Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Miss Zinnia Prepares For Fall


Autumn is, hands down, my favorite season of the year. Pumpkins line every porch, there's a nip in the air, and Colette Patterns always releases a new pattern! Their latest offering, the Zinnia skirt, is a versatile full skirt. There are three variations: a gathered button-down midi, a full pleated knee-length version, and a floaty pleated midi-skirt. For my first stab at the pattern, I chose Version 2, the fuller skirt with stitched down pleats.




There is a sad lack of handmade skirts in my wardrobe, an oversight I plan to correct in the next few months. I absolutely love full, knee-length skirts in the colder months, since they dress up so well with sweaters and boots. Even better, Zinnia lends itself well to a number of fabrics and styles, thanks to its simplicity of design, so it was just the pattern to fill my skirt need!

For this first one, I used a length of abstract stretch cotton bought from JoAnn's last year. I'm such a sucker for autumnal colors and this fabric has them all--black, light brown, cinnamon, mustard yellow, gray, and a lovely marine blue--scattered in free form dots across it. Originally, I had planned to turn it into a dress, but once washed up, it changed in texture. What had started off as a polished cotton, felt more like a double-knit when it came out of the wash. Never having sewn with such a drapey stretch fabric before, it went to the back of my stash. Now that I'm back on the sewing horse, though, I called it up for Zinnia service. This fabric had just the right amount of body to show off the pleats and lines of Version 2.



Construction-wise, the Zinnia was pretty easy. Despite the label on the pattern, however, I wouldn't necessarily call this a beginner pattern. Not only can working with so many pleats--sixteen in total--be a bit tricky, but the instructions were bare bones. Colette now leans more toward linked tutorials than exhaustive instructions, meaning that if one is fuzzy on invisible zippers or pleat mechanics, one must fire up the computer and read a tutorial. This is perfectly fine for experienced sewists, but I raised my eyebrows a few times at the things omitted as a result.

For me, everything went perfectly well right up until the waistband insertion. Despite stay-stitching my skirt top and precisely pleating everything, the waistband was a good three inches too short. I'm pretty sure this was due to my error somewhere along the way--whether in cutting or pleating--but it was still an unhappy surprise. Luckily, I'd changed the method of waistband insertion, so It was simple to cut another piece and add length to the band. Thanks to the busyness of the fabric, it doesn't even show on the waist!




As far as changes go, I made quite a few. As mentioned, I completely changed the waistband insertion. The way Colette prescribed to do it was super confusing and, at this point in my sewing adventures, I know when to go it alone. Colette's instructions have one sew the ends of the waistband, including button extension, first, then turn them and attach to the skirt. The idea of that just felt so wrong! So, I went the more traditional route of stitching the unfinished waistband to the skirt, then turning the ends by hand afterward. It looks just as nice, but involved less convoluted geometry. 

Additionally, I omitted the belt loops. If I'm going to wear a belt with a skirt, it's wider than would have fit here. Plus, with a pattern this busy, it's rare that I'm going to wear one anyhow. 

The last change was a bit of a personal quest: a picked zipper insertion! I've come to the decision that I hate invisible zippers. Hate, hate, hate them! I understand the benefits of them, can do them quite well, but would rather be set upon by rabid marmosets than insert one. Invariably, it takes me two times to put one in properly, because the seams never quite line up well enough. Aargh! So, to avoid the invisible zip and the unsightly seam lines of a traditional insertion, I decided to hand install the Zinnia zip. 


Now, I know I'm a bit biased, but isn't the loveliest zipper installation you've ever seen? I swoon! I sigh! 

To install it, I used a variant on this wonderful tutorial by Tasia. I hand sewed it precisely the way she did, but to initially secure the zipper, I did it the way my mum taught me: baste your back seam together, pin the zipper down the seam middle, then take out the basting stitches! It works perfectly to center a traditional zipper. In the end, this zipper took me about thirty minutes and was a joy to sew. Sure, it may mean a bit of hand-sewing, but it's much preferable to the headache of invisible zips. Besides, I'm catching up on Scandal, so I need something to do with my hands, besides white knuckle my couch in suspense. 


All in all, the Zinnia is a delightful little skirt. It's a basic pattern, yes, but it fills a need in my wardrobe, especially for fall & winter. I know that some people have issues with the way Colette's patterns are drafted and designed, but they've always worked for me. Zinnia is no exception. Of course, I'm not through with it yet. There is some wool challis sitting on my sewing table, just waiting to be cut out!

