This week’s Sew Weekly challenge was to finish a UFO. I knew exactly which I wanted to complete, all it needed was for me to sew the waistband facing down. Which I did. And then I got caught up in making a pretty pdf pattern for the Kimono Top and didn’t make the deadline for my post. Oh well.
The Facts: Hemp Hurricane Skirt
Fabric: 100% Hemp mid weight. It’s very firm, somehow both stiff and fluid at the same time. The skirt feels “sculptural.”
Pattern: Simple Circle skirt, cut in an octagonal shape.
Year: 2011, inspired by a general love for full skirts. My 30’s snuggie taught me I love long circle skirts.
Notions: invisible zipper, hook & bar
Time to complete: 3-4 hours for the skirt, 10+ hours for the embroidery
First worn: January 27th for photos
Wear again?: I have hardly taken it off since I put it on the first time. It’s comfortable, feminine, and it creates my own swirling hurricane as I walk. I can not stress how comfortable that is on muggy days.
Total price: Don’t freak out. I spent perhaps $70 on the fabric. I was ok with spending that amount for a skirt because know I like to sew and wear hemp. It lasts for years and years and years- like linen, it only gets better with age. Yes, this is white. White washes. Then I hang it out in the sun and let the UV radiation do its thing (bleaches it to brilliance). Hemp is unfazed by UV, so I don’t have to worry about degrading the fabric. With notions, this skirt cost me $75. That’s much more than I usually spend, but I know I’ll wear this. If I grow tired of the white, I can dye it any old color I want.
I quit embroidering the mirrors to the skirt because I had a sudden fear they might not wash well. If they do, I’ll keep embroidering until I have all 16 in place. If not, I’ll pull the mirrors off and enjoy my hemp skirt anyway.
We had fun taking these photos, once again I’m doing silly things for the camera to try to show important qualities like “fluidity” and “hurricanibility.”
Do you ever leave a garment 99% finished but still unwearable? What’s the deal with that? I can’t believe I left this skirt unfinished since last October… I could have been wearing it all summer!
I’m wearing the skirt with the final version of the Kimono Wrap. I refined the bust dart/ease issue and figured out the “best” finishing techniques. I’m really proud of what I did with the pattern, and most of my waking hours this week have gone into making a clean, pretty pdf to offer through Craftsy.
I’m writing the instructions tonight and I need some helpers who will volunteer to print them out and read them for clarity. If you’d like to receive a copy of this pattern before it goes on Craftsy (and you’re willing to print it out and read it like- right now-) then leave a comment telling me you’d be happy to look over my instructions. Right now, it’s only in size “Medium”- it’s a wrap top and also made with a knit so it would probably work for 32″-40″ busts (conservative estimate). I’ll pick a winner or two tomorrow after I eat dinner. Thank you!
Edit: I love it when Margaret River Hemp Co has a sale! They have hemp-cotton jersey for $9/m and hemp-silk for $16. Wicked.
3 Hours Past the Edge of the World 
Hi Stephanie, as the official household proofreader and nit picker (ew, that sounds better spoken) I’d be happy to cast my eyes over your instructions. It helps that I’ve been eyeing up your kimono tops with envy too!
Hmmm, predictive text volunteered Stephanie for Steph. Sorry.
I prefer Stephanie, actually, but since I moved to Australia I got used to being called “Steph” and it takes slightly less effort to type.. ;)
happy to print and read for you. It will remind me of my life before a little person arrived and started calling me mumma… that was when I used to get paid to read obnoxiously long government speak reports. I’m sure your writing will be eminently more enjoyable!
Aw, thanks! I wouldn’t bet on it though. :)
ooh, that looks fabulous!! I would love to help with proof reading, I am a bit OCD about spelling and grammar. happy to help out any time, not just for the pattern :-)
Thanks Monika! :)
The photos of you sitting with the skirt all spread out? Reminds me of a morning glory. Only.. not a bluey-purpley colour. Obviously.
I could never have a skirt with mirrors on it.. I’d spend all day getting distracted by the shiny.
The mirrors aren’t terribly obvious… :) A morning glory? I hadn’t seen that, but you’re right.
You’ll hardly believe this, but I have a fine ivory knit just sitting waiting to be cut into a wrap cardi/top. I was thinking of ballerina-practising look (even though I don’t have the poise or body). The only suitable pattern I ‘ve seen is in Burda magazine and the thought of locating the right lines on the right sheet and then tracing and marking and cutting gives me a headache. However, your wrap top is just perfect – if not better, I’d be more than willing to proof-read and test your pattern if you want. Regardless, I’ll be downloading it when it is ready for public consumption.
OOooOooH! That sounds perfect, Ruth! :) Thanks!
