There are certain designs that you just can’t get out of your head. As you all know by now, most of my sewing projects are seeded in a vintage piece I saw and missed, or the endless desire to one-up my previous sewing adventure. Despite the fact that my tailoring pile is going to topple over and drown me one of these days, my hands were itching to work on a new design…
I make no secret about the fact that I love appliqué – hence why designers like Juli Lynne Charlot and Marjorie Montgomery have my heart. I love the artistry of it – the care and time that goes into its creation. I also love the tactile quality appliqué provides, hinting of another world within the shadows.
After the Garden of Eden dress was so successful (if I do say so myself), my wheels started turning and my next project was already percolating in my mind. Many moons ago, I had spied a Juli Lynne Charlot skirt on Pinterest, and later tracked down the original listing to Ballyhoo Vintage. It had long been sold (natch), but I loved the idea of a skirt with a trellis, with vines and fleurs climbing up the yardage. I later learned a friend of mine also had it pass through her closet, but had long ago passed it on to another discerning vintage huntress.
I can be a bit of a broken record, because this is always the moment in my fervent vintage hunting where I acknowledge that if I can’t find the original, then the only way forward is to try to make it myself! It usually sits on a shelf in my mind for awhile – months, sometimes years – until it crystallizes and I slowly start to gather materials to help make it a reality…
The Supplies
As with any project, the first step is always going to involve weeks and weeks of researching and sourcing materials. We don’t have a bevy of options here in NC, so a lot of this hunting and pecking is on my keyboard. I’m always wary of ordering fabric online – because colors can vary so much on a monitor and you can never be sure of quality. But, after hunting through the cotton on offer at my local Joann Fabrics and coming up empty, I knew I had to take to the cyber streets.
I knew I wanted the base to be a full circle skirt, made out of a very pale lilac, upon which I would appliqué a brighter purple ‘trellis” and cover her with vines and flowers. Now, I never imagined it would be hard to find just the right pale lilac, but this process took a LOT of time, particularly as I ordered swatches first. I wanted it to have some color, but be pale enough so that the details would pop. I finally found the perfect kona cotton in orchid at Fabrics.com. I went for a slightly darker shade (Pansy) for the lining, and started to see the color palette take shape.
Next came the important bit: the elements that would make up my appliqué. Again, this involved a lot of hunting online. I was able to find a great bright lilac felt for the trellis pretty quickly, but took a fair bit of time hunting down the materials for the flowers. I hemmed and hawed and considered making them myself, but happened upon an amazing Etsy shop Mafiz, who makes the most swoonworthy floral garlands and decorations. I sent her a message with my ideas, and after a bit of back and forth settling on colors, the lovely Inga went to work creating 30 smaller, circular flowers to match my color palette, and the most stunning 3D bluebells that would be my unique addition to the original skirt design, giving it an even more 3D quality.
While Inga was hard at work on the flowers in Germany, I started the hunt for the felt to make my leaves and vines. I loved that the original design had two shades of green for both the leaves and stems, using the lighter stems over the darker leaves and vice versa. Although there was some craft felt by the yard at my local fabric store, I really wanted the most perfect shades of green. So, onwards to Etsy!
I found an amazing craft supply shop BBD Supplies, which had a rainbow of options for beautiful wool-blend felt by the yard. I ordered a few swatches and while I was twiddling my thumbs waiting for these various materials to head my way from their different corners of the globe, I got a message from BBD Supplies – unbeknownst to me, it was a family business of a good friend of my husband’s, who he’s known for years! After the fabric-purchasing coincidence of the century, I knew it made this skirt even more personal to include fabric from an amazing family friend.
So, benefitting from my weeks of research finding all of the materials, if you want to recreate this beauty, you will need:
- Base Fabric: Kona Cotton in Orchid – I went with 5 yards to be sure I had enough for a full circle, plus extra for my mini-me.