The details...

Things I Loved: 
  • The pleats! - I adore pleats, especially when they're stitched down. They emphasize curves, but let the skirt still keep some twirl. 
  • The fabric! - This fabric is weird, but it's also crazy comfortable. It may not look like I'm wearing pajamas, but man does it feel like it. 
  • The ease of construction! - It's a skirt...even if you do have to pleat a million times, it's so much simpler than the dresses I usually construct. 
  • The pockets! - Side seam pockets are, as ever, a welcome design feature. 
Things I Changed:
  • Used muslin, instead of fusible interfacing, for the waistband.
  • Changed the method of waistband construction, because if it looks confusing, it's probably unnecessary. 
  • Subbed in a hand-picked zipper.
  • Omitted the belt loops. 
Things I Would Change, If I Made It Again:
  • Narrow the waistband. This is just a personal preference, but when I folded the waistband in half, I liked the look of the skirt even more. With stitched down pleats, I think a wider waistband is pretty unnecessary, so I'll narrow it next time and see how I like it. 
Tricky Steps & Suggestions:
  • The waistband insertion was...ridiculous. I strongly recommending inserting it in a traditional manner, then turning the ends. It looks just as a pretty and won't give you headache. 
  • Top-stitching is used on both the top and bottom of the waistband. Personally, I find that my top-stitching looks better, when a smaller stitch is used - 2mm, usually. 
Notions & Fabric: 
  • 2 yards of mystery cotton - Is it a knit? Is it a woven? 
  • 7 inch black zipper
  • One 3/4 inch vintage button 
Construction Time:
  • Four hours, cutting to hem.




Note: I swear, the hem on this skirt is straight! When the wind blows, however, all bets seem to be off...

24 comments

  1. You are on fire with Colette Patterns lately! I love the print on this one. The fabric really was a good choice for the pleats. They look lovely!

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    1. Thank you so much, Lauren! I absolutely love sewing with Colette patterns - they fit really well for me, with minimal adjustments, which is so refreshing compared to the Big 4 companies. This one, specifically, is one of my new favorites!

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  2. This is eerie. At this exact moment I'm wearing a skirt made from the exact same fabric! Mine is a Beignet skirt by Colette (modified to be buttonless), so we also have the pattern brand in common. The fabric is weird, you're right, but I couldn't resist it at the store. Mine's actually lined in rayon bemberg so it doesn't feel as stretchy as it actually is.

    Anyway, cute Zinnia! I'm curious about that waistband construction -- I wonder why they chose to teach it like that. Surely they have some reason?!

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    1. Andrea, that is eerie! It's sewing kismet! Also, not going to lie, it gives me reassurance about this fabric. When I bought it, I just kept thinking "This is really weird, but I must have it!" I love that you had the same impulse.

      As for the waistband construction, I'm curious as well. I've noticed with past Colette patterns that sometimes they like to throw in nontraditional, but more efficient, techniques, so I assume this was an attempt to teach something new. It may be more effective for some sewists, but this was one of the few times I've wished for a detailed diagram when sewing with their designs.

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  3. i just finished my zinnia skirt this evening, and i completely agree about the wacky waistband instructions. i don't understand why they over complicate things! anyways, cute skirt! and i love your fabric!

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    1. Lisa, I'm so glad to hear you scratched your head over the waistband instructions, as well! When I was trying to parse them out, I was concerned that I'd suddenly lost 30 IQ points overnight. Instead, I think they're precisely as you said: needlessly complicated. I can't wait to see your finished Zinnia, because the fabric you're using is GORGEOUS.

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  4. I had the same problem with the skirt being not long enough for the waist band! I used a gingham though so I ended up just releasing one of the back pleats on either side to get it to fit. That can't be a coincidence can it? I also agree that the waist band instructions were really really strange.

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    1. Paige, you can't possibly know how relieved I am to hear that you had the same issue. I was trying to convince myself that it had been a mistake in my pleating, but I was annoyingly precise while doing them. I have a method that works for me always, so was confused how it had failed with the Zinnia! It may be a drafting error, if we both had issues with it...

      Also, side note, a gingham Zinnia sounds dreamy! I wonder if I can get my hands on an orange & white gingham for fall...

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    2. I made a size 18, if that's the same size you made maybe there's just a drafting issue!

