My main sewing machine has been in the shop for going on three weeks so I haven’t even tried to finish the Cheyenne Tunic I was working on. I had a couple of knit projects laying around so I figured I would tackle those since they are primarily sewn on my serger.
First up was the Syrah Skirt by baste and gather. I’ve wanted to sew a maxi skirt for a while and this skirt pattern seemed to be perfect. There are many different options for lengths and seams. I also had nearly 3 yards of this random knit that I had purchased like a million years ago to “practice” on. This pattern uses a ton of fabric and in the end I’m SO glad that I made a practice skirt first.
First I will say that this knit is not high quality. It’s from Joanns, but it’s probably going on 6 years old and really doesn’t have a nice hand to it. I do like that it’s a bit heavier and so I opted to make a version without the inner lining.
I know that this is a fairly straightforward sort of garment to make, but there were a few directions along the way that I feel like she could have offered a more detailed explanation. This is a great pattern style to make if you are new to knits and if I were new to sewing I’d be a little frustrated and lost. Probably my biggest frustration was the waistband. There are two different options for the waistband, but she only shows one version (the more complicated ruched one) in the directions and then it’s implied that you do the same with the other version. But the pattern pieces are completely different looking so if you were new to this whole sewing thing (or not paying attention like me) you could easily sew the wrong sides.
I sewed a size medium and while the length and fullness of the skirt are fine (and kind of fun!) the waistband was HUGE! I had to take it in at least 3-4 inches from the pattern piece. And even still it’s not quite as snug as I’d like it.
Overall, it’s a good pattern and would be good for beginners. That said, I would sew slowly or use some crappy knit to sew your first one just to get the fit right.