Very easy short black velvet skirt

I just made this as a "well why not" garment. There was only enough fabric left over for either a short vest top or halter neck or a skirt. The skirt won. The photos had to be indoors due to the awful weather that day.

There was a very small remnant of black velvet left over from previous projects such as my wrap top and my hoodie and also my yoga pants (or PJ trousers!), so I am thinking summer in the UK.

Often its not really hot here and if I make this then I can take all black velvet items with a few bright tops and maybe some shorts and thats all I will need. Its all synthetic and stretch. It all dries very fast and its warm, without being hot in summer. I also made a swimsuit from this fabric but that was not very successful, and there was some small bits incorporated into my leggings.  So there are lots of items will go well with this - as in made from exactly the same fabric. Sometimes we actually get hot weather here in summer, but mainly we get rain and warm weather where you still need a cardigan or in my case velvet. Thats my theory anyway.

The black velvet is my 3rd version using just the front of this pattern so its a good choice because it definitely works and I do not want a fussy pencil skirt with back split as the pattern is meant to make. I am after something more sporty probably to wear with leggings when it rains. Its the same skirt pattern as the sequin sided skirt I made a few months ago using just the front pattern for New Look 6230. This pattern is meant to have a split at the back like a pencil skirt but I wanted a slightly shaped tube skirt. Measuring the pattern against my other skirts I realised I only needed to use the front to get the size so I cut two fronts and then added a waistband. Then I threaded the waistband with wide elastic. This worked so well for my previous two versions I decided this was what to do with the remnant of black velvet.

I prefer this simple design of the tube skirt to more formal pencil skirts. Not to say I am never going to make New Look 6230 properly though. I am sure at some point soon I will. I am sure you know what I mean, that its just kind of irresistable sometimes to make things more challenging, even if you may not find the end result in your favourites. Human nature I suppose to push things to the limits of what is achievable. I suspect in the case of the skirt in New Look 6230 its an easy pattern anyway. I have just made it even easier.

I tried it on here with my coral swimsuit because I reckon it is probably how I will wear this. Its short since I had very little fabric available - this is just about all of it - so wearing in-built knickers/ swimsuit under it will make it "safe".

 Its better though with my hoodie:

 The fact I had to make this with the opposite nap to the top is a shame but it was the only way I could squeeze it from my fabric scrap.

Well this is a very quick make and it is really a great way to use up small bits of fabric. Of course that now means I have to have a bit of restraint else I am going to end up with 20+ short skirts 😀and I really do not need that many. I might have to make a few more though........

This is also the last tiny bit of useable black velvet from my last buying session. Well I might manage a couple of scrunchies but thats really it.

Its was a very stash busting success using all this fabric, and I am very happy to have the new clothing rather than a lovely bit of fabric that I just dream about making up into things. I seem to like wearing velvet a lot as well. Its very wearable with our climate which is probably why its so popular really and historically of course velvet always has been popular.

The trouble is I do feel that I need to now start looking round for another piece of bargain basement black velvet for my stash.......... so that I have some in stock the next time I need it.

That means that this is successful from a sewing viewpoint, but less so for stash busting because my aim is to buy more of this stuff or at least something very similar and a large piece of it to boot. Still I suppose then I can enjoy the next stash busting effort.

Have a lovely week,

Bracken