Sew Over It: Rosie Skirt

During my time off from sewing, I began to reevaluate the handmade clothes I sewed and actually wore. So much time and work goes into sewing clothes and I realized that I wasn’t wearing the majority of what I had made. In fact, the most worn item I’ve sewn is the blue dress from last year and that gosh darn wiksten dress.

What is it about these clothes that seem to get the most mileage? I think it’s the material. Woven material is so easy to wash but I find it somewhat “boring” in that it is a basic.

For my next garment project I chose the Rosie skirt/dress by Sew Over It. I love the 1950s silouette. I admit I partially chose it too cuz it’s called “Rosie” 😉. I resisted the urge to choose a “wow” showpiece kind of fabric (i.e. wild print or brocade) and went for a breathable 100% cotton steel blue by Ruby Star Society. I also decided to just sew the skirt for now and make the whole dress next Spring.

Sidenote- Before I lost my sewjo I had purchased a cutting board to cover my dining room table. I finally got to use this thing! 100% worth the $. If you don’t have something to cover your table I highly suggest it- it works as protection from hot food too! I just keep it under the tablecloth as we eat. 😉 Tracing everything out was a breeze- it was like old times.

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The skirt is 6 pieces. 2 sides, 2 backs, a center panel and a waistband. There is a box pleat in the front and the sides are gathered. The pattern tissue doesn’t have finished garment measurements for hips but since the sides are gathered you can adjust it to fit. Because of this, the pattern is very forgiving so I opted to forgo the muslin process. The waist measurement was close enough and honestly I didn’t feel like it, lol. I sewed a size 8 and ended up taking in the waist about an inch at the very end.

All of this fabric would eventually be gathered to become the sides.

The instructions call for slipstitching the skirt to the waistband. I thought about sewing it straight through the machine but figured this would be a good opportunity to practice handsewing. You can see my stitches if you look closely. It’s not perfect but as long as the skirt doesn’t fall off while I’m wearing it, I’ll take it!

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For the hem I decided to use lace hem tape and do a blind stitch by hand again. I learned this method in one of my classes and wanted to give it a whirl. This took FOREVER but it definitely adds a sweet touch to the skirt. It’s like a hidden secret!

Once I had it on Mandy the mannequin it was looking SUPER POOFY on the sides. I tried it on and it was not flattering at all. It made me look hippy. I was kinda disappointed but I let Mandy wear it for about 2 days and gravity took over and it calmed down- thank goodness! Steaming the final product also allowed those gathers to settle.

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I am totally loving this Rosie skirt! It’s so twirly! The fabric is probably more of a summer fabrication- it kinda feels like a bedsheet- but I am going to pair it with cardigan so I can extend it into Fall.   I know I will get a lot of mileage on this one come next Spring!

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Next time when I make the dress I might remove about 1.5 inches from both sides. In picture it looks a smidgeon too full for my frame. Regardless I still like the skirt and the pattern a lot! I prefer Big 4 patterns because of the deep sale prices I can get at Joanns. This indie sew was $20- a bit of a splurge for me. But the instructions were easy to follow and the grading was accurate. I am beginning to see why some sewists detest Big 4 and only sew indie patterns. They seem to be worth the extra cost because of less fitting issues.

I rated it 5 stars on Pattern Review. Official Review: https://sewing.patternreview.com/review/pattern/177815

It was refreshing jumping back into garment sewing. Even though you’re focused for a long period of time, it’s also quite peaceful! And it makes you feel productive! Although the sewing company brand name is “Sew Over It”, I am SEW far from being SEW OVER IT. HA!