Skirt and Styling by Tracey

Pattern, Marfy 3074

Wool and Cotton Tweed, B&J Fabric

Silk Charmeuse Lining, Susan Khalje Couture

Photography by Santiago Vanegas

Sometimes when I make something, the end product is pretty much as expected.  Other times, I’m surprised.  I started out making this skirt because my wardrobe lacked a warm skirt (and I am always cold!).  I picked out this gorgeous tweed at B&J and went to work.  When I had finished, I tried it on and thought, “Holy Cow!  I just made my Catholic School Uniform!”  I think I won’t dig too deep about the reasons I may have done it, I will just acknowledge it and move on.  Now that I’ve re-created my uniform, I may as well just take it to its logical conclusion and style it with Oxfords.

For you sewing enthusiasts, the skirt is quilted with the silk charmeuse lining.  And if you have never worn a quilted skirt, you should.  It cannot be described how great a quilted skirt feels on your body.  (To see the inside of the skirt and some of the details, go to our Instagram page.)  The skirt has a narrow waistband and hand sewn couture zipper.  I hope that one day I won’t break out into a sweat when I install a zipper, but so far that day has not arrived.  This zipper turned out better than most of my others, so maybe I can take comfort in the fact that I am improving, at least a little.  But every time, Santiago would come in close with the camera, I would flip around and say, “Let’s shoot the good side.”

For anyone who would like to make your own quilted skirt and need a place to start, I recommend picking up Claire Shaeffer’s book, The Couture Skirt.  And definitely check out the quilted skirt post at A Challenging Sew!

(Just so you know, I have provided links throughout this post for your convenience.  We are an unsponsored site, advertising free.)

Next week, Sunday, February 8, The Joy of Vintage Pumps, a selection of Courtney’s gorgeous shoes.