Pocket Power

People at home should walk down the stairs sensibly

We went to Chester this year for my birthday. And in Chester there is a lovely little shop with quilting fabric at the back. I wasn't in the market for more than a little bit of fabric (or I was until Stephen pointed out that I'd have to cart it around two cities take it home on the train) so I head over to the remnant basket and in it was this cute little brown floral stuff. I knew instantly that it should be pockets.

Like my life: my sketches lack the professional finish I want

I wanted a nice full skirt with big pouchy pockets on the front, big enough for a kangaroos baby or half a dozen teddy bears or, at the very least, my keys. I sketched it out that night on hotel stationary. A black half circle skirt, possibly in something satiny for the contrast  with big rounded pockets finished at the top with black bias binding.

Back view, and no I didn't get to go in that door.

The bias binding was the first thing to go. Mainly because I forgot to buy it when we where out buying fabric. I made some binding out of the remnants of the pocket fabric instead. The pocket shape was achieved by drawing round a plate and cutting the top off. I cut four pieces of the fabric, constructing the pockets by sewing two together, right side facing, missing out the top edge. After I turned them right side out I attached the binding and later topstitched them to the skirt.

Love pockets

The skirt is a half circle skirt. After reading some confusing instructions, and Stephen reading the same instructions I took some measurements and he drew a diagram that made it perfectly clear. After that the making up wasn't at all stressful. My only moment of doubt came when I had a finished skirt and it was time to put the pockets on. I liked the skirt as is and I doubted the contrast would work. Would it look like a Frankenstein's Monster of a thing or a cohesive skirt? I top stitched the pockets on anyway and when I first put my hands in them I knew that they were staying. It's just a fun skirt to wear.