- Lining fabric: Kona Cotton in Pansy (also went with 5 yards)
- Trellis felt: 1 yard premium felt in bright lilac
- Leaves and stems: 2 yards each of wool-blend felt in Moss and Grassy Meadows from BBD Supplies
- Purple & green thread – I used Gutermann sew-all polyester thread in turtle (#770), moss green (#776), and orchid (#903)
- Grosgrain ribbon: 3″ wide in Ivory
- 30 smooth flowers in light pink, dark pink, cranberry, and dark purple by Mafiz
- 3 Bluebells in lilac, white, and pink, made to a custom 3.5″ size by Mafiz
The Construction
The base of the skirt was going to be pretty straightforward – I drafted a simple circle skirt from my Orchid fabric, with a 28″ waist and 29″ length, that I would then hem to 28.” I’ve shared the process of creating a circle skirt in this post, if you’re unsure of how to make one. I ended up making one half circle panel for the front of the design and two quarter circle panels for the back, because I wanted the front panel to be uninterrupted, but I also wanted the skirt to have a back zipper (side zippers vex me).
So, in keeping with that handy ol’ geometry, a 28″ waist would need a 4.5″ inner radius (2*pi*r = 28″; r = 4.5″) and a 29″ length would need a 33.5″ outer radius (4.5″ + 29″) . I folded over the fabric, measured this out from the corner, and then cut my inner and outer circles. I repeated the process for my darker purple lining, which I would attach later once all of the appliqué was complete.
In keeping with the original design, I wanted a 4″ wide waistband with 6 rows of parallel stitching, backed by a 3″ grosgrain ribbon. This is a unique feature of JLC skirts, but I have always loved the stabilization it provides (nobody likes a collapsing waistband. Or at least this gal doesn’t). As someone who is long waisted, I also find a wider waistband really suits my silhouette.
So, I cut a 4″ x 33″ rectangular pieces out of the Orchid Kona Cotton and a second out of the darker Pansy Kona Cotton. To the front piece, I attached an iron on fusible interfacing. Then, I stitched them together and pressed the seam flat.
To one side, I carefully sewed 6 rows of stitching using purple thread, spaced 1/2″ apart. I measured these out beforehand using my water soluble pen to keep me on track while I stitched.
To the second side, I attached the grosgrain ribbon, also using 6 rows of stitching of 1/2″ equal spacing. I set this to the side, to be attached once the design of the skirt was complete.
The Appliqué
It may not be true for everyone, but the most important part of an appliqué project for me is getting organized (you can take the girl out of the lab…). It’s easy to focus on a single detail and forget to step back and take in how the project will look as a whole. Since I was only working from photos of the original, where I never got to see the skirt in its entirety, I wanted to mock it up first to make some decisions about flower and vine placement and color balance. So, I turned to an old friend: Powerpoint.
Once I had my plan, then came the actual creation. I had to start by placing the lattice piece that would make up the trellis effect, on which I would overlay my leaves. Because the design would extend across the sides of the skirt, I sewed the pieces of my circle together first, leaving the back open where the zip would eventually go.
Next, I cut 3 strips of bright lilac felt that were 2″ wide by 32″ long, 1 strip that was 1″ wide by 32″ long, and 1 strip that was 2″ wide by 13.5″ long – these would be the vertical trellis pieces. I played with their placement based on my mock up. The key here is to have the design off to one side on both the front and the back. Once I was happy, I pinned them in place.
Next up, came the horizontal strips. Now, the key thing to remember is that this is a circle skirt – much like lines of latitude on a globe, that means that the horizontal pieces of the trellis needed to be curved (following the arc of the circle) in order to appear straight when worn.
To work this out, I measured how far down the skirt I wanted the trellis to be – and assumed this to be a radius. So, imagining my skirt was a complete circle, the front trellis piece was 15.5″ down from the waist hem. So, an easy way to get the circular piece is to measure out a length of string that is 15.5″. Then, pin the string to the top of the felt, and draw a point with a water-soluble pen at the tip of the string. Then, move the string in an arc, drawing a line as you go (see figure).
