Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Inspiration to Garment: The Trailing Vines Skirt Part 1

J. Jill has had the Trailing Vines Skirt in its catalog for a little while now, and I like it. The second price reduction (from $89 to $49.99) appeared in the latest catalog last evening, and I decided that I should order it at that price. I decided to visit my local J. Jill store at lunch today to see if they had one in stock, and if not, to take advantage of ordering through the store. J. Jill offers discounted shipping on store catalog orders, $5.95 flat rate.

No such luck. There were only a couple of Smalls still in stock, and that won't work for me. The skirt was on backorder online, but by the time the salesperson and I finished ordering, it was completely unavailable.

Oh, well. I went to JoAnn's and bought 3 of their embroidered linen blends at 40% off. That's my assistant Ghost examining the purchase. Each fabric is a slightly different shade, but they harmonize well together.

The fabrics are currently in the washing machine undergoing prep. I usually wash and dry my linen blends once before cutting out the pattern pieces. I used hot water and let the fabric soak. Once the cycle finishes, I'll run it through a hot dryer cycle. My rule of thumb is to always pretreat the yardage a little rougher than I plan to handle the finished garment. A little bit of insurance, if you will.

And lucky me! I even have a similar pattern stashed: New Look 6177. The piecing is slightly different, with the piecing of the seams all running the same direction instead of at opposite angles. But I think it's actually more flattering while still giving a similar look as the J. Jill version.

DBF has a shift at the hospital this weekend, so I'm hoping to get all the pieces cut out and a good bit of sewing done before Sunday evening. It'll be a cute spring and summer garment to wear.

4 comments:

Lisa Laree said...

You know, when I saw this post I first looked at the picture of the JJill skirt and wondered if our local Hancock's would have some mostly coordinating linen, too, before I even read your text. So I'm looking forward to seeing your creation! That's a great skirt...I bet you wear your custom version to death. ;)

Anonymous said...

Hi! I like the JJill skirt and I'm anxious to see your creation. It'll be a fun skirt. BTW, I like your blog. Thanks!

MéLisa said...

I just love the J Jill catalog & have often thought that I could knockoff many of the things I like, but haven't actually gotten around to it yet. I will be looking forward to seeing how yours turns out!!

Carolyn (Diary of a Sewing Fanatic) said...

You are going to have a fabulous skirt with a JJill influence! Can't wait to see the finished product.