A sewing blog about building a functional, cohesive handmade wardrobe, one garment at a time.

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Gathering Moss

I have had the Grainline Moss Mini Skirt pinned forever.  I don't have the legs for a mini skirt, but the longer version with the hem band is exactly the type of skirt I gravitate towards in stores, and which I always find flattering and comfy.  I finally decided to sew one up last week.

  
So, the fabric.  It is a very stretchy stretch corduroy that I picked up when FabricMart was doing a corduroy clearance.  FM called the color "seafoam."  It's a color that I was kind of on the fence about. I figured it could go one of two ways: 1) springy and on-trend or 2) Rose from Golden Girls.


What do you think?  Rose is rocking a slouchy cardigan in exactly the shade of seafoam that I would prefer to avoid.  I think that the color of the cord is a little deeper.  Though, now that I look closer at her shirt, it does bear a resemblance to the Traveler I am wearing in this photo.  OK, that's a little creepy.


I like the skirt.  Although my waist and hip measurements correspond exactly to the size 12, this turned out a tiny bit too big.  I'm guessing that's due to the stretchiness of the fabric, or perhaps there is more ease built into the pattern than I would like. (UPDATE: Well, it's more than a tiny bit big - within 30 minutes of wear it was falling right off my hips.  I took an inch off each side seam, tapering to nothing 9" down the skirt and adjusted the waistband accordingly.  I should mention that I was dreading the alteration but it actually took less than 40 minutes and now I have a very wearable skirt).

Like several others in blogland, I ran into a problem with the waistband being a full 2.5" too short.  I emailed Jen from Grainline and she responded to me basically immediately, which was awesome of her.  She asked me to send her some photos of my skirt-in-progress and said she is aware that some people are having a problem, and plans to look into it very soon.  Although I may have uttered a few choice words while working on that waistband, I have to say that I was impressed with this pattern support and will recommend Grainline to anyone because of it.

The instructions are a little sparse in places, but I was able to construct the skirt with minimal frustration (other than the waistband).  I lined the pockets with scraps of the pink plaid fabric from that Traveler shirt, so that outfit above is extra-matchy.

The zipper and fly are not perfect, but being that this is only my fourth zipper ever, and the most successful by far, I am calling it a win.  I will refrain from offering a close-up of my imperfections (and the royally botched bartack).  It's good enough for government work.


I look pretty dumb in this photo but, in my defense, it was REALLY bright out and the wind was insane.  Most of the photos from the shoot were much dumber.  I'm including it anyway as part of my new mission to provide around-town modeling shots.  This one was taken in front of your typical Soviet and post-Soviet apartment blocks, pretty close to my house.

In conclusion - the Moss gets a thumbs up from me.  I'll size down for the next one and report back.

22 comments:

  1. Looks great, Masha - your Rose comparison made me laugh ;-)
    I found it slightly large too, but like you am unsure if it is due to pattern ease or to the stretch of the fabric.

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    1. Glad to oblige Justine - and it was your Moss that prompted me to finally make up the pattern!

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    2. I found mine too large too, I was glad that I decided to add beltloops on a whim, it would definitely not get as much use without a belt to hold it up (plus longish top over it to cover the bunching). I wonder if the moss is meant to be worn lower down, on the hips, as is trendy with the young folk around here. And I found the waistband too small, I assumed at the time in my late night sewing frenzy that was due to cutting errors. I also found Jen very helpful, especially when I realised that my pay pal account had automatically told her to send the pattern to my old email account that I'm locked out of. So snap on 3 accounts.
      I didn't use cordroy though, which is a great choice of fabric. And I love how your skirt picks up one of the colours in your top. Nice work!

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    3. Thanks for your compliments! I do believe the skirt is meant to be worn on the hips (which is where I prefer to wear my skirts), but even then, it is a bit too big for me!

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  2. I like the skirt a lot! I like skirts like that and the color actually is super cute!

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  3. Great job! I love the baby blue colour. thanks for popping by my blog, I've followed you on bloglovin and look forward to seeing your future makes :)

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    1. Thanks for the love! Your skirt is beautiful.

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  4. You look great you do not look DUMB!

    I think I may have to look into this skirt.
    xx N

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    1. You should, Nicole - I know you'd make something wonderful.

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  5. It's looks really nice! (and you know how much I love the street shots, they are fab :)

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    1. Ha, even ugly streets like this deserve some love!

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  6. I love this color! (It should be noted I am a long time Golden Girls fan, however.) And this skirt looks great on you - you're right, it's totally a staple item. I'm so intimidated by the idea of zipper flies ... maybe I need to get over that!

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    1. I was really afraid of the zipper (and fly) too - before I sewed this I had yet to sew in a zipper - any zipper - without trouble. But the instructions were good and there is also an online tutorial on their site.

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  7. You look great! The skirt color is very on trend. I see lots of clothes and accessories for Spring in the stores right now in that color. I had a few skirts a few years back that were that length. They were a very light-weight corduroy. I loved them and they were so comfy. It does not look like you made any flaws in your sewing. It looks great!!

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  8. I've made this skirt four times now and have finally realized that it is supposed to sit on the hips, and it is a little big. So I'm very happy hear that I am not the only one who figured this out…. On my last make I Ieft the interfacing out of the waistband and I could (kinda) stretch it to fit. I also lengthened it by about 6 inches... I think it looks great on you! I love Jen at Grainline, think her patterns are fab, and particularly Moss, which (when I get all the fit issues solved) will be a total wardrobe staple for me. And I also think the color is great. With those types of shades you just have to be careful not to wear it with anything that matches it's hue (no pastels)… Good work!

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    1. It really is a great pattern. I'm anxious to get the fit right! I'll have to go have a look at yours!

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  9. The skirt looks great! The picture of Rose cracked me up. And I love that last picture of you!

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  10. This is a great looking skirt - I like the wide hemband. I actually love this color of greenish blue, too (personal preference!).

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  11. Great skirt!! I love the moss - I've been living in my 2 versions all summer/autumn & will be brave & make a short cord one for winter (with tights) - your 'golden girls' link hasn't deterred me from trying to find a sea foam like yours! - and I'm also another one with waistband issues, but it's SO worth it for such a cute skirt that looks fab on everyone! ;)

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    1. Hope you can find some seafoam cord :) It really is a great-looking pattern.

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  12. My sister in law has just commissioned me to make this skirt for her and I am finding your review very helpful. Thanks Masha! I will do a trial run first....

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Hi! I am so happy you came by. Thanks for your comment!