OK, thank yous first! Sew Busy Lizzy gave me a free pattern from Maria Denmark (Happy late Solstice Maria!) and I chose the Yasmin yoke skirt and used a soft charcoal linen I received in a freebie bundle from fabricmart.
By the by, I was quite proud of this mature choice. Seriously, CHARCOAL…..GREY…..LINEN. Do you link these words with me? Probably not. To date I have made…hmm…. maybe 4 things in solid colors and I wear them to work. Yes. I made turdlety brown scrub tops and such. Nothing much to write home about. So to pick out a mature, sensible color and fabric, whoo-boy! Did I ever feel mature. So I was showing the Mothership my latest plans and I get to this piece of fabric and she is holding it up and feeling it and I haven’t shown her the pattern yet and she looks at me and says- in total seriousness- ‘Why don’t you sew up both sides and then use it to store onions’. So in case you ever wondered, this apple did not fall far from the gaudy tree!
Ok, so onto the show! This pattern is a really easy to follow and well-thought out work. It makes alterations easy, it is a sharp shape and I’m already thinking about a few more for summer. Want to see a picture?
Oh, sorry, just-
let me finish this ironing- linen, Gees, what a lot of ironing.
Ok. Here we go. Well- 
Here it is- I love the shape of the pockets and I lined with them with this frisky calico left over from a Godbabe Callie romper project.
Wait- let me just run this under the iron just once more.
Ok. Thats better.Lets see how we do. 
Crap! I wrinkled it while trying to get it past my bloomers?!
I did not have charcoal grey invisible zipper, so I used an eggplant colored regular one, cuz, well, if you can’t match- do it in a big way, right? Ok, I am thinking calm, unwrinkling thoughts.
All ironing foolishness aside- I’m really pleased with this skirt. I will definitely be trying more of Maria’s patterns and if you haven’t, please do!
Hey, that reminds me- did you hear that squeak? This barely made it on time for Indie Pattern Month!!!! Go check out the show!
photo credits: meadhawg, Pattern Review, google images. all images remain the property of their original owners.
Well dang! That is too cute. If the wrinklees bother you too much you can use lightweight fusible interfacing on the entire piece of fabric before you cut out. This was suggested at a Peggy Sagers sewing expo and I have never tried this. (my caution statement)
~Claire
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Wow- that sounds like an interesting idea- anybody tried this?
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I completely interfaced a linen jacket with a fine sheer polyester fusible to make sure there was minimal wrinkling. Worked line a dream, but you have to use the right stuff! I got mine from here: http://www.gillarnold.co.uk/interfaces. I’m sure she’ll do international orders, if not, I can order & post out to you. Love the post, & the bloomers! 😀
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Oh you make me laugh! Great skirt (even if it is grey). Makes much better use of the fabric than an onion bag!!! A girl has to have some neutrals to go with all the lovely patterned tops. And that paisley top goes with it so well. Very nice.
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I think you’ll be surprised at how often you wear that neutral skirt. It’s a lovely shape. As for the ironing, when you let go of the need for wrinkle-free garments, you will love linen.
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Got to get use to the major crotch smiles from sitting so much!
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Embrace the wrinkle!! I love linen just for the reason that I don’t have to be wrinkle free. You could underline it for less wrinkles if they really bother you. Looks fab!
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I think a gal that is a major sitter at work probably is less suited to this textile, but I did feel classy!
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LOL! I love your ironing montage. Did you have “Eye of the Tiger” playing in the background? You wrinkles are going down!!! I like your “mature” skirt and you can always gaudy it up with all the other flashy things in your closet,😉
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I tried to channel your domestic brilliance- needs more cake, right?
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I was just on Maria’s site today buying her ‘Just a Tank Top’ pattern and was eyeing up this skirt, but didn’t get it. I’m going to have to rethink that. This does look like something you’ll get a lot of wear out of. I agree – I’ve made all of Maria’s shirt patterns and I love them. I’m doing Cake Patterns Hummingbird sewalong and in one of the Flickr threads it was mentioned that linen takes time to soak up water and that you should pre-soak linen before washing and it will come out with less wrinkles. I haven’t tried this but wanted to pass it along just in case.
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Maybe I’ll install a humidifier by my desk- I look lovely when damp!
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I have so many things to say-first, I love your boxers. And, I think this style of skirt is made for you, especially in a solid. Perhaps an eggplant color next? Navy? Red? Finally, I used to keep a small sprayer next to my desk for my plants and annoying students. Lightly spray occasionally to remove wrinkles.
