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Friday, December 09, 2016

Astoria top + swishy skirt (take 2)

After sewing this version of the Astoria top with a swishy skirt, I knew I had to make more.  MORE! Alas, I only made this one more (despite my dreams of a closet full of them).  
The overall style works well--cropped 50s inspired top with a voluminous skirt--and I like how it works with my shape (hiding the bottom of the pear nicely!).  
There are so many fabric options for each piece!  For this version of the Astoria, I went with a navy rayon French terry.  The fabric weight is nice for this top and is warmer than a regular knit for the fall.  
I used my double-needle coverstitch machine to finish the neckline.  Yes that's a beetle.  I have a thing for biology-related brooches.

For the skirt, I splurged and bought some silk/cotton Liberty voile.  It's lovely and Fall-like, but very sheer, so I added a lining of cream colored silk/cotton voile.
The pattern is the Brumby skirt (Megan Nielsen), cut down in length a bit.  The waistband is curved, but it sits like it's a straight band, which is fine for this overall look, but isn't very comfortable for me. 
I'm still kicking myself that I didn't add pockets.  Seriously.  Why have I not learned my lesson to just put pockets in everything?  And I would go back to add them after the fact, except that I sewed the entire thing (lining and all!) with French seams.  
I hoped this style (cute cropped top with dirndl skirt) would have been more of a "uniform" this Fall, but I didn't quite get around to making any more versions.  Regardless, I love this look and I can see it transitioning into a Spring uniform :)


8 comments:

  1. Really cute outfit on you and great colors too. Looks like a great all-seasons outfit to me!

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    1. Where we live in Northern California, it is pretty all-seasons. I wore the outfit with kitten-heeled boots and it worked great to extend the usage into colder weather!

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  2. Beautiful outfit! And I know what you mean about pockets. I don't really wear leggings anymore because now I like to wear jeans so I can stick my phone in the back pocket as well as other things in other pockets.

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    1. Well, I don't love carrying my phone in my pockets--I pretty much just like putting my hands there, when I can't think of what else to do with them :) That, and carrying chapstick!

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  3. Anonymous7:31 AM

    Where did you get the wonderful beetle brooch?
    Vancouver Barbara

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    1. I purchased it from Banana Republic, if you can believe that! It was a while ago, though, so I doubt they still carry it.

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    2. Thanks. I'll check them out.
      Vancouver Barbara

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  4. I love this look too! I hope you do get your dream of a whole bunch of them! ;)

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