Happy weekend, dolls!

Thanks to a long weekend here in the UK, I’ve managed to invest some time back in my sewing projects. And I FINALLY managed to finish my Eliza M Alma Wiggle Skirt!*

I have to be honest, my hopes weren’t high for this skirt. As long-time readers of Sew for Victory are already aware, I am the lucky owner of some serious hips. And I’m not being entirely sarcastic here, because hips are pretty fabulous. That said, I generally avoid wearing anything that makes them look 50% larger than the rest of my body. So pencil skirts are typically a no-go. But Eliza M’s pattern was shapely in all the right places and I ended up producing a skirt that I would be happy to wear any time.

The pattern itself was super simple to follow and, despite taking about a month for me to finish, can be sewn up in just a couple of hours. So this would be an absolutely perfect pattern for a beginner sewist. It includes a couple of skill-building details – waist darts and a cute back split are great introductions to producing more tailored garments.

It helped enormously that I made this skirt up in a thick tweed (bought during my Twenty-Something Sewers trip to Walthamstow market). Such an easy fabric to sew with. And after my disastrous attempt to sew with silk, I needed this victory! My experience with this pattern (and fabric) is a definite testimony to the best way of overcoming a dip in motivation. It really is ok to put complicated and frustrating projects to the side and spend some time working on a pattern that boosts your confidence and reminds you why you love to sew. Self-care must always be #1 priority.

So there you have it. A simple, but effective, pencil skirt, courtesy of Eliza M Patterns. Perfect as work wear but, I think, also totally suitable for everyday. I’ll definitely be whipping this one out as part of my regular wardrobe rotation!

*The Eliza M website is still putting up a malware warning, so I haven’t linked to it in this post. But the pattern is available via Fabric Godmother, and can be found here.