I recently bought the August – September issue of Vogue Patterns magazine. When sewing blogger Robin Denning announced her new position as Editor of the magazine I immediately renewed my lapsed subscription, however, after catching a glimpse of pages 76 – 83, I wasn’t willing to wait for it to arrive and bought a copy.
This issue provided me with instant inspiration along with a solution to a four-month dilemma!
In March I ordered this fabric based on the jpeg below. 
“Too bold.” I said.
“Too bright……too big……..too much…..”
The 7 magazine pages filled with big bold stripes changed my timid stance into excitement , and now I have a great striped skirt. 
I l o v e t h i s s k i r t .
It’s summery, cheerful, comfortable and different from my typical clothes.
The stripes even match!
The pattern is McCalls 3830 and the cotton/lycra fabric is from Mood Fabrics. I added a band cut on the cross-grain to the bottom of the skirt as an embellishment to the pattern.
Another day, another skirt? Not for me. It’s more like another day another discovery. I never thought I would be wearing big bold horizontal stripes!
LOVE this– it’s brash and bright and a total statement piece, but it doesn’t overwhelm you at all! Great job!
Thank you! In reflection, the large piece of fabric was the intimidating factor.
Wow! Fabulous skirt. Love your hem embellishment. Go Bold. Go Bad!
Cissie
Bold and bad?…… Me??
I don’t know how I missed the beautiful pieces you recently posted on PR. Both dresses are stunning! Many thanks for writing
Love the skirt and the crisp white shirt! Those colors are so vibrant and really speak to me.
Thank you, Erica! You could definitely make this fabric work!!
I too love the boldness of this and the colours and and. You suit orange very well indeed and this is perfect.
PS love the dresses you’ve made lately too. Where’s summer hey?
Thank you! I realize I was overwhelmed by the large piece of fabric more than anything.
Oh…. summer has definitely arrived in my region!
How fun! If you ever feel blue this will definitely be your go-to skirt! So happy!
Hi Dorcas! Fun is the operative word for this skirt! Many thanks for writing and I’m ready to see some of your new sewing projects!!!!
A very cute skirt. I like how you’ve used both directions of the bold stripe.
Thanks, Shams! After I got started the project was quite fun!
You’re really earning your [sewing] stripes now!!
Spectacular!
I did think about “Earning My Stripes” as a title, but I wasn’t sure about it and didn’t want to wake you
so thoughtful (and hilarious)
That’s the perfect summer skirt – I love it when something totally unexpected works perfectly!
Thanks, Lizzy! I agree!
Skirts are such fun to experiment with – this is a great look and the bottom band is a really cute touch!
Many thanks, Sue! I love making skirts more than any other garment but am trying to use restraint and develop my skills. This was fun
That is such a lovely skirt, I love the colours. I have some beautiful burnt orange that is screaming at me to be made into a jacket (just need to the time).
Hi Pauline and thanks for writing. You better listen to that screaming orange fabric!
I like it very much. The color is beautiful!
Thank you so much, Marie!
I really love this very pretty skirt! You did a great job on it and I love the band design!
Thank you, Myra! I just noticed you made a cute top I am considering. Yours turned out great!
Love, love, love it! I’m copying everything about it! How cute! Gotta go and get to it!
Thank you! Can’t wait to see your version
What a great skirt! Your embellishment makes it. Your sense of style is just superb, and it seems you are able to make each garment your own. Great job!
This is such a nice comment, Becky! I guess that’s what sewing is all about and I hope I am finally learning to recognize my style
Too bold for you? Never- you have perfect style balance- you know just how much pop to use and how much classic to pair it with. I’m always impressed with your ensembles.
Thank you so much for this nice comment! It took four months to figure this one out, but others have taken longer than that!
Beautiful!!!
Thank you!!
Love it! Fun colors, and the embellishment at the hem really gives it a designer touch! Well done! Wear it with confidence – you rock the stripes! (PS…thanks for reminding us to really look closely at the scale of the pattern – hard to tell sometimes with those cute little jpeg files!)
Thank you, Cheryl! I should have ordered a sample….. but now I’m glad I didn’t, because the scale would have scared me. I’m just glad it all worked out
Just gorgeous. I’ve been feeling some orange love lately. Love this and your orange blossom special. WOW. Everything you makes looks stunning on you.
Many thanks, Marlene! Orange is a great summer color for sure!
Just ADORABLE! You’ve inspired me to try again — my last 3 attempts have ended up in the rag bag……….
Hi Caroline,
Thank you! Please keep trying! I love Tim Gunn’s phrase – make it work – because I would have trashed many of my sewing projects this year had I not been committed to making it work. Good luck!
What a great skirt! I love the bold colors and you’ve styled it to perfection.
Many thanks, Amanda
Your skirt is darling, but it’s the bottom band that really makes it special. Whenever I have a sewing inspiration like that, I feel like a real designer, even though I’m using someone else’s pattern.
Hi Bunny and thank you so much for your comment! I think the band adds a nice finishing touch to the skirt. It almost reminds me of a the quilt borders I pieced together in the past
Wonderful skirt! Perfect for summer.
