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Granny Corner: Camouflage Glam Sport Luxe

Bonus Vogue points for the fash/speak: Camo Glam Sport Luxe.... with a Leopard print trim. 

"Sublime camouflage, nonpareil"

Always  one for checking the 'novelty fabrics' section me and I love this one, a coated printed cotton fleece: glitter camo!

Love the style twist contradiction of this one, the gloss coating makes the surface glitzy and a little spikey brushing against the nap, military but kind of contrary to the warm & fuzzy quality of both the fleece and the utilitarian camo print. Like, it wont be A: cuddley or B: unobtrusive or C: appropriate in a jungle insurgency/non-urban warfare environment. Hint is in the category title : NOVELTY fabric. It's an industrial strength fleecey. 

In the way of any Novelty Fabrics that just get it right, when I first saw this on a huge bolt at Tessuti I wanted it as Kath can corroborate because she was there and I straight away said sleeveless shift with center front split neckline, sleeveless shift with center front split neckline which goes to show I'm not always right the first time. Imagine that. But having purchased a meter, and this bolt is 165cm wide, I put it aside for further contemplation, before just charging in one day & making an ankle grazing pencil skirt. I put this down to...bad sewjo? Because trust me on this, I've done it so you dont have to: a dark, light reflecting, chunky cotton knit can be deeply unflattering at ankle grazing lengths. You're welcome.

So nice of them to say that! Made me feel happy!

So, I cut it to midi-length & added a four inch hem band faced with some leopard print jersey scrap left from ^ these pants ^.

My Acne Studios booties, how I love them they are honest-to-god THE (one of the) handiest shoes ever.

See the inside seam allowance finish above? I swear I will never tire of an overlocked edge. A thing of progress people, PROGRESS. Having bought my modest Janome My Lock 644D just 5 years ago, (despite having been sewing my own clothes all my life), I DO LOVE AN OVERLOCKED EDGE. So victorious industrial revolution. Before the AOO (Age Of Overlocker) and before I bought my pedestrian Janome My Style 28 sewing machine even, everything had to be French seamed as the only equipment I had was my Grandmother's black & gold Singer operated by a knee control; this shaped metal lever which slotted into place to the right of the front of the base & hung out & down from it, so gentle pressure from pushing against it with my right knee controlled the speed. And there was no reverse let alone zigzag. This was tedious but buying my own machine was way above my pay grade back then so French seams it was. Hence AOO was glad tidings and with that I conclude rant. Except to say that its since been Happy Days with almost no French seaming and I'm grateful for that.

The faced hem was a last minute 'feature' which I performed VERY SHODDILY as you can see, above. Don't know why sometimes this happens. Shoddy work is bad for the soul which explains a lot I suppose and in which case I'm damned. Fortunately though, I also accidentally attached this upside down and happy accident! Flipped the nap! Love it so much, opposing nap catches the light differently to the body of the skirt and is an absolute winner and the proportions are just right. Whoohoo!

The pattern is 'self drafted', for which read 'shaped tube with center back seam/split' and I'm cross now I didn't add some pockets. I'd like to see some rectangle patch pockets I could still do it obviously, but I'm uncommitted as the bulk might be too much. The ankle grazing chunky fabric aesthetic disaster experience has scarred me. But it would be a cool and useful design feature. Maybe  the Anima pant pocket?  Skirts with top stitched feature patch pockets like the 'it' suede Marks & Spencer A-line, made famous by Alexa Chung maybe? Or the others by Chloe & Derek Lam. Pockets make everything better really. indisputably handy.

Boobage but look at my leopard print hem facing

So camo-glam-sport-luxe? Oh yes, its totally a thing...Random pics from Pinterest, click images for sources.

Hmmm, what else to say about this? I think thats about it however I would note that I like this skirt very much and will be wearing it a lot, its an allrounder of a fabric; heavy enough for winter (Australian winter at least), looks great with a layered top, and as it's a cotton, good through spring & summer too. Planning on white t-shirts, linen tops and sandals. Thinking of buying more of it... maybe the sleeveless shift with split front neckline for summer, in fact with a fitted black wool jersey top underneath during winter, that'd be trans-seasonal too!