Experimenting with Axel

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My sewing goal this year was to slow down, to plan, to toile and to spend more time on fit.  The ultimate goal was to create a more ‘keepers’… items that stay in my wardrobe for many years.  I feel like I’m making good progress on that goal, but I’m also aware that experimenting and pushing the boundaries of my own personal style can be powerful too.  With that in mind,  I purchased a copy of Megan Nielsen’s Axel Skirt (on sale from Stitch56), brought a metre of olive ponte from The Cloth Shop and set to work.

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This sure was a quick sew.  There are only three pattern pieces and no closures… you don’t even need elastic!  I traced off version 3 of the pattern, graded out at the waist to accommodate my measurements, cut my ponte, and headed straight to my sewing machine.

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Honestly, the hardest thing about this project is getting the twin needling ‘v’ to match.  I basted the seam and quickly decided that near enough was definitely going to be good enough.

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As ponte doesn’t fray, I just trimmed (unevenly by the look of things) my seam allowances.  Did I mention this was a speedy sew?

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The resulting skirt fits beautifully, is comfortable to wear (it doesn’t ‘ride up’ as much as I expected) and can totally be classified as secret pjs.

Making this skirt feel like ‘me’ was a bit more challenging than I thought.  I had anticipated wearing this skirt with fancy sneakers, but it turns out that ankle boots and coloured textured tights are my preferred way of styling it.

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I wore this skirt to teach a Genoa Tote class at The Cloth Shop two weekends ago, and by the end of the day, I knew it would be a wardrobe keeper.  I love it when an experiment pays off!

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Pattern:  Megan Nielsen’s Axel Skirt
Size:  XS graded to a  M at the waist
Fabric: 
Olive ponte from The Cloth Shop
Alterations: 
Graded out at the waist to accommodate my measurements
Accessories:  Sophie Digard scarf from Scarlet Jones
Location:  Eastern Suburbs, Melbourne

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8 comments

  • Lovely, Anna! It’s so funny how we can sew things and then find styling them to be a head scratcher – I’ve had that experience quite a bit recently. I really love how you’re wearing this. I have to ask – where is that beautiful jumper from??

    • I’m pleased to know that I’m not the only one that struggles with styling new items sometimes. The jumper is a one-off that I brought at an Obus (Melbourne brand) sample sale. The owner was there and explained that she designed it, had it made for her & then never wore it so decided to sell it. I scored big time!

  • A very successful experiment I feel! Very chic! I’m not sure I can remember seeing you in a skirt before…. dresses yes – this is a winner xx

    • Sometimes in summer I wear a denim RTW skirt… but not very often. So, yes I’m more of a dresses, shorts and jeans kind of girl. That being said, I’m liking this skirt a lot.

  • I seriously love all the colors in this outfit together and I can definitely imagine the secret pj effect. Nice work!

    • Thanks Mie. Sometimes ‘all the colours’ ‘all at once’ works. And yes, it’s such a comfy outfit.

  • A very successful experiment indeed! I too at times have a different picture of how an item would look on to how I actually end up wearing it 🙂

    • Ah yes, visions in our head versus reality… they can be quite different things. I’m really pleased I made this skirt work for me. It’s good to experiment and step out of your comfort zone.