Finished - a most loved and flexible skirt

Back so soon! Who would have thought!?  And so begins the slow process of sharing my 4th trimester wardrobe. I had a lovely 5 week maternity leave period last year during which I sewed like a maniac. The advice from many for my post partum wardrobe was that in the unlikely event I would be out of my nightie before lunchtime I would need comfortable flexible garments with good access for feeding, that were easy to care for and good at camouflaging emissions from the small person.

I found my simple gathered maternity skirt on an exposed elastic waistband terrifically useful in the second half of my pregnancy (and to be honest post partum - I'm still wearing that thing!) so decided another would be a good addition to the wardrobe, to be teamed with feeding singlets and a variety of cropped Bento tees already in circulation. I was also determined to try to stick to my personal style as best I could at a time when it can be a challenge to feel remotely stylish or put together.

A while ago Anna gifted me some beautiful viscose crepe printed in a deep oxblood maroon and navy. I loved the graphic print (I thought it very reminiscent of uberchic Australian brands Elk and Obus) and felt it would team fabulously with tops in stripes, navy and grey. I used my favourite gathered skirt pattern, blogged here and here, vintage McCalls 8222. It is a gored and gathered A-line skirt, with pockets in the front seams. I'm a huge fan of a gathered A-line as you get the swoosh factor of a gathered skirt with less bulk compared to a straight rectangle dirndl skirt.

I managed to track down some very wide navy waistband elastic from the Remnant Warehouse and narrowed it to about 1.5 inches wide using my overlocker (this works very well and I thank those on Instagram who gave me the thumbs up on this method). The skirt was made as per the pattern (I think I added an extra couple of inches at the CF and CB to cover some extra mumtum weight gain) with french seams for added prettiness inside.

The waistline was finished with the overlocker then gathered using shirring elastic (my favourite gathering technique) and attached to the elastic with right sides together using a small zigzag stitch. So easy and also quite easy to unpick and alter in the future if needed.

This is a great method to finish a skirt with a stretchy yet completely flat and bulk free waistband - the hardest part is tracking down waistband elastic that matches one's fabric! Darn Cheap has a good range, as does Maai Design (I may or may not have recently ordered Maaike's black and copper waistband elastic which would look gorgeous on a black silk skirt).

On hot days at home I will often just wear this with a feeding tank (not super stylish but I am all about being real here) or topped with a cropped tee such as this Bento tee.

 A winner in my book - adaptable, stylish and easy to wear! Thanks to Anna for both the fabric and the photoshoot! xx