Plaid skirt??? In or out of fashion?

[mardel]

Oh thank you Kathrn for that lovely selection of photos!  This is the perfect kind of morning, home from the gym to an empty house and the chance to savor beautiful garments with a cup of coffee.

[Terri K]

"Charleville" Wrap Jacket by Diane Von Furstenberg Fall 2006 Collection

Style also sold in charcoal gray soft, drapey wool knit blend.   Description:  has a wide, foldover collar and tie belt. Hook-and-eye closure, Pleats at waist, about 21½" from shoulder to hem, fabric content Wool/nylon/spandex.

Not sure the date of the Vogue pattern but it appears to be an attempt to knock this jacket off.   I didn't care for the way the peplum sticks out accentuating the hips on the Vogue pattern 

[Kira]

I grabbed McCall's 5529 when it was released, view C has no floofy peplum.

I'm not usually a fan of shawl collars, but this one runs the length of the jacket, and I wanted to try the pattern.  I haven't gotten around to it yet ... but I do have a gorgeous teal wool knit to make it up with when the muslin fitting is finished.   

Kira

[Elle]

I grabbed McCall's 5529 when it was released, view C has no floofy peplum.

I'm not usually a fan of shawl collars, but this one runs the length of the jacket, and I wanted to try the pattern.  I haven't gotten around to it yet ... but I do have a gorgeous teal wool knit to make it up with when the muslin fitting is finished.   

Kira

Now that I can see that DVF jacket better, I think the M5529 is the knock-off!  I have both V2989 and M5529.  I got the Vogue pattern for the dress, the jacket wasn't quite right, but I grabbed M5529 when it came out.  Love this jacket.

Sorry about the highjacking.  I was contemplating making the Vogue jacket in a plaid boucle, but I gave up on matching all of the plaids.  But it isn't a skirt, so that isn't really a save.  (And after Kathryn's bathrobe comment, I've lost all interest in making either V2989 or M5529 in a plaid.)

Now here is an intriguing use of plaid in a skirt!  http://sewintriguing.blogspot.com/2007/08/fall-sewing-ruched-skirt.html

[fzxdoc]

Mardel, thank you.

Kira, I think you found the closest pattern for that DVF.  Very cute.  I may have to snag that myself for a future jacket

Elle, I didn't mean to put you off with that bathrobe comment!  I think it still could be cute in plaid, but one would have to choose the right plaid.  The DVF one bothers me a bit because the sleeve plaids don't line up (much harder to do with that apparently modified raglan style of sleeve) and the collar plaids are a bit wonky as well.  Mismatched plaids give me vertigo.

And doesn't Liana make some of the nicest things!   Good pick on that skirt, Elle.

Kathryn

[andib]

OK, Now you all have me thinking jacket, not plaid!  Sometimes I wonder if I like something(plaid skirt)b/c it won't look as cute in real life(plus size) as it does in my imagination(small size)!  Well, if I keep thinking, I will be out of winter, and I will move on to something else!

[cmarie12]

it won't look as cute in real life(plus size)

Andi - I beg to differ...I think you can rock this in either a plus size or a small size.  Its just a matter of finding the right plaid.  Go ahead and make it you will be fine!

[Karrol]

Oh, I agree. Just make it. A smaller plaid would be great not matter what size you are. I have some plaids planned for SWAP one will be a pencil skirt, but the second one I think will be that Burda 116 with the pleats in the front. Maybe it will hide a little tummy fluff!

[Liana]

Thank you Elle!  And Kathryn, too.    (I thought that link looked familiar!) 

[Susan C]

Thank you for starting this discussion.  I have a beautiful pink/gray plaid which I haven't made because I keep wondering if it's OK for a 45 yr old woman to wear plaid.  It seems like we agree it's OK as long as it doesn't look too "school girl?" 

Carolyn, love your skirt!

Kathryn what a nice collection of plaid!

That Vogue 2989 is starting to grow on me, although I'm thinking more along the lines of a plaid skirt than a plaid jacket.  Does anyone know if the jacket is a knit or a woven?

Susan

[fzxdoc]

Susan, thank you for the compliment. 

Here is the fabric requirement insert from the back of the Vogue 2989 pattern:

FABRICS: † Moderate Stretch Knits Only: Wool Jersey, Cotton Knits and Matte Jersey. Unsuitable for obvious diagonals. Allow extra fabric to match plaids or stripes. Use nap yardages/layouts for pile, shaded or one-way design fabrics. *with nap. **without nap.

HTH,
Kathryn

[vtmartha]

Liana, didn't you make the LH boot skirt in a bold plaid?  I remember I loved it and bought the same plaid (which has not yet become a skirt!).

