Sunday, April 4, 2010

Jenny, I love you!

Yesterday was a super productive day. After a mini field trip to Clegs to buy a zip I finished off my blue Sencha and black Jenny Skirt.

I have to say, I agree with Gertie entirely; the Sencha and Jenny are a match made in heaven!


Despite my initial misgivings, now I've made it up I'm in love with the Jenny Skirt. I decided to buy some cheap black stretch suiting during my trip to Spotlight earlier this week (when I bought the fabric for my trousers) to make a wearable muslin/test garment to check whether the skirt suits me.


After being honest with myself and taking accurate measurements I cut out the skirt pattern... I then measured how long it is and cut at the upper lengthen/shorten line and added 2 inches (although I think I'll take 1 inch back out again for any future versions). As with Gertie and Zoe, I made my own waistband piece rather than following the slightly bizarre instructions of cutting a piece on the bias and stretching it to fit. I just cut a straight strip and used the side and centre back seams to shape it to my body nicely.


I was very under-whelmed by the instructions for the pattern and ended up completely ignoring them and making it up how I felt like it. The instructions also don't really detail what you need to buy, which is why I had to go and buy a zip today as the one I had bought was too short, and also why the skirt isn't lined.

The order of construction of the skirt also didn't really make much sense to me, so rather than follow the instructions I did the following:
- Sew the darts, sew skirt front to skirt back, press side seams open
- Sew the front and back waistband pieces together (x2) and press seams open
- Sew the skirt to one of the waistbands, matching side seams
- Sew the other waistband to the first waistband, understitch and press.
- Sew the back seam between the markings, pressing slit open
- Sew with an invisible hem around the bottom and up the slit
- (Go out and buy correct length zip)
- Add the zipper up the back (matching waistband seam)
- Invisibly stitch waistband lining down along waistband seam and by zip


As I said, VERY happy, my only problem now is to decide what colour to make it in next! Suggestions?

4 comments:

  1. ~gorgeous~ that is very nice Rachel, lovely together and interesting to read about the original waistband instructions - what the??

    I would like to see this in a print...

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  2. Hi, I just found your blog though Me-Made-May, and I love your style! This skirt, blouse combo is very flattering!

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  3. make it in red or yellow

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  4. You mentioned in your entry: "Jenny, I still love you", that this length you made it at here is not so flattering... try taking it in a couple of cm towards the hem and you can see that it starts looking a whole lot better. ;)

    ReplyDelete

Comments make me smile :)

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