Two spring outfits

I made these two cowl neck tops a few months ago, but felt compelled to create some cute skirts to wear with them as the weather warmed up.  Shazam!  Two new outfits for spring, which can be mixed and matched!

The cowls are both a mash up of Sewaholic's Renfrew top (view C) and an elongated waistband from Seamwork's Astoria top.  I sewed the teal version first and the neckline is a bit narrow, so I slashed and spread the cowl pattern to make it a bit wider for the pink one.   See, bigger!

As for the skirts, the first is a super simple knit dirndl with an elastic waist.  Nothing fancy, except the pretty fabric :)  I didn't even put in pockets (poor decision, as usual).

The second is a City Stroll wrap skirt from Liesl & Co.   I've made it once before (in cashmere!) and really like the simplicity of the pattern.  This version is in denim for a more casual look that coordinates well with lots of tops.

I topstitched the skirt with a light gray thread (sorry, no super close ups!), but it is not lined like the wool one I made previously.

The photos I have of this garment are not great, but I DO have some action shots!  While the skirt can be a bit indecent in certain situations, it does cover under most poses:

I typically wear a skirt pin my wool one for work, but I like to play fast and loose on my days off.  

Now the weather actually needs to warm up for real, so I don't freeze without tights!  

City Stroll Skirt in cashmere

With a cute blouse or sweater, skirts are great for my job, so the unusual shape and nice details (pockets!) of the City Stroll Skirt by Liesl & Co definitely caught my eye when the pattern was released.  

For this version, I used a "scrap" of fabric leftover from my self-drafted blazer project.  I couldn't let nearly a yard of cashmere wool tweed go to waste, and luckily, this pattern requires only a small amount of fabric.  (Sadly, I can't wear the two together...)

The fabric is a bit thicker than the suggested fabrics, and I realized I sewed 5/8" seams before reading the instructions (SA is 1/2" FYI!), so the skirt overlap is about 1/2" shy of the proper location (right at the dart).  Thankfully, it's a wrap skirt and while it doesn't look perfect, it's still wearable.

The flap allows for pretty reasonable movement without flashing any unmentionables, even with my less-than-ideal coverage (though I may still add a small snap inside).

Following the suggestion of Shelley from Bartacks and Singletracks (see two of her skirts here, and a little girl version here), I decided to underline (with Bemberg) the skirt and Hong Kong finish some strategic seams. (See my tutorial for details.)  

Here's the inside of one flap of the skirt.  For the underlining, I extended the lining fabric (for the Hong Kong finish) only at the side seams; since the rest are covered with a facing or waistband.  The non-HK finished sides of the lining/ self edges were just basted together with a 1/4" SA.  

I even underlined the pockets, and then finished all the raw edges with Hug Snug rayon seam binding. 

Waistband and "hem" facing

Hem facing with Hug Snug binding, and side seam with Hong Kong finish.

The underlining feels so nice and looks just gorgeous, so even if the fit isn't perfect, I know is that this skirt is well made!  

2015 Resewlution, September garment #2