Some time ago my friend Terri’s partner asked me if I could make her a dress.  I don’t usually sew to order, but Terri is a pretty special woman, so I said that I would if he could let me know what style and fabric she’d prefer.  A little while passed, and during that time he saw the perfect dress in a shop and bought it for her.  So instead of a dress, we decided that I would make her a skirt.

I absolutely LOVE the way that Terri’s skirt has turned out! She bought a special printed tea-towel on her last trip to New Zealand (she’s from NZ) and asked if I could incorporate it. Of course I could!

The bird is a tui, native to New Zealand.  I used almost all of the tea-towel to make an overlay panel on black denim for the skirt.  I wish I could remember where I’d bought this denim – it’s a beautiful weight, and I could do with more of it.  I even remembered to change thread colours when I machine hemmed the skirt, so that there wasn’t black stitching going over the panel.

I found some black/grey/white printed fabric in stash to use for a contrast yoke lining. I rather like having a hidden bit of contrast there! If I’d had enough I would have also used it for a hem facing, but sadly I didn’t. So the hem is just turned and stitched. The centre back closes with an invisible zip – and once again, I’m very pleased with how nicely the zip has gone in.  The skirt actually looks better than in these photos – the camera flash has caught the fabric in weird ways.

The skirt pattern is Nicole Mallalieu’s A-line Skirt. It really is a wonderful pattern, and is pretty much my go-to pattern for skirts for most figure types. I get a terrific result every time.  Nicole has incorporated the shaping into the yoke seam beautifully, and the yoke fits around the waist and tummy in a very flattering way.

I’m looking forward to seeing this on Terri! A highly satisfying make.