Mary Peplum meets Excalibur

Hello there! I’m so excited for you to check out this fun mash of Mary Peplum and Excaliber PLUS a really neat trick to adding side seam pockets that involves much less sewing and time.

My younger daughter turns 30 today!  I am likely more excited than she is about this.  I have done a lot of sewing for her over the years, and wanted to share this quick mix of the Mary Peplum top with the circle skirt from Excalibur.  This is the daughter that does not like to shop.  Much of her work wardrobe consists of things I have made for her.  She loves a peplum, and I considered making the Mary Peplum as is, and letting her layer that over an Excalibur tank dress, to look like a pencil skirt, but decided that this would work better with this fabric, a thin cotton lycra.  Pockets are a requirement.  Who doesn’t want love or need pockets?

I used the circle skirt from Excalibur, and drew on a side seam pocket.  Yes, I could have cut separate pockets and sewn them on, but it is so much easier to cut them on, especially if you have tons of fabric.

In order to keep the pocket from gaping open, like a hungry bird, I reinforced it with a strip of iron on interfacing. I prefer to use the woven, as it behaves so much nicer than the non woven. and will keep that pocket opening from stretching out from use. This is Pellon 101 also known as shapeflex.

This is about 2 inches wide by 11 inches, and covers from the top of the skirt to  just below the pocket opening.  A one inch strip would work fine too.

A close up of after serging the side seam, I reinforced the bottom edge of the pocket with a line of straight stitching.  In order to have more than one single stitch at the bottom of the pocket, I made a second short row of stitching on the inside of the pocket, parallel to the first one.  Serging the inside corner of the pocket is tricky, and the straight stitching here will help alleviate any serging mishaps too.

Both halves of the circle skirt with pockets are aligned and ready to sew.  I used another iron on product by Dritz to edge the hem.  It works great for twin needle top stitching and keeps the fabric from tunneling.  It is cut at one inch wide, and I cut it in half, as I had planned a narrow hem.  

I made the bodice of the Mary Peplum per pattern instructions with a small adjustment for narrow shoulders, and I shortened the bodice by 1.5 inches, as the weight of the skirt will pull on the bodice.  With the bodice inside the skirt, right sides together, I added 26 inches of a braided elastic to the seam.  This is three inches shorter than her waist measurement.  I sewed with the skirt on the bottom towards the feed dogs, the bodice on top of that and the elastic on the very top. This will keep the elastic away from her skin, and hopefully give some support to the full circle skirt.  The extra stability in the hem, made sewing that a dream.   Can’t wait to see how this fits.  In the mean time, I am cutting Scrundlewear from the scraps!

Share what you make in the group with patterns from Stitch Upon a Time.  Happy sewing!

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