Short Gabriola skirt

My recent trip to New Zealand has slowed my production down somewhat, and I have had three things on my sewing table with a huge bank up of fabrics on another table! For days now I have felt as though nothing much has been happening and then suddenly I have two skirts ready to go. Skirt number one is actually the second of the Sewaholic Gabriola skirts that I’ve made – and it is a short version.

I didn’t follow the sewalong for this one, so it got finished a little faster, but oh my word, I had so many issues! First of all the fabric was donated to my stash by my lovely friend Thelma, and I’ve had it for a few months now. When it persisted in falling out of the cupboard I knew it wanted to be made into something, and I thought it would make a short Gabriola. However, I didn’t really examine the fabric too closely and somehow (how?) I didn’t notice that it has a stripe in it, so I blithely cut it out and then spent hours trying to match variable stripes. I also hadn’t cut the yokes on the cross grain and when I sewed it all together I decided I wanted the yokes to create a chevron, so unpicked it all, recut the yokes and sewed it back together (and now I don’t think you can see it anyway). Then the waistband didn’t fit, and I realised that I sewed a couple of the yokes on upside down – more unpicking and this fabric does not like being unpicked. It is really hard to get all the angles right when retrofitting the yokes, and I suspect that I stretched the fabric because I do have a weird bubble which I am still to resolve. Anyway, it finally got finished, I am very pleased to say, it has been worn and enjoyed, so all’s well that ends well.

The fabric is gorgeous and drapey but I’m not sure about the addition of the belt. I thought it was a good match, but it is too close and yet too far from the skirt pattern. I also find it difficult to see the yokes on the skirt because the fabric pattern is busy, but it fits perfectly, so I don’t think I mind that too much.

I like the shape of the skirt, with the 6 gores, although I had been tempted to make them wider, but am quite pleased that I didn’t, as it may have been too voluminous.

The details:

Pattern is the Sewaholic Gabriola skirt

Fabric was donated to my stash

Belt is Leona Edmiston, bought in Sydney and which I’ve had for a few years

Shoes are Letizia from Letizia Claremont (and how well do they match??)

Necklace is enamelled copper from a gallery in The Rocks, Sydney (and may have been a touch too far in this outfit)