handcrafted: my circle skirts

I am so excited to show off all the lovely skirts that y’all made for the sew-along, but I figured I should do a quick post with pictures of the ones I made too! hehe. (The group post will be up shortly!) I’m fairly pleased with how both came out; although as usual, I’d do a few things differently next time (namely add pockets to one or the other!). But I think both will get a lot of rotation in my closet and be worn a lot!

More photos here.

The first is, of course, The Bee Skirt. Inspired by a vintage skirt I saw on Etsy (but the waist size was of course an issue!), I just fell in love with the fanciful bees dancing across the skirt, and decided to recreate my own version. It took me a couple weeks of embroidery (spread out over evenings and weekends) to finish all these bees, and then another couple days to add sequins and beads. But all the work was well worth it! To protect the back of the embroidery I added a layer of tulle to underline the skirt. (Worked perfectly because it’s lightweight and moves with the blue cotton broadcloth.) The hem I decided to scallop and am not entirely pleased with that choice—mostly because it proved to be quite fiddly and add weight to the skirt with a facing. If I had to do it again, I’d just keep it a plain hem. But it’s still a really cute, novelty-style skirt!

More photos here.

The other circle skirt I made was what I like to call my Winter Nights Skirt. The fabric is a curious sort—similar in weight to taffeta and has a woven, slightly plush pattern. Surprisingly it was in the outerwear section of the fabric store, but reminded me of the fabric used in a 1950s vintage circle skirt I have (but can only wear once-in-a-blue moon as it has a tiny waist!). This was a far more simple skirt than the previous one, as I wanted to let the fabric speak for itself (though yes, I was tempted to add  beads scattered across the skirt—I may eventually!). I used horsehair braid around the hem and really love how it added body and bounce, without having to wear a petticoat. This is probably one that will get a lot of wear this winter, since it looks just as at-home with my striped tshirts as cashmere sweaters!

Now that I’ve got a total of five circle skirts in my wardrobe (two vintage and three made by me), I think it’s time to take a break from circle skirts for a bit! hehe. A girl can only have so  many before it becomes too many. Though putting together the CSSA Party post sure is tempting me to change my mind…