I've mentioned this before: I get a bit, uh, obsessive, over some things. Like fabric that I see and absolutely must get some for myself. Or dreaming about buttons until I go back and buy them. In this case, it was a McCall's pleated skirt pattern that I could not find in stock anywhere. I went to... 7? different Spotlights across 2 states and it was out of stock everywhere (presumably discontinued).
Meanwhile, I took a trip back home to QLD for Christmas for the first time in two years (!) and planned to stop in at Fabric Frenzy while I was at the Gold Coast to pick up some specialty feet for my Janome machine. My objective while there was NOT to buy fabric, but of course I couldn't resist having a quick look, and my eyes landed on this truly gorgeous Linen/silk print.
The colours reminded me instantly of travelling around Italy, especially of all the terracotta roofs in Florence. The linen blend makes for a lightweight fabric, and the minor silk content smooths out the linen and helps with the wrinkling. It's so dreamy.
I wasn't entirely sure what I wanted to make with it at the time but I had to have it (and I wasn't going to be in QLD again any time soon!) so I grabbed 2 meters.
I kept searching for the elusive McCall's pattern with no luck but decided I wanted to make this fabric into a pleated skirt anyway and after yet more searching I came across the Merchant and Mills Shepherd Skirt. Fate smiled on me the day I decided to pair this fabric with this pattern, because I had literally only fabric shavings left over, it all fit so perfectly.
I cut a size 12 and with no sizing modifications it's pretty much perfect. I did shorten the skirt by a few inches when I cut the pieces out, and I used the main fabric for the pocket linings instead of cutting separate facings. The only issue I encountered was lining up the pleats: I painstakingly marked all the matching points with tailor tacks but then the skirt was too big for the waistband! I'm going to assume the fabric stretched without me realising, so in future I'll stay-stitch the top of the skirt before doing the pleats.
I found some complimentary buttons at Lincraft which I think really completes the overall look.
This was my first Merchant and Mills pattern and I'm really impressed with the details in the instructions and the interesting way they reinvent basic garments. I already want to make another of these skirts and I'm drooling over the other patterns in their collection.
