McCalls 5430

Happy Thursday to you! I could not wait to post this skirt review. I am so proud of myself for being adventurous and making some design changes to a pattern. I am very pleased with the result.

I'm pretty sure I haven't formally introduced her, so a special thanks to the lovely Caroline for modeling the skirt and cami (store bought).

Pattern Description: wrap Skirt with self-ties and inside buttonholes; skirt has self-faced pockets; length is 2" below mid-knee.

Pattern Sizing: AA(6-8-10-12), D5(12-14-16-18-20)

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?Y es and no but only due to my design changes. I started with view C since I had enough fabric to make the pockets. I then remembered I had some extra fabric left over from another project and decided to use it and make a contrasting waist band and ties.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes. Especially when it came to the waist. One could very easily sew the waistband on wrong and not realize it until it was too late. Everything else was pretty straight forward so I really only referred to them when doing the waist band.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I love how easy it was to combine elements from different views into one. Also it's not just a basic wrap skirt but you can really spice it up however you like.

Fabric Used: 1 1/2 yards of a lightweight navy linen blend from fabric.com and a silk charmeuse print from fabric direct.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: I shortened the skirt about 2.5 inches which is normal for me. I also decided to add a contrasting fabric to the waist and ties. Because I was concerned about the stability of charmeuse around the waist, I decided to add facing to it as well as sew a piece of the linen to the back. It is not bulky at all due to the weight of the fabrics. I used my serger to clean up the edges. Once everything was together I decided that I wanted to top stitch the waist band so it would have a cleaner look to it. I can't remember if the instructions suggested it but I also used a contrasting thread for top stitching the pockets. I couldn't find my double needle for my sewing machine so it was a tedious and slow process to get the double stitching just right, especially around the pocket corners.

(Sandals I plan to wear with the skirt and top)

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I would like to sew this again in view A with the cascading pleats but from past reviews I need to select a fabric that will do it justice.

Conclusion: I thought this was a really great pattern. Of course it took more than an hour but I also decided to get fancy with mine so that was part of it. Overall I think this skirt took me about 4.5 hours to construct.

Close up of the right front pocket and stitching:















Close up of one of the ties and the top-stitching



















Left front pocket and stitching: