Burda Style 02-2010 Skirt 104

This little skirt, as Burda puts it, "is a must for your holiday suitcase because it’s so practical and uncomplicated." I wanted an uncomplicated skirt pattern to use with my fabric, and this fit the bill.

I'm not going to review this per-se, since there are so many reviews out there for similar patterns. It's a  yoked A-line skirt that sits slightly below the natural waist. It has side-front pockets and a back zip. It's incredibly easy to make, and I'd recommend it if you have this issue and want a simple skirt.

Fabric Used: Perfectly Preppy Patchwork Cotton in Pinks/Blues/Greens from Gorgeous Fabrics (of course)

Construction Notes: I just want to give you a few tips about working with this fabric and the other patchwork cottons I got in recently. First off - LOVE IT! I threw this fabric in the washing machine and dryer to pre-treat it. It has a nice hand off the bolt, but once it's washed, it is incredibly soft. So definitely prewash these fabrics. Some of them are overdyed, so they will have a tendency to bleed dye for the first couple of washes. This one isn't so saturated with dye as some of the others, but they all benefit from a run through the wash before you cut and sew.

The second thing to note about this fabric is that, because it is sewn and then serged together, you can't use fusible interfacing with it. I used silk organza to interface the yoke bands. It worked beautifully. You can also use plain muslin for interfacing. Because of the sewing lines/serging, you also want to be careful when hemming any garments. I found the best way to hem this skirt was to pin the hem in place, then press before actually sewing the hem. If you take a close look at the bottom of the skirt, you'll see the cutting/hem line go across the seams in the fabric. Pressing them before sewing helps keep them in line. You will also want to grade any seams carefully in facings and other tight areas, to eliminate bulk.

I finished the seams in my skirt by serging the edge of each seam allowance. The fabric doesn't really ravel too much, but that gives it a nice finish.

With these fabrics, I recommend keeping the lines of your garment relatively simple. A classic top or skirt will work great with these fabrics. So will a dress with relatively few design lines. The fabric is so fun by itself, it really doesn't need to compete with the pattern.

Likes/Dislikes: I really like the lines of this skirt. It lets the fabric have center stage. I also like it with this fabric because it looks cute and preppy.

Conclusion: It's supposed to be in the 80s tomorrow here in Boston (before falling to the 40s on Thursday), so I think I'll wear this with a little tee-shirt
and espadrilles, put on my pink wig, put the top down and go out for a drive at lunch.

Happy sewing!