Vogue 1247: Navy Skirt

Back in 2012, I made a navy version of the Rachel Comey skirt, out-of-print (OOP) Vogue 1247. It was made with a denim weight fabric with some stretch.

I would still be wearing it, even though it faded over the years, if it didn't have a mysterious stain on the lower right front. I've tried everything I could think of to get out this stain with no success. Now, it is onto plan B, make a replacement.

Vogue 1247 is hands down in my top ten patterns list. Sadly, it is currently out-of-print but if you search Etsy, Ebay or other online sellers, you might be lucky enough to find a copy. Mine is staying here. If you haven't already, I would recommend giving this skirt pattern a try. It's so comfortable. It is basically a semi-fitted A-line skirt. What makes this pattern a keeper are those front pockets. They are the best. They're not small, dainty pockets, these are functional, make-you-feel-so-happy sized pockets that Rachel Comey is known for designing.

The skirt was lengthened twelve inches and this time I opted to finish all of the seams with my serger. The only other change I made was to the sizing. Since my other skirts fit a little snuggly, I stitched the side seams with a 1/2" allowance instead of the 5/8" seam allowance called for in the pattern. This gave me an extra 1/2" ease.

The fabric is a cotton sateen with some stretch. It was pre-treated with a tumble through the washing machine, then the dryer and finally a steam pressing before moving onto the cutting table. I'm a firm believer in pre-treating fabric before sewing for a few reasons. No matter how clean and careful a store tries to be with their stock, bolts always get dirty in the handling process whether they get knocked over on the floor or handled by many others. And it would be heartbreaking if I put in so much effort into the creative process to have it shrink afterwards just because I was in a rush to sew. So, I always make time to pre-treat my fabric. Do you pre-treat your fabrics?

The Stats:  

Fabric:  1.1 metres of 150 cm wide cotton sateen ($28.00/metre - 50% off + taxes = $17.40)

Interfacing:  1 metre ($6.00/metre - 50% off + taxes = $3.39)

Zipper:  8" invisible zipper ($2.80 - 20% off + taxes = $2.53)

Threads:  4 spool of serger thread ($8.99 each x 4) and thread for the sewing machine ($2.48 + taxes. I'll average it out to $5.00 for this project).  

Snap:  1 - 1/2" snap, recycled from the previous version.

Pattern:  OOP Vogue 1247 (previously used)

Value Analysis: Priceless, I would never find a cotton sateen skirt with pockets that fits me like this in the length I like.  

Time invested:  6 hours and 20 minutes.

Techniques Used:  Covered snap, hand-stitching, stitching in the ditch, and blind hem.    

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Cutting table, pins, measuring tape, laundry supplies used in pre-shrinking process, iron, ironing board, scissors, thread clippers, sewing machine, zipper foot, invisible zipper foot, blind hem foot, regular foot, serger, hand needle, and a cup of tea with honey and lemon.  

Happy Sewing!