I really wanted to add the word “skirt” when I typed that heading but realised it would be a tautology as “rock” means “skirt” in German. This pattern was given to me by the lovely Lindy from Stokx Patterns, but the opinions and thoughts are all my own.

I was so surprised to realise how long this skirt pattern has been around – since 1999. It is a timeless pattern, evidently.

In case you can’t read the image above, the front is cut on the bias, and the back has a little bit of shaping in the centre seam. It also has no waistband, instead it has a waist facing which is designed to have a piece of tape or ribbon threaded through it which is tied at the back. It doesn’t have pockets. It’s designed for riding a bicycle, which is rather fabulous.

I really wanted to make this in time to take on our holiday to Darwin, and also enter it into the Make a Garment a Month sew along on Instagram (of which I am a host), the October theme being rOcktober. Perfect, don’t you agree?

The first thing I needed to do was to find the perfect fabric. I eventually settled on a lovely chambray, which I think I bought to make Mark a shirt. Never mind, he has lots of shirts!

It was a really fast make, once I had steeled myself to make that first cut. The front is cut with the fabric out flat and then I folded it for the backs. I used a couple of scraps to fashion some pockets which I sewed on the back. Unfortunately I couldn’t tell where I was on the skirt so they are about 3cm too high. That’s ok, I’ll know for next time! I also didn’t use the tape in the waistband. I made a size 2 graded to 0 at the hips, but could probably make a straight size 1 next time, although I do enjoy the little bit of extra ease at the waist.

The skirt is really well drafted and is a lovely shape. I teamed it with with my new Liz Haywood zero waste Xanthea t-shirt, made from a piece of Indian cotton I won last year. We had just had a coffee in a rather iconic coffee shop in Darwin, full of people playing games and doing jigsaw puzzles. So much fun.

I think these two go together well. The skirt needs a cropped or short top.

We visited the Botanical Gardens; we do love a nice botanic garden and this one is lovely.

We called in at the Stokes Hill Wharf – highly recommended. The sea is a beautiful colour here and there are nice eateries.

We kept driving past a heritage precinct run by the National Trust, and finally stopped to check on the opening hours. We could see people sitting in the gardens and there was a sign saying that they serve afternoon tea on the third Sunday of each month. Guess what? It was the third Sunday of the month! In we went, but didn’t have a reservation. We looked pitiful and they rustled us up a table. They basically just served Devonshire teas, and it was bliss!

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We also visited the Mindl Beach sunset Market again and enjoyed a lovely walk on the beach

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whilst the sun set in rather spectacular fashion.

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My only feeling about the skirt is that it’s a little long. It has a 10cm hem otherwise it would have been below my knees. I am definitely making another one, but will shorten it a bit. I was a bit worried about ruining the lines if I made it too short, so I’ll consider this fairly carefully.

This tee shirt worked much better than my first version. I managed to align the seam lines very precisely. My only regret is that I didn’t use an invisible zip on the pocket; I used a recycled standard zip instead, but it’s fine and not really noticeable. I made the short sleeved version but cuffed the sleeves so they are quite short.

I’m sure that both of these makes will be a constant feature over the summer. I’ve already worn the Xanthea several times and it coordinates well with a lot of my wardrobe.