If you follow the string, you will create a perfect half circle!
Once you have one arc, measure up 1″ from the arc line you just drew, and you have a slightly curved piece of felt that matches the arc of the circle skirt. I did this with each trellis piece, measuring the distance down from the waist where I would place it, and drawing the appropriate arc.
Next, I laid the pieces onto the skirt and measured to ensure each piece was the same distance from the waist. The best thing to do is lay the pieces on, step back and look at it. Your eye will immediately go to anything that looks off. Once I was happy with the placement of the trellis, I pinned them all in place over the vertical pieces.
I sewed down all of the lattice pieces first using a color-matched purple thread, staying as close to the edges as possible. For each piece, I went around the full border of the rectangle. I left some excess felt over the top and bottom edges of the skirt, which I would curl under the hem. When there’s a thick appliqué at a hem, it’s often easier to fold it under if there’s an inch or so of material rather than a narrow piece. As the lining would cover all of the mess anyway, a bit of extra never hurt anyone!
Then, the time came to plant the vines. For this, I drew my best approximation of the leaf shape based on the original in chalk. Once I had a leaf I was happy with, I used that as a stencil and set to work cutting out 1278 leaves (okay, it was really only 33. But it felt like 1278). Luckily, I was able to stream the Great British Baking show on Netflix and merrily snipped away to a backdrop of stressed out Brits trying to make shortcrust pastry.
Then, I started by laying down the leaves one at a time on the circle skirt, adjusting placement and angle as I went. Once the balance looked right, I cut out long strips 1/4″ wide felt, which would serve as my vines. I have to say, the quality of this wool blend felt from BBD Supplies was amazing – even with very thin strips, it held together perfectly. I’ve worked previously with craft felt, but there is absolutely no comparison in terms of quality. I’m converted for life….
With the leaf placement in place, I carefully started to lay out the vines, using the lighter green felt in Moss over the leaves in Grassy Meadows, and vice versa with Grassy Meadows vines over Moss colored leaves. Luckily, I had my mock up, which I was able to follow reasonably well. The hardest part is definitely coaxing the vines on winding turns. But, I can be convincing when I need to be…
For this part, the vines needed to be pretty curved, looking at though they’re climbing up the trellis. But, you didn’t want it to look like a tangled mess. I started with way more swoops and swirls than I should – when you step back and look at it, it can look like chaos. But, after a few hours I definitely felt as though I had the balance right.
Once I was happy with the leaf and vine placement, I pinned everything down and set to work to stitch it in place. One of the tricky things with this project was the fact that some of my detail extended across the sides of the skirt – so, unlike my previous appliqué project, where I could work on the front and back separately, I had to construct the full circle and sew while it was together. When you have sharp turns and vines going every which way, you can get a big bogged down in the sheer amount if fabric. My best advice is to go slowly – keep the area you’re working on as taut as possible and don’t try to stitch too quickly.
Another feature I took great advantage of was to keep the needle in the “down” position at all times. This allowed me to stitch as normal, going slowly around gentle curves. But, on tighter curves, you can lift up the foot (with the needle keeping your fabric in place) and rotate the fabric slightly to sew around the curve.
When the vines and leaves were stitched in place, I must admit I was pretty proud of my handiwork! I only had a few spots where the stitches looked a bit wonky, but overall everything went according to plan.
I also was in love with the color scheme – the purples and greens really complimented each other. It reminded me that the time I always spend getting swatches and gathering my materials is definitely worth it – sewing projects are only as good as the materials you use, after all…
With the leaves and vines snaking their way up the skirts, next step was to tend to the flower garden! I used four different colors of flowers (light pink, dark pink, cranberry, and dark purple) and worked to space the colors out to keep it balanced. The flowers came from Mafiz as flat circles of felt, which I shaped with a few stitches to get an organic quality and give it more a 3D quality.
