Peppermint Pocket Skirt Sewing Pattern Review

I've been meaning to sew the Peppermint Pocket Skirt for a while, and the #SewFrugal challenge hosted by Sam @frugalisama and Ruan @theyorkshiresewgirl seemed like a good opportunity to give it a try.

The idea of the #SewFrugal challenge is to make a free sewing pattern using fabric from your stash. I have some sizeable pieces of fabric left over from other projects, so that gave me a second good reason to join in. The fabric I've used for my skirt is some Ankara fabric that I had left from a coordinating top and trousers set that I made last year, and it originally came from Ankara Shop.

If you're not familiar with the sewing patterns from Peppermint magazine, I'd definitely recommend checking them out - there's a whole library of them here. All of the patterns are produced in collaboration with various indie pattern designers and they're available to download for free, with the option to make a voluntary contribution if you are able to. 

The Pocket Skirt was designed by Tara Viggo of Paper Theory. It's a relaxed midi-length skirt with a gathered, elasticated waist and oversized panel pockets, and is available in waist/hip sizes from 24"/34" to 47.5"/57.5".

Sewing the skirt was no problem at all. It's a fairly simple construction, and the instructions were good.  One point I would mention is that I added a couple of extra millimetres when folding the top of the skirt over to form the waistband - if you follow the instructions exactly I think it would be a bit of a battle to feed the elastic through (they have you fold a 4cm waistband and sew it down 2-3mm from the edge, when you're meant to use 38mm elastic). It does literally only need an extra millimetre or two though. Other than that I just followed the instructions.

One point to note - this is one of those patterns where you definitely need to mark the notches. You'll need them on the upper and lower side panel pieces in particular because they're used to make the pockets.

I made a size 16 as is recommended for my measurements, and the fit is good. Having said that, the fit is mainly just based on the length of elastic that you use in the waistband so that isn't much of a surprise! In case it helps to know - my skirt is the length that the pattern intends and I'm about 5'9".

I really like how my Peppermint Pocket Skirt turned out, and I can definitely see myself making more. My only slight disappointment is that I was hoping this would be a year-round kind of skirt but the fabric clings to tights terribly (as you might be able to see in some of these photos!) so it'll have to be kept for bare-leg weather. Never mind - that's only a small hardship really isn't it?!

Waves & Wild Superstar Bra

I've tried making a bra before and it wasn't very successful - I didn't particularly enjoy the process, and the end result wasn't brilliant. I was quite content not to get sucked into the world of lingerie sewing, but when Waves & Wild released the Superstar bra it looked like it would be easy to sew and comfy to wear so I was tempted to give bra making another try!

The Superstar bra is a lounge bra with crossover back and three band options (regular jersey, cropped top jersey and elastic). It's for high bust sizes between 28" and 52", and has cup sizes A to H.

It can be made using just jersey fabric (with options to add clear elastic or sew in cups if you want), which appealed to me for two reasons; firstly it meant I could potentially make it using jersey left over from other projects without the need to buy lots of extra notions. Secondly, it was all the little rings, sliders and various types of elastic that made me not enjoy my first bra making experience - I don't like sewing fiddly things!

The instructions for the pattern are really good - they're clear, easy to follow and contain just the right amount of detail. They also provide good information on picking a size and on possible fitting adjustments. 

I found the process of making the bra fairly simple, and didn't have any problems.

In terms of sizing, my high bust measurement is 36.5" and my full bust is just over 39" so I made the size L in a C cup. 

I lengthened the straps because I almost always have to lengthen tops as I'm slightly taller than average. I decided to add 1.5" because I usually have to lengthen patterns by somewhere between 1 and 2 inches, and I was intending this version to be a wearable toile so I was happy to experiment a bit.

Thankfully the experimenting worked out well and I'm really happy with the fit.

The main fabric I used is some cotton jersey that I had left over from making some Juno pyjamas a while ago - I don't think they ever made it to my blog, but they're on my Instagram here. The bra is lined, and my lining fabric was some slightly thinner cotton jersey, also left over from another project.

Having worn the Superstar bra a couple of times, I'm happy to report that it's really comfy! As it's designed to be a lounge bra, it's not as supportive as a "proper" bra might be, but I found it's perfectly fine for my not-very-large bust for daily life.

I'm really pleased that I gave bra making another try with the Superstar bra, and I can definitely see myself making more. If you fancy giving the pattern a try yourself and happen to be reading this in the next few days after I post this, now would be a really good time to treat yourself to the pattern because Waves & Wild have a 50% off birthday sale running - grab yourself a bargain!