My husband is the oldest of nine children. I know what you’re thinking “WOW!”, right? and” How did his parents keep their sanity?” Well, fortunately they did and I happen to be lucky enough to be married to a wonderful man. There are about eighteen years between him and his youngest sister. When she started planning her wedding, most of her older siblings had already married and many had children of their own. Since this created a challenge for large family photos and knowing who belonged to who, she came up with a wonderful idea to color coordinate each family so you could tell who belonged to who in the photo’s. My family got burgundy red. So Zephanie ordered matching burgundy ties for my husband and our two boys and I had a choice to make. Do I shop and shop and shop until I find the right color dresses for both my girls and I or could I get creative and make something to match in time for the wedding?
I bet you can guess which option I chose. I had previously purchased some burgundy rose fabric I had planned for a different project. Using it for the wedding though was a chance to good to pass up. I had a daughter who refused to wear dresses under almost all circumstances so I knew I was going to have to compromise and we settled on matching burgundy skirts with white blouses.
I chose two different patterns for the same style skirt for this project Simplicity #2576 and New Look # 6762.
If you are looking for a great beginning project look no further. The skirts in these two patterns are simply quick and easy and are great for building confidence with your sewing skills or for a quick and fun weekend afternoon project.
Things I loved about this Simplicity pattern: With only three pattern pieces to deal with, cutting out the pattern and prepping it for pinning to the fabric was a breeze. The first page of the directions goes over the steps of picking the right size for you, how to prep the pattern pieces and the fabric, and how to cut the fabric. Definitely a great choice as a first project for a younger sewer as well, because it explains the reasons for each step along the way. My TIP: Once you pick out your fabric, take it with you and take the time to browse the trim and ribbon sections of the store. It may surprise you with what fun and beautiful options you will find to make your skirt one of a kind. Overall I give this pattern 5 out of 5 stars because of the ease of the project and nice clear instructions.
I am always finding the cutest clothes when I shop for my girls and very rarely do you ever find the cute stuff in the women’s department. I don’t know about you but I don’t mind ruffles and bows, bright colors and fun trims from time to time if done well. Since I am still a beginner myself when it comes to altering patterns, trying to re-size the pattern I used for my girls was just not an option. So I was so thrilled to find the exact same pattern in a large enough size for me.
I am always finding the cutest clothes when I shop for my girls and very rarely do you ever find the cute stuff in the women’s department. I don’t know about you but I don’t mind ruffles and bows, bright colors and fun trims from time to time if done well. Since I am still a beginner myself when it comes to altering patterns, trying to re-size the pattern I used for my girls was just not an option. So I was so thrilled to find the exact same pattern in a large enough size for me.
Things I loved about this New Look pattern: Since I purchased this pattern specifically for the skirt to match my daughter’s, the included patterns for shirt and pants were just bonuses. The shirt is a raglan style, with the slanted sleeve seams which is in style right now. I am looking forward to making a few of these after my surgery that is coming up this week. The directions for the skirts are written with slightly different wording but they are the same steps as the simplicity pattern. Overall, I give the pattern 5 out of 5 stars because, although I haven’t made the shirt yet, the skirts worked out nicely and quickly without any issues or confusion.
So, if you were to compare the two patterns skirt for skirt, I have to say I liked the simplicity one just a little bit more, because the directions were written just a little bit more clearly, which made them faster to put together.
The good news is I got the projects done in time for us to head out for the wedding. The bad news is we got down the road and clear up to Provo, Utah before I realized that after packing my garment bag with our dress clothes, I gave it to my husband who hung it in the coat closet so it wouldn’t get wrinkled while we packed; then, both of us neglected to get it put in the car! With over 12 hours of driving there was no way we were going to turn around and go back for them. That is the bad news. We stayed with family in Salt Lake, Utah that night and spent the next day shopping, finding suits for my boys, and trying desperately to find something that might come close to the right color for the girls. We weren’t able to find burgundy but we were able to find red dresses for both the girls and amazingly enough I not only found a burgundy skirt, but a nice blouse to go with it for the wedding. I count my many blessings for that small answer to prayer. How did the wedding turn out you might ask? Well, things went off without a hitch and the pictures turned out great even without my girls matching us exactly and that is the saving grace.
- Did I have fun making the skirts? Definitely.
- Would I make the skirts again? Of course! Especially to teach my girls to sew.
- Do we wear them often after the wedding? Quite a bit, they are super cute and work great for church on Sunday’s.
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