Love the skirt Stephanie (now that feels formal like a school report)! I would be delighted to proof read for you normally however I have a date with a moderation submission to contend with so unfortunately I can’t offer to help. I hope you have time to make a larger sized pattern of the kimono top at some point :) The hemp sale sounds fabulous but I’m still applying my ‘no nonessential spending rule’ at the moment (very hard for me) so I shall sit on my hands!
If you want, we can get together and make a larger size. I’d be happy to do that if you’d help me out…. Email me and let me know when might be a good time? I have a friend from America visiting next week, and classes, but other than that I’m open…
I love your twirly skirt photos. It makes me think of being a kid when twirling was some of the best fun you could have (it’s still pretty fun now, really).
I would also love to proof read your Kimono Wrap pattern instructions.
We had heaps of fun… Lila got into the twirling action, too…
Thanks! Will let you know. :)
What a lovely skirt. I love how it doesn’t look so full when you are just walking. Well worth the investment for such a classic look.
I saw above you like Stephanie over Steph, I have almost the reverse with my name. My family always called me the shorter version but work has my legal name. At my first job, there was someone else who used my shorter name so I decided I would learn to answer to my legal name just so I knew all that paging wasn’t for me. I had to put a post it note on my phone to remind myself. It took months to learn to answer. Now people flip flop and I take it as a sign of people who know me and people who know my email address.
I would love to help but I’m going to opt out of the proof reading. I’m happy (and busy) enough with my pants blocker. :D
Heheheh. Names are funny… I bucked “Steph” for most of my life but Australians have a way of just smiling and doing what they want to do anyway. Which is fine. I needed to grow as a person. :)
Yes! Keep busy! :)
Hey, Stephanie, I’d be happy to help with the kimono wrap pattern–I proof things for fun and profit, so it’d be no hardship. However, I am on the other side of the world (central US), so there’s that. :) You’re probably sleeping right now. Err, I mean, tomorrow. Or is it yesterday?
Anyway. :)
Tomorrow. Australia is in the “future.” ;) When I fly to the United States, I live the longest day of my life… When I come back, I lose a day… Don’t think about it too much. :)
It is a beautiful skirt and I love how your photos capture it in its many moods! I do tht too sometimes – leave an important to me project undone for ages. It’s inexplicable!
I know, right? I really wanted the finished skirt, and I am not kidding- all I had to do was slip stitch the waistband facing. That’s it. And I love hand-sewing.. ??
:)
Wow! That skirt is beautiful! The embroidery is fantastic too! I’m always nervous that my embroidery won’t stand up to my washing machine though!
I would love to test out the kimono wrap pattern! I’m a paralegal, so all day I’m proofreading legal cases and memos so I’m *pretty* awesome at editing now :)
Thanks! I’m not sure it will hold up, either. It might. Probably. I’ll fuse some lightweight interfacing behind the embroidery to secure it further before I wash it. If I have to rip it out, well, lesson learned. :)
I wear a lot of things that are 90% finished. (Especially tees that never get hemmed.) I don’t know why I never get around to finishing… must get to more fix-it fridays! That’s a lovely photo of you and your daughter, the kind of thing I’d keep of my mother when I grew up! Congratulations on getting the kimono wrap pattern done. If you need another eye, I’d be happy to look over too.
I don’t often hem my t-shirts, either… :)
Thanks! There were several good photos that came out of that day, I need to pick one to print..
I would be honored to read through your kimono top instructions and even test drive the pattern, thank you.
Thanks, MrsM. :)
Hemp for the win! Thanks for the heads up about the sale :)
Yes- they have great stuff… Hemp is always a little stiff at first, but it softens through washing and wear.
FABULOUS! I love your skirt! I leave tons of projects ALMOST done (oh and I still wear them…) silly me…I can’t explain it either!
I still wear them sometimes, too. Shhh!
This is beautiful! I hope the mirrors do wash well because I think they are gorgeous.
Thanks, Liza Jane! :)
I love the skirt and top together. Perfect.
I’m anal about stuff so have to finish before I wear it. I will know even if everyone else is unaware, so can’t happen. What else is a WIP pile for anyway? Darn it. Should grow as a person on that front I think. Anwyay.
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I hardly leave a response, but i did a few searching and wound up here Finished Object:
Hemp Hurricane Skirt (And Flash Pattern Giveaway) « 3 Hours
Past the Edge of the World. And I actually do have a few questions for you if it’s allright. Is it only me or does it look like a few of these responses look as if they are coming from brain dead folks? :-P And, if you are writing on additional social sites, I would like to follow everything new you have to post. Would you list of all of all your community pages like your twitter feed, Facebook page or linkedin profile?
Sure, go ahead, I love questions…
Wait, wait, you aren’t actually asking me real questions that need answers, you’re trying to make yourself look like a Big Smartie Smart Smart by putting other people down! Awesome! You are utterly full of win! Well done!
It’s my experience that insecure losers are the people who think it’s cool to put others down.
Fuck off, douche.
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