Amanda vs Burda 8281

Florals.

You love 'em or you hate 'em. And I totes know where I stand- firmly in the dislike camp. Don't get me wrong- I love me a real flower or two though if push came to shove succulents are where it's at. So when it comes to fabric, floral and I have have stayed well away from each other except for one cute sundress that I featured in my first ever blog post. But, on a sugar induced fabric binge back in May, I snagged me some crazy pixillated geometric giant rose print cotton sateen. Sounds crazy enough for Amanda to like it? You would be correct! And I have to say after making this skirt up I am besotted with the finished result. Who knew florals could be so dang cool?!

And the better bit? This was a complete stash bust. The fabric, the pattern, the notions- all in my collection. I love it when I can still make rad clothes without spending a cent (at the moment)...

So let's talk the pattern. I used an old skirt pattern- Burda 8281- that I bought a few years back to provide me with a template for darts to make simple a-line skirts (of which I made four then got grumpy at my lack of polish and subsequently stopped for a few years and drank margaritas). It's a super simple pattern and one that I feel suits my shape well- it is almost straight with only a tiny bit of flare at the end. 

There are two problems I have with this pattern. One: there is nowhere on the packet to indicate what size you are (and I even had a dear friend of mine who is a bit of a swing guru herself check it out and she couldn't find it). After a bit of a guessing game I got straight into it and it surprised me by fitting perfectly. Two: the waistband was weenie and I didn't like where the skirt ended on my waist. Cue an widened waistband and it is just the look I am after.

What I loved about this project:

• How quick and simple it was. The whole thing was go to whoa in a couple of hours.
• The fact I didn't follow the instructions AT ALL. I know it is a super simple skirt but I was so proud of myself having cut everything out and then approaching things in a way that was logical and almost instinctual (weird choice of words I know but bear with me).
• The shape. I feel like this emphasises my waist and flatters my awesome derby thighs. 
• The inside finish. I'm not sure if the pattern is meant to be lined (maybe I should have read the instructions) but I did it anyway with a gorgeous soft pink rayon lining I picked up in the States. I have never been able to find rayon lining in Oz so I was super excited with how easy it was to work with (if anyone knows of where to get some, please let me know!) I think the inside looks rather professional and it feels lovely.

What I would change for next time:

• I'm going to take the waist and waist band in an inch. Whilst the photos don't show it there is a bit of room there and it gapes a little. This may be less obvious with a blouse underneath then t-shirt so I will try that out.
• Nothing else. I am a little bit in love with this project.

After sewing this rad skirt I noticed one small problem- this is the only plain shirt I own! I may have to break my fabric buying embargo to get some plain fabric to make a blouse. I'm thinking white so the pattern on the skirt really pops... Or maybe pink? Any suggestions on colours, fabrics or patterns for an epic blouse would be most appreciated.

So there we have it. My second stash busters project. I can this one a success so we're current sitting at a 66% win rate after the dual shirt fiasco of the weekend. I'm loving this challenge so much! Who would have thought I would have found a way to make floral rock out for me... 

ROCK OUT FLORAL!