This was the process that worked for me:
1. Take a circle of felt.
2. Carefully pinch a small bit of fabric towards the center of each circle on the underside.
3. Use a matching thread and tack each pinch in place, using several looping stitches.
4. From the right side, it will look like a curved petal.
5. Repeat this process twice, giving each flower three “pinches.”
6. Tack each pinch with four looped stitches.
7. From the underside, the flower will resemble a triangular shape.
8. But will give the flower-esque look on the right side. I found the pinching technique made each circle stand a bit away from the skirt, without being too raised.
Next up was adding the center to each bud. Although I originally ordered the smooth flowers with different colored centers, I realized that it was a bit too much when they were all laid out on the skirt. Sometimes when you have too much variation, the eye doesn’t know where to look. I find in keeping each element simple, the collective effect is striking, rather than chaotic.
So, I essentially made more work for myself, but decided to cut out small 3/4″ circles in the dark green Grassy Meadows felt, to match the vines and leaves.
To create the perfect flower center, you will need to take your green thread and first stitch an x-shape in each one (trust me, stream something mindless while you do this and it’ll go really quickly).
To add a bit of bling, I then opted to attached a green glass bead at then center of each circle, right in the middle of the x-stitch (#9-#12, below). Lastly, I attached each one to my bud. I stitched it at the center so as not to squash the pinches in the petal or create any divots in the green felt circle.
Once I had a stack of flowers in my four colors, I set to work placing them on the skirt, working to keep things balanced. You want to avoid things looking too orderly, but you want to make sure there’s a good balance of color. I would place the flowers, step back, and adjust. Over and over. This part can take awhile, but is really worth it – why go through all of this and not take the extra time in the end to get the final effect perfect?
I went with a mix of colors and a mix of some single flowers, some in groups of two, and some in groups of three. Once I was happy with it all, I pinned each flower into place.
Because I can’t help but add a little bit of extra to my projects, I had also ordered a few of the beautiful Bluebell flowers that Inga has in her shop – two in shades of purple and two in shades of pink. I decided to add these to the skirt sparingly, giving a slightly more 3D effect than the other flowers provided. It took quite awhile to get the placement just right – I didn’t want to overwhelm the design, and also needed to be aware that things like sitting become infinitely harder when there’s a large 3D flower under your bum!
Now, this ended up being an important lesson in editing: I wanted to stay true to my original vision – the bluebells were stunning and I spent ages shaping and swirling the vines and pinning them in place. And although it looked okay from an overhead view, when I put it on my dress form and stepped back, I had to admit it overwhelmed the design. I went back and forth, repining and trying a different placement. But that fact remained that it was one too many elements…
So, heavy hearted, I removed them from the skirt and stepped back to look again. You could almost feel the skirt give a sigh of relief. As much as I wanted them on there, it was a case of One Element Too Many. With these kinds of projects, it can be so tempting to just keep adding. It’s so important to step back and look critically at your creation (because once it’s sewn down, it’s infinitely harder to undo). You need to see it in its entirety – knowing that balance is key. You don’t want one element to overwhelm everything else.
Everyone is different, but to my eye the skirt needed some breathing room. It needed some expanses of blank purple spaces, so the eye would go firmly to the intricacies of the design, created from multiple simple elements. But, never fear, those bluebells will find their way into another project one of these days. The wheels are already turning….
Final decisions on flower placement were set, so all I needed to do was hand-tack each one. This is where I find a machine stitch isn’t really going to do you any favors. You want full control with this step. It takes longer, but if you go one flower at a time, running a series of backstitches around each one, it’s worth it for the finished product.
And before I knew it, all that remained was to attach the waistband to the skirt, put in the zip, and give her a hem. Now, as hard as the other steps may be, this part is always a bit stressful because you don’t want to get this far, and then have a wonky zip. Luckily, I’ve been making a lot of skirts recently, which means that the lapped zip and I have come to a sort of understanding. Although zippers are usually my nemesis, this one (thankfully) went in with minimal effort. I stayed true to the original and went with a vintage metal zip.
