Esther’s Alix Skirt
Esther received the Luxury June Box and used her See You At Six cotton gaberdine twill to make a Fibre Mood Alix Skirt
In the three years I’ve been sewing, I haven’t had a lot of experience with different fabrics so I love how the box introduces me to different types of fabrics. It is my first time using gabardine twill and I was surprised at how quickly I was inspired with what to make.
As soon as I touched the fabric, I thought of making a bomber jacket. I was considering making the Amelia bomber jacket from Wardrobe By Me and I also considered another bomber jacket with the same name from Sew Over It. But as I began to think about how this jacket would fit in my wardrobe, I realised that it wouldn’t get as much wear as I would like. With all the bright colours and prints in my wardrobe, I struggled to see what garments I would pair the jacket with.
Trying to be more intentional with my wardrobe, I decided a jacket was impractical. As quickly as that idea left, a new one formed. I thought about a pattern I fell in love with a while ago and I could just see it with this fabric and in my wardrobe. The Alix is created to be made with various woven fabrics but I prefer a medium weight fabric to give a nice look to the pleats. I felt that this gabardine twill met that requirement.
I made a size 40 and chopped off 6″ from the bottom. There are lengthen and shorten lines but I find that if I just want a shorter or longer hem, adding or removing from the bottom is easier. It is quite a long midi skirt, I’m 5″6 and with my adjustment, the skirt still hits me below the knee. In the future, I’ll make a size 38 so it’s more fitted around the waist.
The fabric washed beautifully, it was easy to press and cut. With all my excitement to make this skirt, I hoped to be able to finish it in one evening and possibly put on the buttons the next day. But what really goes to plan when you sew?! At 1:30am on a Friday night, after a long week at work, my sleep deprived brain just couldn’t make out what the instructions wanted me to do so I went to bed to pick it up the next day. Things weren’t much easier the next day and after a whole lot of unpicking, I learnt a valuable lesson. If you are following a process, read the instructions carefully. The method of attaching the front placket is a unique one and needed me to just pay a little more attention to the instructions. The pocket instructions looked suspect so I went rogue and did my own thing.
Apart from my mishap with the button placket, this was an easy make. I also got to use some beautiful vintage style gold buttons I found in Abakhan. Overall I am so pleased with this skirt. It fits perfectly into my wardrobe. It’s also versatile, I’ll be able to pair it with heels, flats or trainers.