Summerbaby - Self Drafted Wrap Skirt

Dressing for Spring and Summer is always a bit challenging for me. Bright colors, bold prints, and the short, blocky silhouettes that have been trending for warm weather lately just don’t suit my style or my body type. I’ve never owned a pair of shorts I’ve felt comfortable wearing in public, even when I’ve determined the length myself by making cutoffs. And as much as I love skirts on other people, I never could seem to find one that fit my body the way I wanted it to. Somehow, no matter the length, rise, or fullness, skirts just seem to cut my body in half. But maybe that’s just one of the many struggles of having a short torso.

In Ohio, it’s not uncommon for summer to be hot and muggy, so I’ve been scrolling through Pinterest for lightweight, breezy outfit ideas. I quickly became obsessed with the simplicity of a high rise wrap skirt. Unfortunately, after days of searching, I just couldn’t find a pattern that matched exactly what I had in mind. So, after seeing a few beginner skirt tutorials, I decided to create my own.

Apart from one small fiddly part in the front where I could not for the life of me get the hem to lay down straight, I’m actually really pleased with how this skirt turned out!

I had been eyeing this lovely ditsy floral print crepe from JoAnn’s for ages. As soon as I was confident I could use it to make something without completely destroying this fabric, I immediately went out and bought it. I am so in love with how ethereal and feminine it makes me feel. Plus it’s the perfect shade of gold to be sunny without washing out my pale skin. I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to sew with as well! Aside from having to be much more delicate with pin placement (I think next time I’ll use clips instead) I was able to sew it up with relatively as much ease as my quilting cotton. I couldn’t be happier with this fabric!

And I finally got to try out the button hole function on my machine! I used it to create the hole that the strap on the under layer goes through to tie in the back. This was admittedly my first time testing out a new skill on a scrap piece of fabric first, and I am so glad I did because the first few attempts came out a bit wonky. Although my machine doesn’t make the cutest button holes (which apparently is a common complaint about peoples’ sewing machines?!) it’s functional and it isn’t unraveling with each use, so I am thrilled!

Now if only I owned a summer top to go with it. I was thinking either an easy fit crop top like the Ashton Top from Helen’s Closet, or I may try to go with the faux maxi look and try a True Bias Ogden Cami made from the same fabric…who knows?