My "chevron" skirt.

Ooh pretty!

After many weeks of setting things up, my new sewing nook was collecting dust.  My husband established a space in the living room behind the couch with a table holding my sewing machine and dress form.  It's nearly perfect for what I need.  But I hadn't done anything with it.  Kids, life, work, etc. were getting in the way.

Friday I stopped by a local fabric store for inspiration.  And I found this gem.  Staring at me.  Begging me to take it home.  I'm a sucker for a good textile.  This one in particular was a knit stripe, purple and cream.  But, the cream was stitched on separate pieces, and there was a top stitch in a swirly pattern.  I had to leave with this one.Already in the store I had some ideas.  A maxi dress or a long skirt were really my stand out choices.

See?  What is not to love?

Now, let me say this was an ambitious project, which ever one I chose.  My mother had bought me a Serger, but I hadn't used it yet.  At all.  Not a stitch.  Also, I had zero experience working with a knit.  And, not wanting to spend $20 for a pattern at the fabric shop where I bought this, I was going to draft my own pattern as I went.

Once I was home I found some tips on eSewing Workshop .  I finally settled on my project.  I decided to make a giant chevron skirt out of this stripe by making a four panel skirt, bias cutting the stripe in opposite directions for left front vs. right front and left back vs. right back panels.  I also cut two thin rectangular pieces to work as the front and back waist (using the back of the fabric as the front for the band).

Then I started to learn how to serge.  After one failed attempt at matching the center front seam with too few pins, I really sailed through this.  I did have issues attaching the waist band and getting the tension right for so much fabric.  But overall I would say serging saved me time compared to using a traditional sewing machine.


So, here are the final results:

Close view

Full shot of Marie, my dress form.  Pardon the messy house.

 Overall the pattern really is what makes this simple skirt, and it was a great starter project for me.  I can't wait for it to be warm enough to give this skirt a spin!  Have you serged?  If so, what was your first project serging?