Many thanks, Irene! I gave it a test run yesterday and know I’m going to love wearing it
This is adorable!! Great use of a fabric that would have puzzled me, too.
Thank you so much, Katie!
Wow! You wear this really well! It looks amazing on you.
Thank you, Violet! The skirt class I took with Diana Rupp (online in March) was so helpful.
that’s summer in a skirt!!! and i love the chunky necklace with it. i think you just might be waaaaay bolder than the you in your mind…
You may be right! Perhaps I’m an Oonaballoona spirit trapped inside a Goodbye Valentino life
It’s stunning and I absolutely love the zipper detail! I have a similar striped fabric that I was going to run vertically out of fear of looking too wide, but you have inspired me to turn it horizontally and see what I can do with it that way. Thanks!!
Thank you so much Dagmar! I found the Vogue Patterns magazine incredibly helpful if you haven’t seen it yet. Good luck with your stripes!
You are my INSPIRATION to sew more clothes for myself. Rocking that skirt let me tell you!!!! Bravo – Great Job! Just found your blog the other day and I have so enjoyed reading about your journey so far and can’t wait to see and read more of your endeavors during this year of sewing clothes for yourself.
Amy,
Thank you so very much for this lovely comment! Never did I think I would go an entire year sewing my clothes and boycotting RTW, but it has been very rewarding on many levels! GV
You definitely got your Mom’s eye for great garments! Love the skirt!!!
Many thanks, Rosie! I’ll pass this nice comment on to my mother
Wow, you really look eyecatchingly gorgeous! I like how you paired the white shirt with the striped skirt – clever and chic. You inspired me to make a skirt, which I have done in a while. Thanks!
Thank you, Louella! You sew beautifully and I look forward to seeing your skirt!
Technical question here, Sarah. Your fabric is cotton/lycra. Did you line it with the same cotton/lycra?
Cissie
Hi Cissie – I lined it with a high grade of the shiny polyester stuff. I would appreciate any leads and tips you have on purchasing lining
I wish I had some tips or leads. I love silk crepe de chine for lining but sometimes I’m to impatient to get swatches and wait for an order to arrive! Linda at EmmaOneSock has a zillion colors and is great at matching. Bemberg is the only readily available lining in my area and it’s okay. And sometimes I use imperial batiste, depending on the content of my project. I am always at a loss when lining knits, though.
I’m not sure I’ve lined a knit yet. Since this was a woven fabric I felt safe with what I selected. Hmmmm……….
Great skirt, great quote, great post!! Just one question – what did you originally plan to make when you ordered the fabric?
Thank you, Karen! I originally planned to make a dress with vertical stripes using an old Very Easy Vogue pattern. I knew I had to change my plan as soon as I opened the box of fabric. Best to be flexible when sewing- at all times!
Beautiful skirt…I LOVE it, especially paired with the white shirt and bold jewelry! Very classy!
Many thanks! I was thinking about wearing a different colored top with the skirt until I tried on my old white shirt from Talbots
The colors are perfect for summer! I love the simple white shirt with the boldness of the skirt. Beautiful!
Thank you, Kari! I originally planned to make an orange top to wear with the skirt until I tried on the white shirt and realized how well it worked.
Oh my is this not just a joyous celebration of a skirt! Love it that you found a use for the fabric and such a wonderful one at that!
I suppose maintaining a certain level of flexibility is crucial when sewing!! Many thanks for your nice comment, Carolyn!
Gorgeous!
I just found your blog and spent the afternoon reading each entry. You and the many other talented bloggers out there have inspired me to learn how to make my own clothes.
Have a great day!
Hi Dawn and thank you so much for your nice comment! It’s inspirational to me to know I have helped to inspire someone to sew. Good luck and have fun!
The stripes look fabulous with the plain shirt. Love the effect of the hemband.
Thank you, Gail! The band reminds me of borders I used to piece together during my quilting days, but I never would have thought of this had I not opened that Vogue Patterns magazine!
The horizontal stripes look incredible, and the band at the bottom a perfect addition. Great job once again.
Thank you, Lori!
Not only is this skirt beautifully made with superb stripe placement and matching, but you’ve made a very bold fabric look terribly chic. This outfit screams “summer in the Hamptons” to me. I can see you in a stylish waterside bistro eating lobster and drinking chilled white wine!
Many thanks for this nice comment! I can see myself eating lobster and drinking wine in the Hamptons as well, but I will have to settle for eating shrimp and drinking margaritas on the South Carolina coast!
Lol. That sounds like a great deal of fun too!
I love your skirt! Skirts are one of my favorite things to make! I’m wondering if you also made the blouse and if so, what pattern it is?
Kristen B.
You have an uncanny ability to match fabric with pattern. I love this skirt, and if I decide to start my life of crime, I just might steal it
The horizontal stripes and the colors of this fabric look so sharp on the skirt, but I think it is the vertical striped band at the hem that really makes it.
I missed this first time around and I love it. I think that you have a brilliant eye for fabric use.