Oh hello beautiful lines! Hello skirt that fits like a pair of jeans but looks like a million bucks. Â I was so lucky to test the Salida Skirt by True Bias a couple months ago and I have been dying to share these photos! Â (But if you want to really see this thing in action head to my instagram to watch my dance video!)
I made three versions of this skirt and I want to share what I learned that might be of help to you, you sewing maven you.
*Paired here with my hacked Grainline Studio Morris Blazer (I changed the collar to a shawl collar, lengthened it a couple inches and added topstitched bias tape), and my Made It Patterns Strip Tee.
First of all, this version here was actually my 3rd skirt. This was how I’d envisioned it in the first place, but I wanted to understand the pattern construction before I attempted it.
*I used navy corduroy and thin double fold bias tape both from JoAnn Fabrics. I think this low/non-stretch bottom weight fabric worked best of all three I made. It stays tight at the top and holds its structure at the bottom.
*I made a straight size 2 even though my waist measured a 4,  and this  was the best fit of my 3 skirts. I love when I don’t have to make adjustments for my odd waist/hip ratio!
*To make the contrasting lines I sewed each panel together as the instructions said, but then before I moved to the next step, I would topstitch a line of the thin bias tape (down both sides) . This made it take 2x as long to construct but was SO WORTH IT.
When Kelli first showed me the drawings for this skirt I KNEW it needed piping. The problem was, I couldn’t find the bright pink color piping I wanted! Â I went with the bias tape on top and I actually think it worked out better that way. I’m totally in love!!
Don’t mind me, I’m just over here trying to perfect the smolder and a jump that somehow remains flattering to face, hair and clothing…
This was the second skirt I made. For this view I thought it would be fun to do a little color-blocking. Â I originally intended to just do three colors but…. the hashtag #katiekortmanpink wasn’t made up for nothing! I can’t help it, pink just POPS!!! Â When I was designing it I thought, “Is this too much? What if other people don’t like it?” And then I PUSHED those thoughts right out and said “I don’t care! I’m going for it because I LOVE IT!!!”
*I used stretch twill from JoAnn Fabrics. I think stretch twill can work fine, and it does here, but I would be tempted to not pre-shrink the fabric so that it can have the chance to stretch out to the perfect fit. This one gets a little stretched out after I wear it for a few hours.
*I sewed a size 4 on this one because of my waist measurement, but it seemed to big in the hip, which is why I just did a size 2 for the 3rd skirt. You could also taper it down at the side seams, but it ended up being fine just doing the lower size (which is my RTW size anyway) all around.
*I sketched out a few different color-blocking iterations before making this. I recommend doing that so that you can see which version will look best and wear to put all your colors because this pattern has lots of panels that can be color-blocked in lots of ways!
Lastly, this was my wearable muslin (view B). I wanted to try it out on fabric that looked as flowy and feminine as the one Kelli had shown us when we first agreed to test. I don’t think I picked quite the right fabric. It was a little too thin (it was a thin shirting of some kind) and pulled at the seams across my butt.
Still, I love the color and  I can’t see my butt when I wear it anyhow!!
So, there you have it! I’m obsessed with this skirt, with its cool seams and fit. I hope you’ll try it out for yourself! (Not that I benefit from you doing that in any way, but still, I like to pass on the good stuff to you, my one follower, and all the random google searchers;) Â (I mean who even reads all the stuff in blogposts any more? Am I right?!)