Catching up - The Tibi skirt {Sewing}

I am slowly catching up with blogging - not much to be fair, catching up with sleep has become my priority these days. However when one of my makes appear on a blog, I will make time to read it. 

A while ago I had a post about the Tibi skirt - and had found a Butterick pattern that looked quite similar. Well, a skirt was made and now styled by Cee and appeared last week on her stylish blog. 

I followed the pattern except for the length - I added 12 cm. The fabric is a dupion silk - in a lovely midnight blue colour. I added horsehair braid (found here) at the bottom to give it more volume - following Gertie's tutorial.   

The pattern is not that hard, but the fabric was a bit of a pain, it frays quite easily and I spent some time trying to tidy the seams, and I am still not super happy with it. 

However I love the result - what a beautiful skirt for a fraction of the price of the Tibi one. I will try to make one with folds that match the real thing, so stay tune!

The ubiquitous Tibi | Inspiration {Dressmaking}

There are a few reasons why I am keen to improve on my dressmaking skills - one of them is to able to recreate some items worn by fashion bloggers I admire the wardrobe of, and save some pennies in the process. 

Maybe you can see I am already fed up with being pregnant and thinking of my post-pregnancy life (to be honest hot trains are not helping). For a few of you it may be the wedding/summer parties season, and I thought you might be interesting in seeing my inspiration board for the Tibi skirt which currently retails at £495.00 at Net-a-Porter. This is not the most expensive designer item I have my eye on - but still, it is cheaper to make it.  

Pattern: B5929 from Butterick (easy pattern); 

Fabric: there are different colours available on cheapfabrics.co.uk; but one option could be the Dupion Silk in wine which should shimmer a bit to add that touch of gamour

Probable modifications: Lengthen the skirt - to get the Midi Tibi skirt look. 

You could also adjust the pleats if you felt you need more, smaller ones

Tibi Skirt: You can buy it on NaP for £495

So let's do the maths.. 

You are saving quite a bit but what attracts me to this project is that you could really adjust the size of the patterns according to your morphology (as in I have 'usually' a small waist and big hips in comparison). Also it is a great staple garment to have in your wardrobe as there are a lot of inspiration out there to make it work for more casual or glamorous looks. And Butterick says that it is an easy pattern - I do not have a lot of experience with Butterick so hopefully easy does mean easy..  I do love that look with the stripey top - this is will be for next Summer for me, hoping it inspired you! 

You can see my inspiration to make other designer garments here. 

Oh, to own a Jonathan Saunders bomber jacket! | Inspiration {Dressmaking}

There are a few reasons why I am keen to improve on my dressmaking skills - one of them is to able to recreate some items of my favourite fashion designers, today Jonathan Saunders, and save some pennies in the process. 

I love Jonathan Saunders style - quirky but classic, but I cannot really justify the price, especially for a jacket I would only wear occasionally. But isn't it beautiful? Surprisingly (yes there is some pink involved) I love the colour combination too! But, here is the thing, I could be making my own... 

Pattern: the Rigel Bomber jacket from Papercut; 

Fabric: I chose a Floral Embroidered Dupion from Joel & Son which is not as shiny as the embroidered silk used in the designer model but could work. I am also very (very keen) on this colourful version. 

Probable modifications: Not sure whether it will be a modification as such, but a lot of care will have to be given to matching fabrics. 

Bomber Jacket: You can buy it on NaP for a mere £1,495.00

So let's do the maths...

This would be one of the most expensive garment I would be making - but still at a bargain price compared to the designer version. Although before I get started on this, I would definitely do a muslin - just because I know I would be scared to cut into that fabric and mess it up. 

However I have seen a lot of sewists' versions of that jacket, and it does look like the real deal on them, so it would be worth the investment.