SBCC Cosmo skirt and Tonic tee

adult's clothing, sewing

Sunday, 25 January, 2015 by thornberry

SBCC patterns design for women who are under 5 feet 4 inches tall.  Well, that is me!  And although I am very used to folding out length from pattern pieces, it is especially nice to find patterns that are drafted to fit without major alteration.   This is particularly the case with skirts.  I wanted a maxi skirt and found it in the SBCC Cosmo skirt.

There is a lot going for this maxi skirt. It is incredibly comfortable, and has a great flare around the hemline for movement. See?

The description of the pattern and the line drawing from the website are as follows: You know those yoga pants you wear on the weekends? Why not up the style ante and keep the comfort of a yoga waistband with the sophistication of a long flared maxi skirt? Easy to wear on your errands with flip flops, but pair it with a dressy top and some wedge sandals for an elegant look.  This skirt is perfect for the stick-straight petites, but also for the curvy girls who aren’t afraid to show it off.  Silhouette is engineered to taper higher than normal and the flared hem is not too overwhelming.  If you need it shorter, roll the waistband. If you need it longer, extend the waistband so the seam falls at the hips. This easy maxi skirt sewing pattern sews up in a minimal amount of time. This pattern is designed knit fabrics only. Please consider using a 75% stretch and testing the fit in a substitute knit before sewing up in the final fabric. *Sewing Skill Level- Great for beginners and an easy sew.

I used what I think is a viscose/spandex and possibly something else blend knit from the $2 table at Darn Cheap Fabrics.  It has black flecked through the blue which gives it a really nice depth of colour and is a medium weight, absolutely perfect for this skirt. I love the way that it gives a fairly straight looking silhouette until you start to move, then it swishes and sways.

The pattern description is quite accurate – it does sew up in a minimum of time. There are three pattern pieces – one piece for the front, one piece (cut twice) for the back, and one for the waistband. It does take quite a bit of fabric because of that flare at the bottom. All construction was on the overlocker, and I took a 5/8″ inch hem after overlocking around the hem of the skirt to stabilise the curve and hopefully bring it in just a tad. Then I folded the hem up once to the inside and used a zig-zag stitch to secure it. I find that on a curved edge like this a simple zig-zag rather than twin needle stitching sits more nicely without rippling.

The tee is the SBCC Tonic tee (a free pattern). I’ve made it before in a size Large, so just made the same size again. After looking at these photos I think I could have sized down to a Medium.  I’ll remember that for next time.  From the pattern website: The Tonic T-shirt is the cure for wardrobe woes. It is the staple item that works as a base for any outfit that needs some new life. This T-shirt is specifically made for petites, so no more t-shirts that can double as a tunic or hang out below a cardigan. Neckline is sexy, but not so much as you have to be in fear of bending over. All secure here. Make it in your basic color palette as an easy layering piece or make it in that special knit fabric that will add a pop to your wardrobe. *Skill Level- Easy

I think that this really needs to be my go-to pattern when I want a fairly classic closer fitting tee.  I love the neckline.  The scoop is slightly squared off, and it’s so comfortable to wear without revealing cleavage.  And the fit skims through the body without clinging.  The fabric is from Clear It, and I suspect that it is Gorman from quite a few seasons ago.  It’s a double sided knit, with plenty of crosswise stretch but no lengthwise stretch (so no spandex).  I took advantage of the different sides to have the narrow stripes on the sleeves and neckband with the wider stripes through the body.  It made for easier stripe matching too! You can see the side seams in this photo (which also cracks me up for some reason):

Construction was on the overlocker, with twin needle stitching for hems and around the neckline. This whole outfit is so satisfying. All in a knit, so comfortable to wear, fast to make, and more importantly I feel great in it. And yes, I’ve got a new haircut! I like to change things around, and as much as I enjoyed the asymmetrical cut I’ve had for the last year or so I am enjoying this new short but longer on top style. But as you can see, I’m definitely keeping the red!  I’m definitely going to be using both these patterns again at some stage.