Coarse woven tweed skirt

I actually think of this skirt as my crazy fraying fabric skirt, I had such a hard time when I cut into this fabric: as soon as you do all the newly cut thread ends loosen and the fabric edge becomes distorted.

It is pretty much impossible to sew with non-existing edges like that.

In order to get around that I hacked out the pattern pieces in big chunks, then basted along the cutting line to mark it - and then, here's the piece de la resistance!, - then I put it through the overlocker: overlocking and cutting in one go. It worked great!

You only have to beware corners.  Because the overlocker knife cuts ahead and you can't turn a corner that hasn't been cut yet - the only way you could get around that is to run the overlocker off your rough fabric piece and start new.  But failing that: just cut an inch or so into the cutting line past the corner as you approach it with the overlocker, then you can easily turn at the corner, line up the knife with the already cut bit and go!

I think I matched the pattern pretty well across the centre back seam  and the side seams too. 

The fabric was £1 a metre from a Walthamstow fabric shop bordering the market. I liked the look of the fabric and could not resist buying it.  Bargain!

Unfortunately I forgot that I would have to spend time sewing something out of this fabric and I didn't really think whether I wanted a skirt like this.  I am not sure that it is me.

This was a bit aspirational - as in: this would look good on a elegant lady with a cute and very expensive handbag, someone who suits wearing pearls. I am not that person.

The skirt is okay and I am glad I had this experience with the fabric fraying.  I now know that I can wrestle this issue into submission!  There might be other fabrics that need the same treatment out there that I might want to sew with one day.

Oh hang on: I've already got one in my stash!  It is a light coloured coarse woven tweedy fabric that also looks very elegant, in a more understated and less bright way.  It would make the cutest mini skirt!


PS: This is dreadful, but I've since found yet another fabric very like these two. So I bought three at different occasions and didn't even remember the other purchases.  Why am I doing this to myself?  I must keep a proper record, like the Android app Clothio that seems to work pretty well.