I loved this pattern from the first time I saw the promo picture with the broad stripes, but thought it wouldn’t get much wear, so I couldn’t justify the fabric cost as it needs over 3 metres. Then I saw this fabulous black and white fabric in Walthamstow Market for only £2.50 a metre and realised they’d work perfectly together. Now I’ve made it I think I’ll wear it a lot if the weather stays warm – it’s very comfortable and easy to wear.
This was such fun to make! The pattern is probably the easiest thing I’ve ever made: no fastenings, no gathering, no interfacing. I thought fitting the skirt to the yoke and sleeves might be tricky but it fitted together beautifully, which was really satisfying. I toiled the yoke and sleeves to check the fit across the shoulders but didn’t need to make any adjustments – given the A-line shape I wasn’t worried about the skirt, but if you have a full bust it might be worth toiling the top of the skirt as well. I took some time deciding how to fit the print to the pattern but if I hadn’t done that it would have been super quick to make.
I laid the skirt across the width of the fabric to get the pattern the way I wanted it, and it worked fine. I bought 4 metres to allow for playing around with the pattern matching. This was a lucky decision as I cut the first skirt piece out with the pattern upside down so had to do it again. Without this mistake I would have had plenty left over. The pattern comes with three options: maxi, midi, and a top. I’m 5 ft 4, and I think the maxi would have just grazed my ankle bone, so I lengthened it as I plan to wear it with wedges. Other than that I made the size 12 with no alterations – usually in separates I’d go up one or two sizes on the bottom half.