The first thing I made this year (as in, on Jan 2 while I was on New Year’s vacation) was a black Charm Patterns Stanwyck Skirt. After making the Stanwyck for my Hanukkah skirt, I knew I needed a black one that I could use as a basic in my wardrobe. And in fact, it came in handy not long after in February when I joined a bunch of friends for a historical costume ice skating event.
I went for the 1950’s as my historical era and I paired mine with a pink petticoat for some lovely poof and initially wore my Vogue 8346 wool coat over it. But after just a few laps around the rink, I was too warm and switched to just the little initial sweater instead which was quite comfortable.
Most folks went much more historical then me. I opted for the 1950’s since I wanted to wear a shorter skirt. It had been a while since I skated and I was worried that I might faceplant on the ice with a longer skirt. Although after a few rounds, it came back. I probably would have been fine going slow with a longer skirt, but I’m quite happy with my choice.
I made a straight size 6. The black twill is a Robert Kaufman Ventana Twill. And while it does have some stretch, you can’t really tell. The zipper is a gunmetal black zipper which I installed using the lapped zipper technique, but instead of doing a trouser hook and eye for the closure, I did a buttonhole with jeans button. I just love that look.
On this version of the skirt I included the pockets. The pockets on the Stanwyck are massive. I’m pretty sure my 10″ iPad would fit in one of them. However, I found that after I’d made them, they seemed to poof out. Looking at some photos, that seems to be “the look” that they’re going for, but I wanted them more sleek to maintain the silhouette of the skirt. So I added a line of stitching down the middle of each pocket, effectively creating 2 pockets out of them (you can sorta see in the photo above on the left pocket). Still plenty wide enough for a phone or even a kindle, but now it maintains that bell shape to the skirt.
I also learned that black twill is very challenging to wear when you have a half husky pup. The white undercoat hairs get everywhere. In the photos at home, I used a lint roller, but I forgot it when I went to the ice skating event. I did a little post processing to clean up as much of the dog hair as I could on the skirt, but even so, it still has quite a few. So, yeah, must travel with a link roller.
And while incredibly versatile for coordinating, black twill is also very hard to photograph. It seems to suck up all the light unless you’re in daylight or can crank up the exposure.
Finally, I’ve amassed a collection of garment tags that I find cute or that I get through other means, like the one above which came from being a Charm Patterns Patreon member. I’m finally remember to actually add them to my garments and they do indeed give a professional finish!
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