Another couple of pattern repeats!  One you haven’t seen for a while, the other you have.  (And look, some photographic variety – today you get the lemon tree instead of the wall!  At least this time there isn’t any washing on the clothesline behind the tree….)

The jacket is the Style Arc Harper jacket, in a divine Gorman wool knit from Clear It in Fitzroy (MaciNic has just blogged a dress made from the same fabric. Great minds and all of that). This is one of those fabrics that I wish I’d bought more of – it’s a single knit (not a ponte) but is a decent weight, and just delightful to sew and to wear. It has black flecks through it that really give it a rich appearance. Lovely!  (Would it make you laugh if I mentioned that when I bought this fabric at Clear It while on a Melbourne sewing meet-up recently the sales assistant said “whoa!” in a highly astonished but impressed voice as I tossed my fabric purchases onto the counter?)

I left off the hooks, knowing that I wasn’t likely to wear this one closed, and honestly it took about an hour to sew. So fast! I did hem the edges, turning them once to the inside and using a zig-zag stitch right on the edge to secure them. The rest of the construction was on the overlocker.

Once again I have had these photos taken at the end of a work day, so there are some creases showing. There is no suggestion that this blog doesn’t show you the reality of my everyday life! The skirt is also a new make, but the pattern an old favourite. It’s the A-line skirt from You Sew, Girl! I think it is the best A-line skirt pattern out there.

The fabric is from Rathdowne Fabrics, and I lined the skirt as well. Why do I love this pattern so much? Well, the invisible zipper instructions are superb. They are my go-to instructions for anything with an invisible zipper and a facing. Check this out!

Oh, I lined this skirt although the instructions don’t include lining – it’s not hard, I just cut out the skirt pattern pieces in the lining and attached them to the skirt pieces around the top, leaving the sides and hem free, then basically treated them as one with the rest of the skirt. The yoke is faced, and finishes the waistline beautifully. I do my cheats method of altering for my thick waist by slicing an inch or so from the top of the yoke. This makes it narrower, but effectively grades between my thick waist and proportionately narrower hips. This is also a variation to the pattern because I have shifted the zipper from centre back to the side seam in order to not break up the textured weave as much. Now, check out my zipper and seam matching! HOW GOOD AM I!  And when the skirt is worn or lies flat you cannot see the zipper at all.  Win to me!

Okay, I got a little overexcited there. This is such an easy skirt to wear, and I like the knee-length for work. The top is a McCalls one made quite a long time ago. It works so well with the skirt and jacket; I’m glad that it survived my most recent wardrobe purge!

Oh yes, I feel so good in this combination! This is absolutely my go-to A-line skirt pattern. Maybe I should try a shorter version for summer – although it would show off the lily-whites even more! Speaking of lily-white, those stocking are a TERRIBLE colour – after looking at these photos I can tell you they are going straight into the bin. I usually would wear this outfit with brown tights and boots, but thought I’d switch it up a bit today. Live and learn! Anyway, only a few more of the “brown things” left to show you – I’ve moved on to sewing sequins and satin jumpsuits….