No Alterations - Lekala Joy

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Lately when I have tried to alter patterns the alterations have not gone so well and it has been so frustrating.  I am not quite sure what I have been doing wrong but in the past I have made plenty of alterations to patterns with great success.  Right now I am in a pattern altering slump of sorts.

I needed some pure sewing joy and Lekala came to the rescue again - oh how I love Lekala.  I wanted to sew not fight with pattern alterations so I went back to the site where I give my measurements and get pattern custom fit for me.  The prices are awesome but you need to have some sewing experience because the instructions are sparse but sufficient.

Skirt Front

Lekala S3023


How I Did It


I saw some fabric that would have been great for the front panel but I thought it was too expensive and I am trying to use my fabric stash.  I decided to recreate the look of the fabric with free motion flowers and fabric paint.  I wish I had taken a picture of my inspiration fabric.

After spending many hours trying different techniques I gave up and just embroidered flowers on the front panel.  The main issue was the fabric was too dark for the color pencils I had and I did not have the right colors in actual fabric paint.

I did make one alteration, I lengthen the skirt 1 inch because I wanted it right below my knee.

Front Panel

Back and Side Inset Panel

Front and Back Wasitband
When inserting the zippers I applied interfacing to the area for a crisp fold and to prevent stretching.


Interfaced Waistband

Interfaced Side Lapped Zipper Area

Interfaced Back Zipper Area
Below are various stages of construction.

Front Panel after Embroidering

Back after Zipper Installed

Back with Darts and Yoke Attached


Left Side Lapped Zipper

Completed skirt.  I had a hard time trying to get a good picture of me in the skirt.













Conclusion


I absolutely love this skirt.  I love the design of it and the style of the waistband.  It was joy to sew and no frustrating alterations.

I was disappointed that I did not get the true look that I was going for and that my fabric is so dark that you cannot really see the design detail of the skirt.  I will be making this skirt again and will have an opportunity to apply the techniques once I buy the right supplies that I thought I already had.

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