Lilacs & Lace: Macaroon Medley

Needing a quick and easy project to tackle, I decided to take a stab at the Vintage-Inspired Modern Style Design Challenge currently running over at Burda Style.

With only a week left, the quickest option was the downloadable patterns. Of the four choices, I love the blouse and skirt, and, in the end, decided on the skirt.

During a trip to JoAnn Fabrics to pick up the newest Simplicity patterns, I decided to wander the fabric aisles to see if I could find something fun.

I cannot believe I found this at JoAnn Fabrics! I generally run past the polyester horror that is the fabric section to pick up my zippers/thread/sale patterns. There was an adorable dark blue sheer with glitter bows but unfortunately it was 100% polyester so I ran away as fast as I could, which took me to the linen section. And there was my beautiful pink rayon/linen blend.

It is a little hard to tell from the photos, but this fabric is embroidered with little bows. Someday, my age is going to prevent me from wearing cutesy clothing, so I am determined to get in as much kitsch as I can, while I can. Oh, who am I kidding - I will probably turn in to one of those crazy old ladies with bows in my hair!

I knew I wanted contrasting pockets, so I picked up a small amount of green and white seersucker. After digging around my quilting cotton stash, I found a nice yellow for my pockets.

The colors remind me of these beautiful colored macaroons.

Or some beautiful Spring flowers!

It may be silly, but I avoid projects that do not come with pattern tissue. This skirt is not difficult (as designed, it is a bunch of rectangles, and the instructions fit on a single page), but a lack of pattern pieces stops me in my tracks.

One-Seam Skirt

For my chosen “One-Seam Skirt” the pattern suggests 60” wide fabric, however, my fabric was only 50” wide, and the embroidery only covered 42”.

I wanted an easy fitting skirt, so I cut two lengths, cut one of them in half for a center back seam and zipper opening, and then began to pleat the waistline down to size.

Once the pleats were in place, I also ran a gathering stitch along the waist edge to further pull the waist in.

To stabilize my zipper, I invisibly-stitched a strip of silk organza along the opening edges. It really does make a difference! I used a lapped insertion, and hand sewed the zipper onto the skirt.

Instead of a straight waistband, I used a shaped design. It turned out a bit large, but it is an easy to wear skirt, so I will leave it as is.

And, of course, my raw edges are bound with rayon seam binding for the perfect vintage finish!

The most fun part was making the pockets.

I had quite a few ideas, and really do like the square pocket look on the original sketch, but with my fabric choice, I though a rounded pocket was more appropriate – especially because I wanted to add buttons and bows to match back to the pink fabric.