Well hello there, guess who is sneaking back on the blog today... so apparently I missed May entirely. It was personally a bit bonkers and time has flown by.
I thought I'd pop back on with a new review! For a FREE pattern no less.
And for me - full disclosure - free fabric. (Can you blame me? If Minerva would like to give me bug fabric, I'm going to say yes heehee)
If you want to see my post on Minerva - here it is. Otherwise keep reading here for the less official version!
First things first, I am not saying this because it's a paid for fabric but I genuinely LOVE everything about this one.
Bright, bold print, bugs.. perfect. I can’t believe I hadn’t spotted this sooner in the Minerva challis range however here we are today.
The fabric is called ‘Beetle Jewels’ and is just stunning in my opinion. At first glance you don’t appreciate the shapes within the print however the giant insects just pop once you see them!
This make was all about the fabric and so I wanted a low fuss pattern that would show it off nicely.
I thought separates would be a nice idea for this to pick out the colours and therefore a skirt was ideal.
During #sewfrugal I had seen quite a few people mention the free Ruby Skirt pattern from Sew Over It and I had managed to download and have that printed some time ago. However, like most good ideas, the pattern sat there a little forgotten. Clearly it was just waiting for its perfect partner.
I will say, I’m not generally a big fan of Sew Over It – just personal aesthetic. I don’t really fit that vintage feminine look however this skirt appealed. It bears a high resemblance to my favourite pattern The KewDress and Skirt and so drew me in. The skirt also has a flat front and elastic gathered back which is my preference for elasticated trousers and skirts.
For W35 and H47, I made a size 18 and took a gamble that I would be able to pull that over my hips. The finished waist measurement said 46. It’s a tad snug but once on, it’s on.
The pattern has front patch pockets however I omitted these as I didn’t want to break up the print too much.
It was a very straightforward pattern to construct. The button plackets just fold inwards rather than being made from a separate pattern piece. There is a very slight gather at the front and the flat front waistband is very flattering and comfortable.
I can’t really comment on the instructions as I didn’t use them. For the elastic I stitched one end in, tried the skirt on and pulled it as tight as I wanted it to be, pinned, tried to get out of it, then stitched the other end down.
The best bit, the button placket is ‘faux’ on this version. I believe the pattern has you create a proper buttonhole closure at the front to assist with getting the skirt on and off, however as I could pull in on, there was no need. I simply stitched the front placket closed and added buttons for decoration.
These ‘glitter bug’ buttons from Textile Garden also found their destiny as I had been hoarding them for ages. I love how they go with the fabric theme!
To complete the look I added some beetle earrings from Kirstin Stride in a fantastic jewel green.
The skirt I will definitely make again and have plans for a plain black version to replicate this look:
Feel free to comment and come and say hello on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Bloglovin too xxx
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