The girl and doll skirts seen in yesterday’s post were made
using two different patterns. They were designed by two different designers and
sold by two different companies, and follow completely different construction
techniques. But when finished they look exactly the same.
Liberty Jane sells a collection of doll clothes patterns
from a variety of designers. Most of whom also sell their finished work. Sew
Urban is the designer of the Savannah skirt that we will be using today.
Violette Field Threads is a pattern company owned and operated
by two best friends, specializing in boutique style children’s clothing
patterns. The designed the Vivienne skirt.
After sewing both patterns Savannah appears to be a mini me
of Vivienne, but on closer inspection you see how unique each skirt really is.
I’ll start with the overskirt, since it is the first thing
you see.
Overskirt
Vivienne - The front of the over skirt is self-lined which
makes for a beautiful polished finish but adds to the most significant problem
with the pattern - the bulk in the waistband, especially after the flaps are
overlapped. The back of the overskirt is
a single layer of fabric that is hemmed and then attached to the front at the
side seams.
Savannah - The over skirt uses 4 pattern pieces, 2 for the
front and two for the back creating a center back seam that we don’t see in the
Vivienne pattern. All four pieces are sewn together and then hemmed as one
piece.
Ruffles
The only construction detail these patterns have in common
is the ruffles. Both use a narrow hem and a row of ruffle stitches on the top.
Pretty Slandered Stuff. The similarities ended when it was time to attach the
ruffles to the underskirt.
Underskirt
Vivienne – To make the underskirt the front and back are
sewn together at one side seam and then hemmed. The ruffles are then pinned and
sewn in place across the length of the underskirt before being sewn together at the other side seam. This does add a tiny bit of bulk to one side
seam that you don’t see in the other. After the overskirt is attached it won’t
be noticeable.
Savannah - Each ruffle is first sewn onto a strip of fabric,
Then the strips of fabric are sewn together crating the under skirt. The skirt is then sewn together at the center back seam. I’m still not a fan of the
ruffles being sewn into the seam, but it does look a little bit more natural
than having them sewn into only one side seam.
Waistband
Vivienne – The underskirt is attached and then flipped to
the inside. A row of stitching creates the elastic casing. The waistband in the
front is way too thick to insert elastic. Perhaps that is why the elastic is
only inserted into the back of the skirt, or maybe it is to give the front a
smoother finish. Either way it does affect the fit a little bit. The skirt will
sag a little in the front if you don’t get the elastic tight enough in the
back.
Savannah – A similar method is used for attaching the
underskirt, but with only a single layer for the front flaps there is slightly
less bulk. Elastic is inserted all the way around. It is still a bit of a
challenge to get it past the seams but I managed.
Conclusion
I learned more about sewing while making to
matching skirts from different patterns, than I ever could have learned from
sewing either one of these skirts alone. If I were to sew the Vivienne skirt
again I would incorporate a couple of the techniques form the Savanna skirt.
- Use a single hemmed layer for the front flaps
- Cut the Underskirt on the fold and sew together at the center back seam
I hope you enjoyed my comparison of these to patterns. Don’t
forget to subscribe to see more sewing projects for the whole family, including
the dolls.
