#wardrobebuilder skirt 3 - the Delphine

Another lined skirt! Actually this is an older make - one of my first and one I posted a very long time

ago. However, I never really reviewed the pattern properly, or took photos. Whilst looking at skirts for the #wardrobebuilder I returned to this one and it really is quite a solid pattern!

Fabric

The fabric I used for this was entirely sourced from John Lewis. It was my first independent make so I went to my nearest fabric store to get some help. The pattern suggested drill. I had no idea what this was but went with that. It definitely gives the skirt a lot of structure, and now I've got it back out of my wardrobe again I'm thinking it could find its way into my work wear collection. The structure makes it a little too formal for casual wear but as a thicker fabric it would work well in winter.

All I can say about the lining is that it's electric blue. And I love the colour. Other than that it was quite difficult to work with - not a recommendation for a beginner. It frayed a lot, which I wasn't used to - having been lucky enough to work with some very stable wovens. I also managed to pass more than I wanted through the machine resulting in some very interesting seams that needed to be unpicked!

Pattern and Instructions

This skirt comes from the book 'Love at First Stitch' by Tilly Walnes. I bought this book on recommendation from the Thrifty Stitcher at my beginner dressmaking workshop. This skirt features as one of the earlier patterns in the book, which means it is a little easier and requires fewer advanced skills. The key skills explained in detail here are inserting an invisible zip and attaching a waistband. The book features lots of photographs to accompany the explanations, and there is also even more help on Tilly and the Buttons' blog for inserting the invisible zip. The blog also has the instructions for adding a lining, which I followed religiously (and it was successful). I have returned to the tutorials for adding lining and for inserting an invisible zip for other projects to make super sure I'm doing the right thing.

The pattern itself comes on separate pages kept in the back of the book in an envelope. There are very few pattern pieces to this pattern and they are very straightforward to sew.

Alterations

I did need to alter the waistband once I had made the skirt. My measurements match the size 4 pattern, but I found that it was a little loose on the waist. I reduced the side seams in the waistband by about a cm but didn't carry this through to the skirt's side seams. This has resulted in somewhat more of a flared bell shape than is probably intended.

Adding the lining to the skirt is also an alteration, but luckily the tutorial that Tilly has on her blog uses the Delphine skirt so it makes it all a little easier to follow.

Thoughts

Normally I think about whether I would make the pattern again. In this case I haven't. I don't think it's an issue with the pattern, but more that it doesn't really fit with the clothes that I tend to wear most often. I would definitely recommend the pattern and do like what I made. However, I haven't worn it much. I do think my fabric choice doesn't help either and perhaps a crepe might make this easier to pair with work clothes. For a beginner, this is a great pattern for testing out new skills and ending up with a wearable garment. For anyone more experienced this would be a quick and simple make to add to the wardrobe.