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    3. I made the size 16, but it may be an issue the larger sizes are experiencing. Since I had a bit of extra room in this one, I was contemplating tracing the 14 for next time. If I do, I'll let you know if the same issue shows up!

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  5. I'm a Texas girl myself! Yay! Where do you buy your fabrics? I have the hardest time finding good ones for clothes! We're on short supply here in East Texas, but I can always go online!

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    1. Hi, Tracey! Hooray for Texan sewists!! Lauren, up above in the first comment, is also a Texan- another Austinite, actually.

      Now that I've moved away from Austin, my fabric choices are severely limited unfortunately. There's a small JoAnn Fabrics in Waco, but nothing else. When I go back home, I absolutely love a couple of indie stores downtown, though: Fabricker, TexStyles, and the Stitch Lab all have amazing inventories.

      Through necessity, however, I buy most stuff online now. I regularly haunt Fabric Mart, which regularly has designer fabrics for amazing prices and great sales, as well as Gorgeous Fabrics, which is exactly as the name suggests. I also have a *bit* of a Liberty Lawn obsession, so I use eBay UK a lot to source reasonably priced Tana Lawn.

      I hope this was helpful, Tracey! Happy sewing!

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  6. Wow that was an awesome and honest post about the good and the bad. I like that you told us all the changes you made and why you made them. Thanks and thanks for the great pics of yourself as inspiration. to sew up a Zinnia today.

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    1. Thank you, Tracy! For new patterns, especially, I think it's important to be as honest as possible in my review posts. When I'm about to attempt a pattern for the first time, I always troll other blogs, looking for things to be aware of as I sew. For this skirt, cute as it is, there are definitely things I'd wished I'd known ahead of time!

      Good luck with your own Zinnia! I can't wait to see how it turns out!

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  7. Tell me about those fabulous shoes.

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    1. I knew you would appreciate them! They're from Miss L Fire and they're so, so gorgeous in person. Even better, totally on on sale.

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    2. I've never commented on your blog, even though I do love it dearly- when you make something, it always looks great on you, and I know it will look good on me too!

      But today, I am here to tell you thank you for that shoe link...I just gave Amazon $75 for my very own pair:)

      -Adrienne

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  8. I have to say, I'm very glad that you're back to blogging and I've arrived in perfect time to see it! I've spent the last few days reading your blog back to front ... I love seeing another curvy girl in the same patterns I've been hesitant on trying because of MY curves! And....we should totally be BFFs.

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    1. Thank you so much, Sylvie! If I'm honest, I really don't think there are enough curvy sewists sharing their creations on the web. When I see a new pattern, I always want to know how it will look on *my* body type, which is rarely that of the model. So, I am so stoked to find another one! Woohoo! Let's definitely be BFFs. ;)

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  9. I'm absolutely adoring your abstract print cotton - such a great fabric for a skirt! Autumn is my favourite season, too :)

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    1. Thanks, Mel! This skirt was made with really great timing even, because we have finally received a real cold snap. It's always awesome to not only make clothes for autumn, but actually get to wear them. ;)

      Also, can I just say how excited I am to see how your couture jacket turns out? I've loved your construction posts this past week. It's turning out beautifully! What an amazing experience those classes must have been.

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  10. I really love your version of this skirt pattern Mary, and do not agree for one moment that it looks like pj fabric. It's darling !
    Autumn is very much my favourite season too- I love wearing skirts, jumpers and ankle boots with my trusty duffle coat and sewing with reds, greens and mustards.

    I'm just about to embark on my own zinnia adventure after finishing another Ceylon dress in a very lovely dark green fabric with small flying ducks on it. Your post is extremely helpful and I thank you for posting it..... Off to cut out a skirt!

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    1. Thank you so much, Elle! Ankle boots are completely my new fall love, by the way - I'm counting the days, until it's cold enough here to my new ones in.

      Also, good luck on your own Zinnia! Despite some of the construction oddities, it's a really fabulous skirt. I can't wait to see your version and your Ceylon. That fabric sounds AMAZING.

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    2. Yay, I managed to finish a project in good time and without to much drama. If you have time here's a link to my blog post about the make.

      http://elationcreations.wordpress.com/2013/10/16/finished-project-zinnia-colette-skirt-version-1-with-side-pockets/

      It really is a lovely skirt pattern... i am going to be brave and make one with pleats next. Let's hope its as successful as yours :) happy sewing

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