Kveikur

I ordered the Sewaholic Gabriola skirt almost as soon as it was released. A flowy maxi skirt has been high on my list for a while, and this pattern ticked all the boxes! Massive hem for maximum drama? Check! Sits on the natural waist so it makes me look tall? Check! Interesting details, fit for customization? Check!

I made this not-that-basic black version in a soft cotton batiste, and I think this will be a summer staple! It makes me want to release my inner witch and cast spells on innocent bystanders. Nice spells!

The construction of this skirt is pretty interesting: the part around the waist and hips is fitted and panelled, with the real volume starting a bit lower. This takes the whole thing up a notch from the usual waistband-with-a-gathered-rectangle and makes for a slinky and flattering fit. Sewaholic patterns are drafted for pear-shaped women, which I'm not (not that this has ever stopped me before...) so I graded down a size between the waist and the hips (this was very easy to do!)

The biggest change I made was to line the skirt, since the batiste was slightly sheer. I simply underlined the yoke pieces in self fabric and constructed a separate skirt out of more batiste (don't ask me how much fabric went into this thing...). The skirt was handstitched to the inside yoke seam and the zipper after I constructed the entire skirt, so it would hang as freely as possible. Sewing it to the outer skirt before attaching the yoke would have been an option as well, but then I'd have to sew the shell and lining together while inserting the zipper, and that was a no in my book!

The yoke details are hard to photograph on a black skirt, but here's an attempt! Newt time I'll probably change the waistband a bit to make it curved, since it doesn't really lie flat against my body... It's just a long rectangle now. I shortened the skirt a bit before making a narrow hem and the length is perfect now for my 5'4" frame: the skirt skims the floor when I'm wearing flat shoes.

I already have an idea to turn this into a dress...

PS: if anyone is wondering about the title of this post, it's this song by Sigur Rós, from the album with the same name. The movement of this skirt seemed strangely fitting!