Hollyburn Sew-Along - Inspiration (Part 2)

Are you ready for some more Hollyburn inspiration? After talking about some different fabric choices in the last post, in today's Hollyburn Sew-Along post I thought I would talk about design features. The Hollyburn already has two design feature options for adding variation and interest to the skirt - belt loops and button tabs on the waitband. However should you wish, there are many many other options you could try doing to make your skirt your own.

(For all the below images, please click on the pic to take you to pinterest for the source)

Keeping with the idea of adding design features to the waistband to highlight your waist, how about adding the belt loops from view A and a bow belt that matches or contrasts your skirt?

 

Another way to highlight the waistband would be to add piping to the top and/or bottom of the waistband.

  

You might have noticed that the three above skirts with piping are the Colette Ginger skirt. How about borrowing one of the design features of that skirt and try a different shaped waistband?

Moving on, I quite like the rivets on the waistband of the below left skirt. Or how about adding some trim along the waistband, such as some coordinating ribbon. I've seen a faux-pocket-flap like on the below right skirt on a few skirts in stores and have always liked it, how about adding one to your Hollyburn skirt?

The next design feature that you could play around with is the pockets. The Hollyburn skirt has curved slash-front pockets. You could modify the shape of the pockets, add an interesting shape (below) or make it a straight edge.

What about taking out the pockets that are in the pattern and instead adding patch pockets instead? There are all sorts of shapes you could try.

 

 

Or if you're feeling adventurous, welt pockets could be cute...

Moving down the skirt, another area that design features could be added is the hem. Now, I'm sure I've read somewhere that it's not always advisable to add horizontal lines, particularly at the hem of a skirt, as they can stop the eye and remove height, and also emphasise width. However, I think it depends on how it's employed; the rules are there to be broken aren't they?

What about a contrast band around the bottom of the skirt? Maybe with a matching waistband?

  

Or how about adding some trim near the hem, in the right colour combination that could give your skirt a nautical feel.

 

Or how about channeling the 70s and adding a ruffle to or on the hem?

  

And how about adding a fagoted line around the hem?

And look at this skirt, I'm not sure if the red around the hem is achieved by the print of the fabric or it's two fabrics stitched together, but either way I love it:

Is colourblocking still "in"? Because in a similar vein you could colour block this skirt. And check out the below middle skirt - that's taking colour blocking to the extreme and could very easily be achieved with this pattern.

  

One last design feature is the option of adding applique or embroidery to your skirt. Here are some lovely examples I've found around the web:

   

So what do you think? Have any of these design features caught your eye? Are you thinking of using any of these ideas for your skirt? Or have you come up with something even more fabulous?

If you've seen anything in these inspiration posts that you're considering doing and would like any guidance or suggestions on how, please let me know in the comments, as then I can add in some extra information on any of the ideas into my post schedule.

In my next post I'll be talking about choosing a view of the skirt, so stay tuned!

Missed any of the sew-along posts, or just want to re-read them? You can find the full list here.

Hollyburn Sew-Along - Inspiration (Part 1)

So? Are you ready to get started with the Hollyburn Sew-along?! I have been hanging out for this all of my Christmas/New Year break!! I thought we'd get started with some inspiration posts. One thing I love about this pattern is that it is a lovely basic pattern, which as well as being a great wardrobe builder gives us heaps of space for customisation and creativity. Depending on which options you choose and how you style it, it could look modern or vintage, or somewhere lovely in between.

Today I thought I would talk about, and show some examples of, some different fabric choice options and in my next post tomorrow I will talk about design features.

(For all the below images, please click on the pic to take you to pinterest for the source)

 

If you want your skirt to be a true wardrobe builder, chances are you'll be after something that will easily fit into your current wardrobe. Often a solid colour will be the easiest way to achieve that. Black (above) or grey (below) are the colours I'd choose to have it seamlessly slot into my wardrobe, but which colour you could use really depends on the colours you already have in your wardrobe. What about navy?  Or beige?

   

But then you might not want it to blend seamlessly into the background in your wardrobe - you might want something that stands out! What about a fantastic red skirt?

  

Or just about any other bright colour would look great. What about blue, purple, pink, or the 2013 Pantone colour of the year, Emerald Green?

  

But picking a coloured skirt doesn't mean going for the most saturated colours possible, muted or pastel tones would be lovely too.

  

But moving on before I show you pictures of skirts in every possible colour...

How about stripes and/or plaid? I love stripes and plaids, in my opinion they're a great middle ground between solid colours and prints.

 

I feel the need to make a bit of a disclaimer here, the pattern envelope does say "Not recommended for plaids, stripes or one-way designs", but I'm a bit of a rebel with these things! I've checked with Tasia and the main reason she has said this is because it's classed as a beginner pattern and using plaid or stripes makes things harder. This is because it makes a massive difference whether you match the stripes, and doing so can be tricky; if the stripes meeting at that centre front (and centre back) seam don't match it'll be fairly obvious, so stripes/plaids aren't something I'd necessarily recommend for beginners.

 

Another small step away from solid colours is subtle prints. The kind that looks solid from a distance but adds some more interest. In my opinion a small polka-dot is always a good choice, but then I'm a sucker for spots.

  

And now you know that I'm a sucker for spots, how about a larger scale spot than the tiny polka-dots above?

  

Or what about other large(r) scale prints?

 

 

A little trickier as the hem of the skirt is curved, but another option could be a border print. I'd recommend going with a wide border print that doesn't have a defined 'edge' to the border, so a straight border doesn't look strange with a curved skirt. But if you happened upon the right fabric it could look fabulous!

Moving away from the colour or print of the fabric, and into different types of fabric...

What about using lace? You'd have to add a lining/underlining, but I shall be talking about adding linings during the sew-along so don't let that scare you off!

    

And you know what I just haven't been able to get out of my head; how the skirt would look in a really lightweight floaty fabric, for example chiffon. This isn't one of the recommended fabrics, but you could make the necessary changes (like adding a lining), and just imagine how beautiful it would be when you moved?!

     

And at the opposite end of the spectrum, what about a hard-wearing, versatile denim version...

 

Or for the more adventurous among you, imagine a (p)leather Hollyburn!

  

I think I'll stop shoving pictures of skirts in your face now! What do you think? Has anything inspired you?

I'll be back tomorrow with my second inspiration post!

Missed any of the sew-along posts, or just want to re-read them? You can find the full list here.