Laura’s Bow Patchwork Skirt
Who doesn’t need a huge skirt with patchwork bows?!
If you read about my make from last month, you’ll know that I didn’t have the best time. So, I was looking for a win, and I found it.
Lately I have been on a little sabbatical to find alternative indie sewing pattern designers for something a bit different. This is what brought me to Roberts Wood. The aesthetics alone got me head over heels.
Roberts Wood is a design studio led by a super talented woman. Quoted from her website, “The brand represents a determined femininity that blends tactile poetry and dreamlike curiosity with structure, strength and form”. And when you look at her designs, you absolutely see the vision brought to life. I am obsessed with all of them.
Lucky for us sewists, she sells some of her designs as sewing patterns. Spoiled for choice, I went for the Bow Patchwork skirt.
Now, I know what your thinking – Laura, you only had 1 meter of fabric? That is the beauty of patchwork! The designer encourages you to dig out your offcuts and get creative.
The skirt is designed for 3 fabrics (and advises the lengths required of each).
The black viscose challis is a great base for a skirt like this. I rummaged through my remnants bin and found this super cute mauve and black gingham, and a black embroidered viscose that all looked great together to really make the bows stand out.
The construction of the skirt is flawless. Perfect drafting, and so soothing to make. Each tier is made up of 16 panels sewn into a ring, increasing in size, and then each ring is sewn together.
It’s a very repetitive process which I thought would find tedious, but it was so relaxing not having to look at instructions every 5 minutes for the next step. I put on my noise-cancelling headphones, put on some laid-back music and fully zoned in.
On the third tier, I came to the realisation just how big this skirt was going to be. It got a bit exciting, and it spurred me on. The vibes were on point!
Speaking only on this one pattern, the size range is decent, ranging from a UK 6-8 to a 28. There are no body measurements, instead you only get finished garment measurements. I’d say her sizes are more akin to traditional RTW than other sewing pattern companies.
The only downside of this pattern (and it is the same for her others) is that you only buy 2 sizes. However, as most of her designs are either elasticated and/or pretty voluminous, I don’t think that you have to worry about the fit too much.
The patterns are definitely on the pricier side, but I think are worth every penny for the meticulous design and attention to detail.
Now, is this skirt an every day essential in my wardrobe? Probably not. But does it bring unprecedented joy and has fantastic twirlability? Absolutely.
Sometimes you just got to sew the frosting!