I know that I’ve mentioned before how much I love chocolate.  Especially dark chocolate.  And I love to wear it, as well as to eat it.  This three piece outfit is made from dark chocolate wool/something blend crushed jersey that I was lucky enough to pick up from the Darn Cheap Fabrics $2 per metre table at the end of last winter.  (I’ve actually got some in black and in mustard as well – oh, and a small piece of grape).

The skirt is New Look 6470. Although on the pattern cover it is in a woven, summer fabric, it has worked just as well in this jersey. And it was very fast to make. I haven’t even hemmed it, as I didn’t want to disturb the drape in this knit fabric that wouldn’t ravel anyway.  The lower flounce drapes beautifully, as it has a much larger hem circumference than an otherwise straight-ish looking skirt would suggest.

The front and back are identical, and the waist is elasticised. I cut a length of elastic to fit around my waist, sewed the ends together into a circle, then applied it to the wrong side of the skirt waist along one edge with the overlocker. Then I flipped it back to the inside again, and finished it by stitching it close to the edge with a zig-zag stitch. I became a fan of the zig-zag stitch instead of a twin needle for finishing knits on my last Sewjourn weekend! I really like the look – and I am over thinking that because ready-to-wear doesn’t usually zig-zag edges, neither should I. Since when was Target the arbiter of how I should sew things?

The vest is Simplicity 2283. I’ve made it twice before. As with the skirt, I left the edges raw so that it would hang well. You do have to be careful with how you hem things on crinkled/scrunched fabrics, so that you don’t flatten the crinkles/scrunches. I originally bought this pattern to make the top, but it seems as though the vest is actually the winner for me. I like to hide my mid-section with it, and feels that it adds a more modern edge to the whole outfit.

The back has a nice pleat in the centre, and the armholes are very cut away. It was windy when this photo was taken – it doesn’t generally stick to my butt like the photo suggests!

And the top is Simplicity 2181 view B, which I’ve also made before. This stretchier knit was a better fabric to make it in than the one I used last time. Once again, I think that the crossover twist feature is very flattering. I shortened the sleeves to just above the elbow because that was all that I had enough fabric for! The edges are all hemmed on this top – with a zig-zag stitch of course!

The skirt and top work nicely together without the vest as well. I wasn’t originally planning on making an entire outfit, but I like the way that the three pieces go with one another, and am probably more likely to wear it this way. It’s a terrific trans-seasonal weight, and works well in the air-conditioned office!