I love the classic look of both the skirt with suspenders as well as the option with the bib. And I knew Iris would love it, too, because she wears her Schoolhouse Pinafore all of the time. It's one of her favorites.
The only thing holding me back was that the pattern is written for knits and I don't have many options for knits locally. I order almost all of my knits online but this time I was looking for a specific weight and texture that I felt would be hard to nail down online. Sometimes you need to hold the fabric in your hands, you know?
One day, I was at JoAnns and found this wool blend fabric and I instantly thought of this pattern. The fabric is intended for a blazer or a substantial wool jacket - this stuff is thick. And the truth is, it was too thick for this pattern.
I broke three needles sewing the skirt and actually ended up handsewing a good deal of it. But I was not going to give up because, dang it, I really love this pattern!
Because the fabric doesn't have any stretch to it, the suspenders did not want to stay up. They kept falling off of her shoulders.
I think I'm probably going to have to remove the suspenders and leave this one as just a skirt. :( Which is unfortunate because I think the suspenders are so adorable on her and she loves them, too.
Do you guys have any ideas on how I could make the suspenders work?
I tried shortening them and also sewing them closer together on the back but neither of those things helped. If I had used a lighter weight fabric, I could have inserted a piece of elastic into the strap before sewing it on. I think that would've helped them stay put. But I think this pattern is probably best suited for knits. It was written for knits.
I added a lot of width to both the skirt and the waistband, so it would work with this fabric. And I do feel the fabric worked well with the skirt.
Iris reminds me of a little girl in a Norman Rockwell painting in the photo above. Her expression! :D
She likes to get dirty, her hair is often a mess from playing so hard and she always has a smile on her face.
Lovely skirt! I would try sewing the suspenders wider in the back, not closer. And maybe fixating where they cross? Good luck making it work ��
ReplyDeleteOkay, I totally have an idea for a fix for the suspenders. Make a belt loop and sew it on the inside of the suspender that cross over. Then you pull the suspender that cross under through and that will keep it all more together but at the same time be flexible. That's a pretty standard way of doing it I think and if I'm not mistaken, I'm pretty sure I have seen it in several Japanese patterns too. I hope that works! The whole outfit is more than adorable!!!
ReplyDeleteI agree! You want to put it on the right point of the strap. I've seen this and I've seen the "x" just stitched down in the back. It does help.
DeleteThis is so so gorgeous Rachel! That fabric is just stunning and totally worth the effort! So when I did the woven one I ended up doing the bow in the back so two suspenders coming up for the back waist and two coming up from the front that go up over the shoulders then they all tie in the center back. It looks super cute and stays really well, but it was a pain sewing two more suspenders. You did such a gorgeous job though and thank you so so much for using the Mont Blanc!!
ReplyDeleteI am obsessed with kid suspenders at the moment, and I love this look. I also love your color combinations!
ReplyDeleteMaybe sew the suspenders together where they cross in the back. Or sew in a couple inches of elastic at the back. I think Joann has 1" elastic in black, but it might just hitch up the skirt...
so cute!! (those faces!)
ReplyDeleteSimply cross the straps twice, instead of only once, between the shoulder blades, before going over the shoulders ~ no additional sewing required :-)
I would stitch the suspenders together where they cross at the back! Although your fabric choice wasn't perfect for the pattern, I love the way the skirt 'stands' due to the thickness of the wool!
ReplyDeleteI do feel really lucky that it worked out in terms of drape! And yes! I love that idea of stitching them together in the back!
DeleteCould you make belt loops on the shoulders of the blouse and run the suspenders through them?
ReplyDeleteThis was my idea too. But it would mean more sewing...of a different garment!
DeleteI didn't make her shirt, so I don't have matching fabric. But thank you so much for taking the time to leave me a suggestion, ladies! xx
DeleteI love this so much! That girl... <3 <3 <3
ReplyDeleteIt looks Beautiful in that fabric, I hope you find a way to make it work with the suspenders, it looks adorable.
So yes, she is TOTALLY a Normal Rockwell painting of a mischievous kid!! Love it!! She's grown up a lot, but she hasn't lost any of her cuteness, she's as much a little sprite as she ever was! And the skirt - it's so freaking cute with that blouse. GAH. Cute - attack. The overall look is vintage-y and classic but the colors are YOU. I love it.
ReplyDeleteI would increase the crossover on the back straps, set them wider.
ReplyDeleteCute!
ReplyDeleteEveryone's said it all re the straps. My first thought was like yours; put elastic inside.
I have some Japanese patterns like this one and look forward to making them in tweed wool for winter.
Iris is such a beautiful person, inside and out. Love the texture of this fabric. The skirt looks stunning! I like Mie's suggestion about the straps. They sure add character!
ReplyDeleteAgree with setting the straps wide in back and perhaps adding the loop too. Your vision for the pattern - thinking outside the box with this fabric - is so great, I want it to work! Iris is so sweet.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! I have been using a suspender skirt pattern from 'Made for/by Mermaids' (something like that) that is designed for wovens and it is quite good. I think either the loop idea mentioned above OR you could hand stitch them together a bit higher on the back so the cross over point is between her shoulder blades?
ReplyDeleteThanks so much! I appreciate it!
DeleteIf she ever goes missing......she's at my house : )
ReplyDeletethat Iris . . . what a hoot to have around! Sorry you had such issues with sewing this skirt together but luckily the finished results made it worth it! So adorable:) I'm stumped on the suspenders issue though . . . a piece of double stick tape under the strap at the shoulder?! (jk!)
ReplyDeleteLOL! Love it, Lucinda!
DeleteAnd yes, she is sooo fun and funny to have around. Four is such a great age!
This is really such a cute skirt, and outfit. I am sorry that the suspenders are not staying up very well!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! I think I will totally be able to make them work, thanks to all the great suggestions here! <3
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