I had a really fabulous time making this skirt! Since i have gone back to work outside the home, I never seem to have enough Work Wear! I had been an at home mom for more than 8 yrs, that stretch, so I have more than enough jeans to prove it.

BUT since in that time i have began to sew, I was not very pleased with what I have been seeing in the Malls and could not bare to pay the prices. Now don’t misunderstand, i have always afforded myself really really nice clothing! Mainly because i could afford it and secondly because i had to because I have always been so really small and needed grown up looking clothes. which i was taught by my dad, the original clothes monger of the family, the really good quality, well fitting clothing, and great shoes come with a moderate to hefty price tag.

Now that I have grown up and have a family=budget, I have had to alter my ways, without sacrificing my style!!

enough rambling….

I went out for what was supposed to be a quick run to K-Mart and low and behold that little Rainbow store, had all these knock-off Nordstrom tops along there, what seemed to never end, wall! Now i have purchased a few tops from them before, because for like $12 you can get just about any top in there store! Now i like clothes but i am not crazy enough to pass up a cute top at a cheap price. So any who, i went in there on Friday evening and came out with 3 bags full of cute tops i can wear to work!

There chiffon / satin / crepe tops / blouses are always cute, and some knits too, but there cotton stuff looks like pure d’ crapolla! so home I went with my purchases.

These are the 5 I picked to start with. A complete line-up for work this week.

Now I work in a really small office, inside of a multi-building complex. There’s just me and my boss who is practically out in the field most days. So i can pretty much dress how I want to as long as i am half way professional. For me that means basically no sneakers, since I am just not into hoochie wear at all. And I absolutely positively do not wear shorts!  There is no particular reason, i just don’t own many and mostly just don’t find them that cute. I prefer either a capri pant or a mini skirt if it’s that hot out!!

So this is my first review out of the bunch.

Butterick’s 4686 is a below the knee, self faced, flared yoke skirt with a back invisible zipper.

This skirt was so easy to put together and so quick that it was just ridiculous.

I sat here Friday night twiddling my thumbs on what skirts to match up with my tops and decided that I was going to use some of these Big 4 patterns that I brought over the years and have never ever used.

So i cut the tissue, the fabric, and serged it together in less than an hour! It went together so quickly i decided to turn in and finish the hem the next day.

We didn’t have much planned for the 4th so it was a perfect time to finish this one up and start on another for my Work Week Wear!!

For a more through review check my widget on the sidebar for my PatternReview.

 

The first set, the purple polka dot skirt had already been made and has been hanging on my garment rack for months, needing a match.

The second top, I have fabric pulled already but not sure what style of skirt I want to go with it. I am honestly thinking a jean style skirt, since the fabric i pulled i very similar to denim and it’s a really nice chocolate brown, which I think would make an awesome jean skirt.

The 3rd top is matched with a half done tennis type skirt that i started, but wasn’t really feeling how it was turning out, because I didn’t use any pattern, I was just winging it one day! what was I thinking?? but I will turn it into something! it’s a really nice cotton seersucker fabric and me an my boys just love it. then have trouser shorts made from it and a pink colorway as well.

Yes my boys do wear pink!! lol

 

The 4th top i brought intentionally to make this pencil skirt suit that i have been working on, which is a PMB4 design. The suit came out awesome with the exception of the sleeve draft for the jacket. I am still trying to figure out how to get the exact draft that i want for sleeves with no easing necessary. sometimes i can get sometimes I can not. I need to figure out what i did previously and write it down and commit it to memory!! haha

So the sleeves on the jacket need to be removed, altered and then re-stitched. But overall i love the design and the fit. And the reds were so close it was SICK!!! I don’t think I could have gotten any closer without having made them myself. The blouse and the suit that is. Well I have more photo edits to do for a second review, and some sewing to do and then I’m off to celebrate my moms Birthday, so I may or maynot get that red set reviewed today, but it will be sometime soon since I have the pictures already. Stay tuned the rest of this week for all of them .

here’s a few more pictures of Butterick 4686…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have a great day everyone!