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I do have a co-worker who needs a good warning shot now and again…..
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Haha you make me laugh love it! linen is such a great fabric, once you accept the wrinkles you can then live in perfect harmony with one another, that’s what I say when I look in the mirror at my 42years too. Great job
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Well, 1970 was an excellent year, wasn’t it! Me too!
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I really love this skirt, and apparently in olden days the ‘linen wrinkles’ were a sign of wealth because you’re wearing such a luxurious fibre😉
I also think if you have a plain basic (even if it apparently doubles as an onion sack), then you can TRIPLE the amount of gaudy that goes on top, to balance it out. Maybe.
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Hmm, I’m chubby and wrinkled- I’m the epitome of a wealthy rennaissance woman!
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Ha, this made me laugh! I am so like this before blog pics, most of the time in real life I am covered in cat fur and food stains, lol.
I was just looking at this skirt pattern yesterday and wondering what it looks like made up, might have to download it this week, looks really good on you!
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Hah! The pups were at the groomers- I had 3 hours without animal hair clinging to me!! I have a huge roll of packing tape in my desk drawer at work for de-furring when I arrive.
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I love it!
And may I just say: Lines wrinkles expensively! (which means that linen will wrinkle no matter what you do – embrace it and acknowledge that it’s just a design feature when wearing a linen garment. It’s supposed to wrinkle (if you repeat it enough times, it’ll be the truth, you know:-))
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I meant to say: LINEN wrinkles expensively ;-0
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Phew! I didn’t want my foolishness to overshadow what a great go-to pattern this is!
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Oh dear! I’ve I corrupted the ever-flamboyant Anne & ruined her for life???
Looks fabulous, I love seeing you try new shapes. Looks great.
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Is this turnabout for Jungle January corruption? heehee
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Oh lordy, I think that you did corrupt me AND my eldest daughter – she is now obsessed with animal prints! It’s amazing!
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Come to the gaudy side Lizzy- we have much foolishness!
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Oh well we better bring the youngest daughter too as that’s her speciality!
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Its no fun to be gaudy alone!
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Thanks for the giggle. Lovely linen does equal lots of dam ironing! I’ve been pondering this skirt for a while, but you might have just pushed me over the ‘buy now’ edge…
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You’d look great in this one!!!
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You’re so funny, delaying what we want to see, like that! I see that it looks good on a shape similar to mine – THAT’s what I wanted to see!
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Thats my blogging job- chubby guinea pig of style!
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Too funny! Love the skirt and the bloomers!
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Thank you, Sweet!
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Fab post! what an intense ironing style you have, how a wrinkle dared! hehehe! The skirt is great. I like your drawers btw
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Ha ha ha ha ha ah! I have the same fear of linen. Most people like it so much, and it feels nice, but ya, it always looks wrinkled. I think for some garments, (more flowy and summer breezy) the wrinkles add to the design, but for others (more tailored and dressy) the wrinkles just drive me batty! But, I do love the skirt, think it also looks terrific on you!
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You are too cute! Just own the wrinkles, and no one will say anything.😉 Also, I did love that your mom wanted you to make the fabric into an onion bag…wha??😀
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Excellent photo montage. The skirt looks great, and I say embrace the wrinkles. (I’m making a pair of linen trousers, so I’m practising in advance. Embrace the wrinkles, embrace the wrinkles.)
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Very nice. The best thing about grey is that yellow, pink and red look great with it. (Probably not all at that same time though)
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Alarmingly grown-up but very very nice! I am sure you will cope with the greyness of it – just use something ultra-jazzy to pep it up😉
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Great looking skirt! I’ll definitely give the pattern a go. I’m from Oregon, so grey has never been a color I want to acknowledge as we have more than plenty of it all winter long. But, there it is, and it does make for a great neutral when you want something not brown and black is too harsh. I hate the wrinkles in linen, but it is lovely to wear when its hot!
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Oh Anne … I thought linen was supposed to be wrinkled. This is the first time I have ever seen unwrinkled linen and I promise to forget it ever happened.
Cute skirt, make more please. Luverly bloomers…
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haha those ironing pictures! Your skirt is lovely, with or without wrinkles
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Ironing. Ironing. Ironing. That’s what linen is all about. Ironing.
This is a great shape on you. And it goes so well with your print tops.
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What is a solid, netural skirt than the perfect foil for gaudy, flowing blouses? If only you had some of those? Hang on, wait… Oh I see, you planned that didn’t you!!! So clever as well as pretty.
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