Viscose Maxi Skirt

I mean seriously, I make one or two skirts, and suddenly I think I'm an expert.

The worst thing to do after you've bought a fabric that you think might be tricky is to google it and have it confirmed.

So. Viscose. Slippery, silky, slide-y.

The sequel to the pre-wash, if you like. How did I cope?


Reasonably well, I'd say - I do have a skirt out of it. It didn't take very long to do either. I decided not to cut the fabric and just gather it at the waist.  The less sewing I did, the better I reckoned.

So I :

1. Sewed a side seam with tissue paper pinned under the fabric.
2. Sewed a 4 inch channel (2 inches deep on both sides) at the top.
3. Measured the elastic around my waist and cut trimmed to size.
4. Inserted the elastic in the channel and stitched it together using a zig zag stitch in two places and backstitch over them twice to make it super secure.
5. Realised I'd made a mobius loop by sewing the elastic together the wrong way and proceeded to hunt down my seam ripper, undo my hard work and fume furiously like the most timid downtrodden sailor.
6.  Repeated 4. but the correct way this time.
7. Did a 1/2 inch and then 4 inch hem.

And it still touches my ankles. Well, the floor. I could be a bit more generous with the hem, I guess, so that I stop tripping myself over but I quite enjoy having to pick it up in a princess-like manner when stepping down from the door say or, you know, awkwardly clambering over a stile in the countryside.

I AM ACTUALLY IN THERE.
Oh, and the waistband is just under my bosom.

I found a few things - viscose is notorious for shrinking and my fabric didn't shrink evenly, so one of my side seams was slightly long on one side, so I trimmed upwards to let them meet. Other than that, once I'd worked out where to put the tissue paper, the longest part was number 5, which took about half an hour.
I didn't finish the seams and I should. I will. Well, I might.
I used a 34mm wide elastic, which was fine, but it's not non-roll, so my elastic has ended up folded in half around my 'waist'. My waist just can't do big waistbands I guess.

Next time, I'll use non-roll elastic for the waistband and see how that turns out.

Fabric wise, I love it. Like my cotton maxi skirt, I don't start burning under my skirt when it gets too hot bu.t unlike my cotton equivalent, when it's a little breezy, I don't feel like I'm standing in my underwear in public!
It is swishy and flowing and absolutely perfect for summer. I'll take 5 please.

Unknowingly inspired by Cashmerette.

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