I also hand tacked the inner waistband to the lining using a ladder stitch (see how to do that here), and finished the hem to 28″ with a blind hem stitch. To hide all of appliqué stitches, I pressed under the outer skirt hem 1/2″ and then pressed under the brighter purple lining fabric about 3/4″ and pinned it all in place. I made my blind hem between the two layers, meaning the lining was affixed to my skirt, hiding the maze of thread within.
I went back and forth on whether I wanted to trim the hem in the purple felt, as in the original, or leave it as is. After much deliberation, pinning it on, taking it off, scrunching up my face and asking Mr. Dressed for his opinion, I decided it was best left plain (well, as plain as a skirt can be with a purple trellis and 30+ hand stitched flowers).
The Debut
And before I knew it, she was done. I lifted her up and could barely believe she came from my hands. I guess no matter how many projects I complete, there will still be a bit of shock and awe that what was once an idea in my head could actually become a reality. And with each new project, I have an even greater appreciation for the couturiers. For the dressmakers. The designers. The time and care that goes into the details I hope to never take for granted.
It was such a pleasure
to sink one’s hands into the warm earth,
to feel at one’s fingertips
the possibilities of the new season.
Kate Morton, The Forgotten Garden
I must have flowers,
always,
and always.
Claude Monet
Most of my projects percolate. They are born from an idea that simmers – sometimes for years – until something clicks in me and I know it’s time. Now, Murphy’s law dictates that the second the last flower was stitched, her vintage counterpart would fall into my hands (as was the case with my Garden of Eden dress and her teal vintage sister). So far, no vintage has fallen from the sky. But, should it happen, I’ll never regret the creative process. I never regret the time and care that went into bringing something to fruition.
A short while back I was having a conversation with a colleague about tenure. And how the main concern with my progress isn’t the quality of my work, but rather that I might burn out. That I do too much. That I was so busy at work, from teaching to research to committees, that they hoped I took some time for myself. And I smiled and assured them that I did, in the back of my mind thinking of all the ways I am a better scientist because I have so much more than science. Of the fact that I do put all of myself into my work. But, I also put all of myself into my latest crazy improbable sewing project. And all of myself into this blog. And into my marriage. And into any new adventure I tackle. Because however mathematically improbable that may seem, that’s just the way I am. I don’t know how to not go for it. Push myself to be my best. Push past the doubt and concern that there’s no way to make this skirt from my hands and a few pieces of felt and just do it. And even if it failed, I would have failed spectacularly, in a heap of cotton and thread, secure in the knowledge that I tried. And knowing me, I would have worn it anyway….put on a fierce face and just rocked it.
You are the only person who knows what you’re capable of. Of how hard to push yourself. Of when to take a break. Because only when you are your truest self, can you create something amazing.
Now, what to create next….
xoxo
Construction Details:
Circle Skirt: Self drafted
Skirt fabric: Kona Cotton in Orchid
Lining fabric: Kona Cotton in Pansy
Felt: Moss and Grassy Meadows (vines & leaves) & bright lilac (trellis)
3D Flowers: Mafiz (sizes and colors above)
Additional fabric & notions: Joann Fabrics
Outfit Details:
Top: PUG (similar)
Skirt: Made by me!
Brooch: Amazon
Handbag: vintage (similar here & here)
Shoes: ReMix (similar here & here)
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Any items marked with a “c/o” (courtesy of) a retailer mean I was provided with an item for free in exchange for a review and/or feature on my blog. I always provide my honest opinion of any item I’m reviewing, regardless of whether it was sent to me as a courtesy item or if I purchased it myself. In addition, this post may contain affiliate links. This means that if you click and/or make a purchase through certain links or ads on this site, I may make a commission from that click and/or purchase at no cost to you, which helps with the day-to-day running costs of my blog.