Two-Tone Kelly Skirt

Kelly Skirt by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Last week I made a skirt. A high-waisted skirt. With pockets. And piping. Using fabric from my stash. Nothing went wrong. Hurray!

Kelly Skirt by thisblogisnotforyou.comLast summer I helped Daniela (Ela Sews And Doesn’t Sleep) pick some fabric and lining for her Kelly Skirt when we went fabric shopping to Walthamstow together. Inspired by her beautiful version I now finally made one myself. And I wore it twice already! (First time when going fabric shopping with Daniela, of course, but this time we went to Goldhawk Road!)Kelly Skirt by thisblogisnotforyou.com

I used some grey and purple denim fabric from my stash. Both were actually two of the very first fabrics I ever bought when I started sewing properly in 2011. I got them in the leftover section in Karstadt, when I lived in Germany.

I only had about 1.2m of both fabrics, but this was more than enough for the Kelly Skirt. I could even make a second one, colours inverted, with purple being the main colour. Kelly Skirt by thisblogisnotforyou.comAlthough I like challenging projects and this pattern seemed to be very very simple, I decided to make the skirt since

a) I love skirts (although don’t wear them that often. Putting on tights is such a nuisance. Am I the only one feeling that way?)

b) I love everything high-waisted!

c) the A-line shaped cut of the skirt is beautiful and I’m totally into sewing more simple basics at the moment. Very time-efficient.

The pattern was super simple, the skirt came together very quickly. Sewing with denim was such a joy. Although it’s quite stretchy, it does not stretch out of shape while sewing and is not as slippery as the fabrics I normally sew with. Less pinning, more dancing.

Kelly Skirt by thisblogisnotforyou.comI wanted to add piping, so I made some tiny piping myself from the purple denim fabric for the pockets and waistband. You can find a tutorial for doing this here.

When it came to picking some buttons, Mr Thisblogisnotforyou had the glorious idea of making fabric covered buttons from the leftover denim fabric. He was perfectly right as no other buttons seemed to match, so I had to cover 7 buttons and he refused to help. Hrmpf!Kelly Skirt by thisblogisnotforyou.comI love the result, although there are a few things that I don’t like about the pattern. First of all, the back pleats aren’t very flattering. And I’ve looked it up online, I’m obviously not the only one seeing it this way. They just make everything back there look much bigger than it is. Furthermore, the spacing of the buttons is not the best. The skirt is gaping open right under the waistband. I had to add a small snap to fix that.

Following the instructions, I machine stitched the hem and I regret doing this. The skirt would’ve looked much much nicer with a neat handfinished hem.

Kelly Skirt by thisblogisnotforyou.com

I had to make a few changes to the pattern to be able to make the button placket in a different colour.

Should I sew this skirt again, I will definitely use a smaller size. There seems to be quite a bit wearing ease in the pattern. I made the skirt in size S, but the waistband doesn’t fit as snugly as I had hoped. Room for more chocolate!!

( I actually wanted to start a juice cleanse this morning to get all these masses of coffee and chocolate out of my system. I went and bought all the ingredients, but stopped before I had prepared the first juice and made a salad instead. Hmmmm)

Now that we finally bought an ironing board a lot of my clothes that have been hanging in the closet will see daylight again! Yay!Kelly Skirt by thisblogisnotforyou.com

What have you been up to? Have you sewn any skirts lately?

Happy sewing!

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17 thoughts on “Two-Tone Kelly Skirt

  1. Ah! This skirt is so lovely! The two-tone makes it stand out from “just a skirt”. I will have to try this myself. I took a craftsy class and made a muslin, but I have to decide on the fabric I want to use. Great job!!!

    1. Thanks! As the pattern doesn’t require much fabric, this is a perfect project for fabric leftovers from your stash! x

  2. I too like your nice crisp skirt… since you said that you don’t like the pleats in the back could you alter the pattern by taking out the excess fabric? I mean, since you have made it now… you could just measure the back of the skirt you have made and leave them totally out! I would also suggest using a hem stitch when hemming the skirt next time too. If your machine has this stitch; it works great…. it’s a straight stitch with one little zig in it. If you adjust your stitch so it only takes a small zig it shouldn’t show as much… quite handy really.
    Love the colors of your skirt… really cute on too.

    1. I’ve got that hem stitch on my machine, just haven’t used it yet. Will definitely try next time. A topstitched hem just doesn’t look as nice.
      You could probably remove the pleats and put in some darts. Although I’m not sure if that works for all sizes. The skirt might get too tight in the back. Maybe I’ll make the skirt with a lighter fabric next time, the denim makes it appear extra bulky. x

    1. Thanks! I think the fact that both are the same fabric just in a different colour really helps with how they blend in. xx

  3. It’s lovely, those fabrics look so crisp together. Did you cover the buttons yourself? I’ve had this pattern on my list for ages. Think I need to invest soon x

    1. Thanks, Lara! Yes I covered them myself. I bought a kit with 12mm buttons a few years ago which I use every once in a while! The skirt comes together very easily and you won’t need much fabric – great project x

  4. Oh, I love it! And making the rear look bigger is a plus for me- I wish I had more caboose. It’s all about butt here! Your covered buttons are gorgeous, the contrast yoke & pockets with piping are the perfect touch! Very lovely!!

    1. Hi Abby! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving such a sweet comment. Your blog looks lovely!x

    1. the original pattern is very simple (perfect for beginners), but was a bit boring for my taste. It’s actually the first time I made piping and I’m glad it turned out well! xx

  5. I love your take on that pattern, I’m still fairly new to sewing but I love that pattern, its easy for a novice like me. Just wondering how you do the two tone effect on the yoke I think that’s my next venture ☺☺

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