[Liana]

vtmartha,  I did make the LH Boot Skirt in plaid, and never thought about it in relation to this thread.  It's definitely on the straight grain.   Here it is.  I did the flower pin as a fun add-on and I've worn it with other things besides the skirt, which surprised me.




What are you planning with your plaid?  I originally thought I'd make a wild bias coat, but ended up with a skirt that I really like.  I love it in the winter when I'm going somewhere that's not going to be very warm, but I need to look somewhat dressed up.  It's like wearing a blanket on your lap.

[vtmartha]

Liana, I had been thinking of doing the same thing!  The idea of wearing my blanket around in the winter has all sorts of appeal.  Maybe I should get started.  It's hovering around 0 deg F today.

[J Culshaw]

I found an ad for a bias glen plaid skirt that is just gorgeous.   Sandra Betzina's advice for bias is to allow 5" ease at the hip area.   Julie

http://www.timmelfabrics.com/talbotsskirt.jpg

[Susan C]

Liana -  I totally missed the link to that first gorgeous plaid skirt and I like your straight skirt too! I think that i probably only have enough fabric for a straight or pencil skirt. 
Susan

[Lisa Laree]

Hmmmmmm....I've got some very nice grey/black glen plaid that I bought ages ago with the intention of making a jacket.

All these fabulous skirts have just about convinced me to make a skirt from it instead.

If I weren't up to my eyeballs in sewing costumes for the Spring High  School Musical (Pippin this year) I'd jump right on it.  But, since I need to work on the glitzy stuff first, winter may be over in North Alabama before I get to it...

[Liana]

Thank you Susan!  You can probably tell that I really like plaid. 

Lisa,  What fun!  We did Pippin in college, and our costumes were tabards with leotards and tights underneath.  I still remember the stuffed swan that was purchased and which underwent neck-reduction surgery to play the part of the duck. 

[Lisa Laree]

Nothing so simple as tabbards and leotards, I fear!  I'm making 12 liquid lame' shirts in the next two weeks...

And rumor has it the prop people are in search of a real, live duck....

DS is a member of the chorus and by virtue of being short, the Disembodied Head.  I told him he should be thrilled...for a freshman to have actual lines in the spring musical is huge...

It'll be fabulous on stage, I'm sure, but it sure cuts into my personal sewing time!!!    I might have to see if I can squeeze in a skirt; just the same, before winter leaves for the season.

[Elle]

I found an ad for a bias glen plaid skirt that is just gorgeous.   Sandra Betzina's advice for bias is to allow 5" ease at the hip area.   Julie

http://www.timmelfabrics.com/talbotsskirt.jpg

Beautiful skirt, Julie (and I LOVE the jacket, any pattern suggestions?): 


Being all of 5'1", this is probably the right size plaid for me.  As much as I would love to be able to wear something like this:


For my DD, it will be perfect.

Burda really cuts loose with the plaid:

[Claudine]

Here's my dress with a plaid skirt that I just made.  It's not a genuine woven plaid; the intersecting lines are an embellishment.  It should be nice to wear when the weather gets a little warmer.

I did a post about it in my blog, which you can read here if you are interested:
http://couturedetails.blogspot.com/2008/02/plaid-dress.html

[fzxdoc]

Claudine, that dress is so pretty!  It reminds me of one a schoolgirl friend wore to one of the first school dances I ever went to.  Her top was black velvet, though.  Anyway, I have lusted after that dress for years, because it was the first one that made me long for really pretty clothes.  That longing turned into a lifelong obsession with beautiful clothes and fine sewing. 

Seeing each new garment that you make feeds that obsession so perfectly.  Everything you create is top-notch, and a true pleasure to look at.  They say the devil is in the details, but in your case, it's a sewing angel in those garment details!  I'm heading over to your 'blog now for more delicious info. 

You should post about this dress over on the Sharing topic so more people can enjoy your fine work and your latest creation. 

Kathryn

[mardel]

Claudine, what a lovely dress!  I have to agree with Kathryn that everything you make is such a joy to look at.  I love the way you used your machine to create the plaid-like look without delving into an actual plaid.  Beautiful.

[Liana]

Just lovely, Claudine!  The bobbinwork is such a great idea.  You must have had to mark very carefully to get such beautifully square results.  Lovely pattern too.  I remember thinking that was a good one, and then it slipped my mind.  I'm so glad you posted this!

[cmarie12]

Claudine, it is a stunning dress!  I love to see your creations because they always have some element in them that elevates them from the ordinary to the extraordinary!

[simonfreep]

Claudine - your new dress is tres chic!  What a great idea to "make" plaid for the skirt - hope you don't mind if I pinch that idea for myself at some point in the future.

