Akram's Ideas
Review of Simplicity 8446 circle skirt pattern and my adjustments for making it with an elasticated waist.

Champagne & Pearl Circle Skirt for the Holidays

The holiday parties are a great excuse to get dressed up, however, sometimes you want to dress up and still be comfy. 

With both style and comfort in mind, I came up with a perfect pairing the Chesnut Sweater and a classic circle skirt. 

Champagne and Pearl Chestnut Sweater

Earlier this month I posted about my Coco Wawa Crafts Chestnut Sweater make, in which I made toile out of some fun sweatshirt material and the final version in a lovely champagne colored fabric with pearl dots. 

Champagne and Pearl Spot Fabric
Isn’t this fabric amazing

When I first stumbled upon this polyester fabric at the antique store I knew immediately that I wanted to make a chestnut sweater out of it. It was the perfect color for autumn and the fun dots gave it a bit of whimsy. 

The Chestnut Sweater, especially in this print, has a bit of a classy dressed up look while still retaining it’s casual feel. 

Pattern review of my latest holiday top, the Chestnut sweater from Coco Wawa Crafts.
Here’s the Chestnut sweater made from the same fabric

Simplicity 8446 Vintage Circle Skirt

After making the Chestnut Sweater I found that I had still quite a bit of this lovely fabric left over.  Enough in fact to make a circle skirt. 

While the Chestnut Sweater is to pair with a basic skirt or even a pair of jeans, I knew that pairing it with a lovely circle skirt would give it the look of a more formal holiday dress. 

For the circle skirt, I decided to use Simplicity 8446 a vintage reproduction of the classic circle skirt. Granted I probably could have done the math and cut the pieces out on my own, I figured since I recently got the pattern I go for it. (Plus this way it counts as another Vintage Pledge make). 

Akram's Ideas: Simplicity 8446

The construction of this skirt is really straightforward and I really like the addition of the pockets. 

Since the fabric is a polyester it really doesn’t fray, but I decided to go ahead and finish my seams my serger, mostly because I wanted the practice.

I also practiced my rolled hem feature on the serger, because hemming a circle skirt can be a pain. 

             
Sewing Summary
Date Nov 22  Review of Simplicity 8446 circle skirt pattern and my adjustments for making it with an elasticated waist.
Pattern: Simplicity 8446
Version: B
Size: Size 24
Notes & Modification: Included an elastic waistband
Recommendations: Things to keep in mind for next time
Difficulty: Beginner Ratting:  

Elastic Waistband

The only change I made with this skirt was that I decided to make an encased elastic waistband instead of the traditional one included with the pattern. 

I’ve mentioned previously that I’m losing weight and I wanted to make sure I would get a lot of wear out of this skirt, so adding elastic made sense. 

To do this I essentially cut out the skirt waist size using my hips measurement. This way I would ensure that the skirt would be able to pull up over my hips. 

Review of Simplicity 8446 circle skirt pattern and my adjustments for making it with an elasticated waist.
I really love this skirt paired with the matching Chestnut Sweater

Next, I cut a 4″ wide waistband the length of the skirt opening (hip circumference) plus 5/8 inch for the seam allowance. 

I sewed the sides together and then attached the bottom of the waistband to the skirt, again using a 5/8 inch seam allowance. 

To complete the waistband I folded it over the 5/8 inch seam allowance at the top then folded over the waistband. To attach I used the topstitching method from Tilly and the Buttons book Love at First Stitch. 

Before sewing the waistband all the way around I left a small opening to pull through my elastic cut to my measurements plus 1/2 to sew the ends together. 

It was pretty basic and worked perfectly. If you’d like a tutorial on this process, please let me know. 

Perfect Holiday Outfit

My husband thought I was going a bit far with this print by making the sweater and matching skirt. Though when paired together they look amazing! 

Review of Simplicity 8446 circle skirt pattern and my adjustments for making it with an elasticated waist.
This is such a fun holiday outfit

The golden champagne color of the fabric really gives it a dressy holiday feel while the little bit of stretch in the polyester makes it quite comfy. 

I really love this outfit and wore it to Thanksgiving dinner with the family. It really was the perfect outfit it looks great, while the elastic and a bit of stretch that still keep you comfy after a large meal.

What is your perfect holiday outfit? 

Review of Simplicity 8446 circle skirt pattern and my adjustments for making it with an elasticated waist.

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Akram Taghavi-Burris

designer, writer, educator, tech nerd, crafter, baker, sewer and vintage collector, who Brings Creative & Crazy Ides to Life.

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