Hello Sew Family!

I can’t tell you how long I’ve wanted a floral print pencil skirt.  The journey to this skirt has been a long one, but rewarding nonetheless.

Now, I have to be honest, finding the right floral print fabric was tough!  Although I really admire those that can rock such a statement piece, such a vibrant fabric is not my first choice in fabric selection…  But then I came across this middleweight 4-way stretch cotton fabric from Cali Fabrics and knew right away that I needed it!

Sidenote:  This was my first time ordering from Cali Fabrics, so like most of you that buy fabric online, I didn’t know what to expect.  When I received my fabric in the mail, I was so impressed with how fast the delivery was made & the packaging was very professional.  I like attention to detail and I love getting my fabric order quickly EVEN MORE! 

The Fabric

This vibrant knit fabric is perfect for cooler weather.  It’s a mid-weight fabric that has a good amount of stretch and you’ve got options for what you can make!   The fabric description online is very accurate.

I don’t have the greatest track record for sewing with knit fabrics, you can see at least one of my disaster stories HERE!  Luckily, I smartened up this time, did my research and found a few helpful tools to help me out so I wouldn’t mess up this awesome fabric!!

3 Helpful Techniques – Sewing Stretchy Knits:

• Invest in a good stabilizer!  You can use this on either end of your fabric as you’re feeding into your machine, so that the ends of your fabric don’t get caught in the bobbin feed.  That can be a mess!
• Use a Stretch Needle.  As opposed to the trusty Universal Needle, stretch needles are equipped to handle the fabric and you won’t need to tug your fabric as it works through your machine!  You can simply sew with ease.
• Use the Lightning Bolt Stitch!  Straight stitches on stretch fabric make it extremely easy for your stitches to snap on stretchy fabric!  One little snug and there goes your perfect stitch.  The lightning bolt stitch allows the fabric to stretch and holds everything in place!  Can you hear the angels sing?!

To Make This Skirt:

• 1 yard of THIS FABRIC
• I used a skirt block that I made, using a Craftsy Class.
• Based on my skirt block, I added 2 darts on the front + 2 darts in the back – I love how it fits!
• Instead of the usual 5/8′ seam allowance, I used 1′ to account for the stretch in the fabric
• Added a facing, with interfacing
• Added an 18′ zipper
• Opted for a double-folded hem with a straight stitch – I will use the lightning bolt stitch if I do this again!
• Top-stitched the waistband using a straight stitch – again, I will be using the lightning bolt stitch next time

Overall Thoughts

This fabric made this so easy to make.  The fabric just glides through and with my stabilizer, this came together so quickly!  The fit is great; the stretch is perfect, making this skirt SO COMFORTABLE!   There’s no excuse for me not to wear this  skirt.

Until Next Time….

Nikki