[Elle]

Claudine, what a gorgeous dress! You've opened my eyes up to the beauty of this design, also.

I was going through a closet in my office and came across some things I had sewn 15+ years ago, including a dress with a plaid skirt    I actually made two of these but haven't come across the other, which I like better.

Anyway, here it is.  I was thinking that the plaid wasn't very successful with this pattern, because of how the bodice joins the skirt.  Claudine's method would allow for a melding of the lines.  I don't think I'm being very clear on this, but the picture will show you what went wrong here:



If I were to make this again, I would at a minimum be more careful to not place a contrasting strip so close to the bodice.  I don't think it helps that I removed the football player shoulder pads, back to the drawing board on that one.

[fzxdoc]

Elle, that dress is cute--at 15 years old, it almost qualifies as vintage!   I have a couple of plaid dresses from back in the day, too, when Ralph Lauren made them a "must have" item.  It is such a nice design, no wonder you made two of them.

About the placement of the contrasting line of the plaid so close to the bodice attachment point, isn't it interesting how experience as sewists makes us see details that did not immediately come to mind back when we were less knowledeable?  Sometimes I'll pull out something I made ages and ages ago and nearly die, looking at some of the methods I used!  That's the downside of being a self-taught sewist, I guess.  My learning curve always has a positive slope.  

Thanks for posting the photo.

Claudine, I did not realize until I went to your 'blog that you actually made the plaid with bobbinwork.  That is so kewl!  Gosh, your lines are so straight.  You continue to amaze me.

Kathryn

[Claudine]

Thanks everyone for the nice comments on my dress.  Elle, I sort of like your plaid dress, although it is out of fashion.  Maybe in 5 years or so.

Kathryn and Liana, yes, it was a lot of work to get the stitching straight.  I actually broke down and bought reading glasses midway through this project because I was having so much trouble following the grain lines.  I assembled the skirt part with the fabric and underlining, then marked the lines for the plaid with a colored pencil, following the grain lines exactly.  Then I hand-basted along the colored pencil lines, flipped it underlining side up, and stitched.  This marking and stitching took longer than assembling the entire rest of the dress. 

I would be very flattered if anyone here were to pinch that idea.

[BeeBee]

Here, finally, is the plaid skirt I started about the same time as this thread started.  I've been finished for a while but didn't have may camera.  As you can see, (I hope), that I still lack a photographer... but I really liked the way it turned out.  It was supposed to have belt looped, but the fabric just fell apart as I tried to make them.  I may try again, as I think they're necessary.  Suggestions on how to work hard on fabric that unravels at the spead of light? 
 

Edited to correct the link for the pics. 

[Liana]

BeeBee, What a darling skirt, and I love the fabric! 

You could do crocheted chain beltloops in a color that matches the belt, but if you want fabric loops, I think I would fuse the fabric before I cut out my strip, then serge each edge of the strip, fold the strip in thirds the long way, and topstitch.  I wouldn't fool with trying to turn such a thick and ravelly fabric, even fused.  If you're careful, you'll have no trouble making loops that will look just fine, and the raw serged edge will be on the bottom and not show.  You could also topstitch your loops to a wider loop made of a flatter, non-ravelling fabric of some kind, so your loops would be black for instance, with a strip of the plaid in the center.



HTH! 

[fzxdoc]

Beebee, your skirt turned out really nice.  Did you line it? That is really great fabric and suits that pattern nicely, with the black belt and all. Very nice job indeed!

Kathryn

[BeeBee]

Awww, thanks guys.   
I like the idea, Liana, of topstitching the loops to a black fabric (crochet just ain't happenin' in my world), and I don't have a serger.  The fabric is a loose weave wool blend and the attempt I made at the loops just couldn't hold up to the stitching and attempt at turning right-side-out, but top stitching to another fabric may work, I have some black fabric that may work, thanks for the suggestion. 
Kathryn, no, I didn't line it, though I wish I had underlined it.  I suspect it will stretch rather easily.  I just wore a slip with it.  I was impressed with the way the fabric ended up fitting the pattern.  It was a last second decission.  BTW, it's McCall's 5590, view C (but B length).  My orginal plan was M5523, but I quickly realized that would be too much with the plaid.  Actually, the fabric was an impulse buy from Hancock's, on clearance.

[Claudine]

Lovely skirt, BeeBee!  The high waist with belt is a great style for the fabric, and it looks very nice on you.

[Elle]

BeeBee, very nice, and so versatile.  I can see various jackets and cardigans going with this skirt.  As to the belt, how about a wider, soft leather belt (suede on the back so that it is not doubled), with a cinch buckle?  I'm probably being incomprehensible, but I see a lot of this in Burda WOF, and belt loops don't seem to be necessary.