Hello my dears! I am astonished at how long I have been away from the blog. I had fully intended to finish up the Casey Skirt Sew-along two weeks ago by sharing this post then, but life got in the way with some major upheavals. But, now that things have calmed down a touch, I am here now, finally sharing my finished Casey Skirt and Brooks Blouse.
Over a month ago, Gabe and I got to go visit the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for a wonderful Family Reunion trip. I thought it would be the perfect opportunity and location to take some pictures of my finished skirt. I will confess, I am not 100% pleased with these photos. From dealing with harsh lighting (despite it being golden hour) to my skirt being wrinkly, and my hair being a bit… well… not ideal; it certainly makes for an accurate photoshoot of how I look day to day, just not how I generally like to present myself here. All that aside, let me share my outfit with you.
I made up View 2 of the Casey Skirt in an Army Green Twill from Mood Fabrics (which is unfortunately no longer available. My blouse is View 1 of the Brooks Blouse, using the knit modification instructions to suit the pattern to this gorgeous Cloud 9 Organics knit. I chose to make my skirt a little longer than the pattern originally calls for, as I am preferring my skirts longer these days.
I am really happy with how my skirt turned out. It has been on constant rotation in my wardrobe since the day it was finished. It is rather amusing though, how often I forget I have those delightful giant pockets, when I am struggling to carry an armload of items from one place to another. I LOVE my pockets. I just don’t know why I don’t put them on more skirts.
Just the details if you please:
What: A Knit Brooks Blouse & A Twill Casey Skirt
Fabric: Blouse: Cloud 9 Organics Stripe Knit in Citron | Skirt: Twill from Mood Fabrics.
Patterns: Blouse: View 1 of the Brooks Blouse | Skirt: View 2 of the Casey Skirt.
Notions: Blouse: Gutermann Thread | Skirt: Gutermann Thread & Top-stitching thread; Two metal buttons from Gabe’s stash; 9″ Army Green Zipper, once again from Mood.
Design Changes: Blouse: I used the in-pattern instructions for modifying View 1 of the Blouse to be suitable for knit fabrics | Skirt: I cut the skirt according to the original length included in the pattern, but only hemmed it up 1-1/4″, rather than the original 3″.
Would you use the patterns again? Umm… Duh! Yes! 😉
I handworked the buttonholes and top-stitched almost everything on this skirt. Now that I’ve mastered top-stitching, I love using it where applicable. It makes for such a nice, professional finish.
You can see what I mean about my skirt being wrinkly. And you can also tell by the drag lines that I have been putting my hands in my pockets an awful lot. *rolls eyes* But hey! That’s what they were designed for! (I just need to remember to shift my skirt every so often. 😉 )
Pockets! Glorious Pockets!
I am not fully satisfied with my Brooks Blouse. I love how comfortable it is, I really do! And I think it is a great look… just not on me. I don’t know. Maybe I will change my mind if I made up a woven version for myself. I mean, my sisters’ blouses are ADORABLE, and I love how the Brooks Blouse looks on them… Maybe it’s just my style ideals changing. We will see.
Well, that is all for today! I will talk to you all again soon (hopefully much sooner than the three weeks that it took last time).
Which is your favorite piece: my Brooks Blouse, or my Casey Skirt?
Would you rather work with knits or wovens?
As far as what I post next, do you want to see a history post, or a style icons post?
Blessings,
Brigid E.
Brijee 
Yes, I kinda agree about the brooks blouse look. “Something is not right!”
(to steal a quote from the movie, Madeline 1998) 🙂
Hope you are inspired and can make a blouse pattern “just right”!
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Looks like a pretty great camping outfit to me! I wore my first Casey skirt camping back in august, and the pockets were perfect for carrying all sorts of random camping stuff. I’m definitely packing both of my Casey skirts next time I go camping!
I love the chevron effect you did with the front of the blouse! Personally, I prefer the look and fit of the woven Brooks blouse on myself to that of the knit version, but, taking in the knit version a significant amount on each side did improve my overall opinion of it. So perhaps pin out some of the excess from the side seams then see how you feel about this blouse?
P.S. it’s fun to see “natural” photos on blogs sometimes! You look like you’re enjoying your trip here! (Though I must admit I prefer my blog photos to show me with makeup on and nice hair rather than “normal, everyday, Alyssa”. It’s a little intimidating to share pictures of “normal, everyday, Alyssa” with the rest of the internet world for some reason!)
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That is a lovely location for a shoot. And your pics don’t look horrible, just very real 😉
I love the longer silhouette of you Casey, and the drape of that twill! Can you tell me what weight it is?
On the blouse, I can identify….I’ve loved all the samples I’ve been seeing of view 1, but when I made one up for myself it didn’t appeal as much… it has graced my dress-form for months and I can’t figure where my aversion is. perhaps I am after all just a crew neck and 3/4’s ga ; P
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