure. A: topstitching in front, B, C: pleats in front. I made View A.

Pattern Sizing:
8-22. I used size 14 which was too large. I had to take the skirt in at the side seams to about size 12. My usual size for the big 5 is between 12 and 14.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
A bit.

Were the instructions easy to follow?
Very easy.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
What attracted me was the drawing of view A. I thought the frilly front was very pretty looking yet polished enough for the office. It also sewed up very quickly.

Fabric Used: 
A wool mix gabardine type fabric I got from the cheapy bin years ago.  I love that dark teal colour. Who knew it would be a trendy colour for the Fall/Winter 2013 season (according to Pantone)? The fabric has a firm hand and was easy to sew. However, I think the weight of the fabric makes the 'frills' in the front a bit stiff. A lighter weight fabric would make the skirt more fluid and pretty I think.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I originally made a size 14 which was too big so I took in the side seams to about size 12. I also shortened the skirt because I'm short.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
 I would definitely recommend this to others. It's easy to sew and has a bit of style. I usually don't look good in these straight skirts because I have a very boxy figure already. But these frills in the front softened the boxiness. Moreover, the extra room in the front of the knee makes walking fast much easier! I don't know if I would sew it again since I don't wear much knee length skirts at the moment. Perhaps I will revisit this later when I need more knee length skirts.

Conclusion: 
Nice styling, easy to sew. Highly recommended.

Note: It's very difficult to show the real colour of the fabric in the photograph. The actual colour is more teal than this.