Tilly and the Buttons Stretch - Sparkly Bibi Skirt

I had been thinking for a while about what to make out of the fabric leftover from when I made this sparkly turtleneck. It's such a cool fabric and I really like the top I made, so I didn't want to waste the leftovers. I didn't have a lot of fabric left so I initially considered making another version of this top, but the idea of a sparkly skirt kept coming back to me. I made quite a few short skirts when I first started sewing but the only one of those that I still wear regularly is this one, so it felt like a fun project that would also fill a wardrobe gap.

I've had the Tilly and the Buttons Stretch! book for several years and have made the Stella hoodie a few times and the Freya top too many times to count, but hadn't used the Bibi skirt pattern. I'm not a huge fan of the pattern samples that were photographed, but looking at the line drawings I thought the pattern had the potential to look quite different if it was made in a uniform fabric and a bit shorter. It also seemed to be a good pattern to use for the stretchy sparkly fabric that I had, meaning that I could make something really simple without fastenings.

I didn't have a lot of fabric leftover but I just about managed to squeeze this skirt out of it. It helped that this skirt is made up of panels, meaning it's easier to place the pattern pieces irregular shaped fabric. I also wasn't concerned about cutting the pattern pieces all the same way up which is sometimes necessary depending on the fabric.

This was such a simple make and came together very quickly. I really like the look of the panels and they made the skirt really easy to fit. The front fit pretty well without adjustments but I did make a few changes to the back of the skirt. To get the fit right, I tried on the skirt inside out and pinned the seams together to see how much fabric needed taking in before sewing the seams up. Thanks to the panels and the stretchy fabric the changes were easy to do and the skirt fits well.

I didn't really want to add on a waistband as I preferred the look of the skirt with the top just folded over. However, simply doing that wouldn't have worked as the waist needed taking in a bit to stop it gaping at the back. The solution I came up with was to add bias binding around the top edge of the skirt. I cut it a few inches shorter than the circumference of the top and then stretched it as I joined the bias to the skirt. I then turned it to the wrong side of the fabric and sewed it down, resulting in a neat finish inside the skirt and only a row of stitching showing on the front.

I'm so pleased with how this skirt turned out. I love the fabric and I think it's a really fun addition to my wardrobe. I wore it to a Christmas party last week, so it's already been put to good use!