Sunday, January 6, 2013

Loes Hinse Boot Skirt

I had a large piece of suiting fabric left over from my fleece vest, so I decided to make a skirt from it.

I've had this Loes Hinse pattern for quite some time but never actually made it until now.


It's a classic and simple style, so it was a good choice for a basic wardrobe piece. I made View C, a shorter version which isn't pictured on the pattern envelope for some odd reason.

Still, I needed to shorten the skirt by 5" to get a decent length for me, just above the knee. This view is designed for a 26" length, which hits me at the top of my calf. Not a good look...

Because Loes Hinse designs her patterns with minimal ease, I decided to add an inch of "fit insurance" at each of the side seams. Good thing too--even though I thought I'd traced off the correct size for my measurements, my test fitting indicated that the skirt would have been too snug. Arrrgh!! Hopefully, my morning walks will eventually fix that issue. I've been walking 1 1/2 to 2 miles every weekday morning since October! I'm not seeing much exterior progress as of yet but I do feel in better shape.

I also added an underlining to avoid "velcro leg syndrome." I know I'll be wearing the skirt with tights because it's winter, so I used the poly charmeuse that was also left over from the fleece vest project. The underlining adds a little weight to the skirt, which causes it to hang better. It also helped in stitching in the hem. There isn't a single visible stitch to be seen.

Even with these changes, the skirt was quick to put together. It has an elastic waist, but the skirt's fit is body skimming so it really doesn't look like one, especially if worn with an untucked top (and really, who tucks in a knit top or sweater anyhow?).

This is an excellent stash busting pattern and one that I'll use again. There's always a need for a good straight skirt, and this one takes minimal time to make once the fit is worked out. This is not a skirt that looks all that good on the hanger, and it was dark before I got it done. Hopefully, I'll get a few moments of daylight for a picture on me sometime this week.

Now that this is complete, I've finished all three of the projects that were on deck at Christmastime, which is pretty amazing given my typical output. But what to do next?


2 comments:

Mary Beth said...

I'd love to see a photo of this skirt on you :)

gwensews said...

We ladies, of a certain age, have much problems losing weight. It's a constant battle. Keep up the walking regardless though. It's important.