I started on this project a few weeks ago, but was missing a few supplies. Well I had to stop at Walmart to pick up some groceries and while passing the craft section I happened to see that there were 2 packs of white piping. That was the only color of piping that they had, and I only needed one to keep working on my skirt. That was exciting, but they didn't have the zipper, so I purchased the piping along with the rest of my food stuffs and went home. A few nights later I was struggling with the decision of what to sew next. Unable to make up my mind I started doing some cleaning. While going through my sewing bag I discovered one 7-9 inch Invisible Zipper in Cloister Brown. I have never before been so rewarded for cleaning. Now that I had all of the notions necessary to finish the project, I was motivated to give it another go.
So attaching piping at a right angle is kind of obnoxious. I spent almost 2 hours pinning, stitching, and pulling stitches trying to get the piping to sit nicely in the skirt and wondering if if was even worth it. My first attempt involved cutting 2 shorter lengths of piping and trying to have them intersect at the point of the yoke piece. When this failed to cooperate I tried pinning and basting the piping at the 5/8 inch mark along the skirt in one straight line. This went much more smoothly. It took a lot of work, but ultimately I'm happy with the result.
The piping really pops on the skirt, and so does the top-stitching. I was anxious about how the piping gaps on the sides would come together, but I think that they worked out just fine, and I'm glad that I carried the detailing around to the back.
The photos keep coming out purple, but it's actually a dark brown fabric with white pinstripes.
What the item is: Skirt
How it fits the challenge: Timetraveling: The pattern is from the 1930s, but it's something that can be worn in the modern era without looking old-fashioned.
Material: Stretch pinstripe and polyester lining
Pattern: M6993
Year: 1933
Notions: Piping, Zipper, Thread
How historically accurate is it?: This was not a particularly historically accurate skirt. It's a skirt that designed with a modern eye, even if it did use an older pattern. I added piping and changed the direction of the yoke because it made me happy - not to satisfy a historical look.
Hours to complete: 9 3/4 hours
First worn: TBD
Total cost: $23.50 (Pattern $2+Lining $4+Brown Fabric $12+Zipper $3+Piping $2.50)