The above shows that leaving the buttons out is a issue! I will need to secure the fold somehow.....

What a busy week, my youngest turned twelve, my oldest daughter sixteen and my son was accepted into his first college choice........ one down, three to go!

A birthday sleepover, a Fun concert and The book of Mormon filled the weekend so I am glad I choose a simpler project......

MARFY F2245

This is a true winner, I loved it so much I made it twice! I had two fabrics I thought would be perfect, a lightweight Brocade from Marc Jacobs and a Oscar De La Renta sik taffeta - both from Mood Fabrics early last year.

Its such a interesting skirt, I liked that it had a avent garde feel, and could be dressed up or down. The only thing I had a really strong reaction to were the buttons, I really did not like them at all, thought they took the edge away from the style, so I left those off.

This is not everyones taste I know , but is the kind of thing I always wished I could find in a store before I started to sew.

The anticipation of opening these patterns is ridiculous, I love it! Its never what you would expect.

Marfy send their patterns folded into themselves and when I opened up this one I laughed out loud.

Two pieces .......thats it! and just look at the way its designed. Just to see the drafting on these patterns is worth the money, its fascinating.

There are always enough markings to get a really good idea of what is going on....and generally a grain line is also marked, although the illustration they provide are the best.

Looking at the picture, you can see that the jacket is cut on the grain as the squares are straight down but the skirt is clearly cut on the bias. There is also only one seam at the back so it would have to be one continuous piece, although I had never made a skirt with just a single seam before.

This was simple to make, I added "couture" methods as usual but it would be a quick standard sew. The skirt uses just under a yard and a half of fabric and the bias was clearly marked onto the pattern.

The two joining seams are marked above with yellow post it notes, one on the far left and the other on the upper right are the center back seam with the zipper position clearly marked.

The skirt is cut on the right side of the fabric and I added a underlining of silk organza to both skirts, then thread basted the seam markings joining the two together. I used a lightweight iron on interfacing for the waistband.

There are a number of different size darts to allow for the shaping, if anyone is interested in making this I would suggest watching out for the second from left dart. Its falls onto the left hip and is shaped at a sharp curve.

I struggled to get this one to stop puckering and pulling when I was trying it on, eventually realising that the entire dart needed to be cut down the middle once sewn and pressed as you would a seam allowance. It made such a difference.

I kept coming back to the idea that this was such a unusual skirt anyway , that I could pad out the front curve with some ice wool, to not only make it stand out a little more but give it a soft roll like effect. I used a pad stitch on the underside to make sure it stays.

I did this on both skirts and I think it makes a subtle difference to the way they hang...and this got me thinking about padded hems. This is my ultimate couture love. Its the most beautiful of finishes. Look at this stunning dress, you can tell immediately that it is padded.

SO...out came the ice wool again, I cut it about two inches wide and sewed it carefully in only catching the organza so no thread would be seen on the outer layer.

Love it!

I used a metallic all purpose 7" in the brocade skirt, letting the teeth show and added a tab at the top of the waistband.

and left the silk taffeta as it was designed, with a simple all purpose hand sewed in and a hook and eye closure. I drafted a simple a line skirt for the lining and inserted it into the waistband in both skirts before sewing the back seam and stitching the waistband closed. It worked well and is a clean finish.

As always the pattern fitted perfectly without a single alteration...heaven!

IN SUMMARY

Highly recommend this pattern for anybody who likes something a little different and is curious about Marfy. Its simple to follow and construct.

Interestingly there is a lot more ease than I would have thought, although the skirt tapers in towards the hem you can take a decent stride and when sitting all the fold allowance at the front is available so it does not feel tight at all.

This fitted beautifully, no alterations at all. I did leave the buttons off and will need to find a way of securing the fold, as you can see from the top pictures. It tends to move at the moment!

I will definitely be making this again, maybe a longer length in a heavier print for spring?

Audio book this week has been Kate Mortons The Secret Keeper. Can't stop listening to it, wonderfully written but the accent is bothering me. Its not "quite" English. It sounds like my kids copying mine!

Music was all Kayne this week.....one of my favorite albums My beautiful dark twisted fantasy...loud! Look how productive it made me...:-)

Barbara Kingsolver is finished and I would highly recommend this. Food for thought.

NEW PROJECT

So after much deliberating its going to be Marfy F1882, a crossover blouse which keeps drawing me back for another look, its interesting and could be a great wardrobe staple.