Tiffani's Groovy Goji

I’ve been a fan of Deer and Doe Patterns for years now. Actually, one of the very first garments I ever made was the Belladone Dress that I still wear today. I’ve since made many Datura tops, a couple Plantain tees and now their Goji Skirt pattern.  I like how their pattern instructions are simple and to the point with great illustrations and in a handy little booklet that has plenty of room for notes and isn’t a hundred pages.

Pattern: Goji Skirt by Deer and Doe
Materials: 2 yards Brussels Washer in yarn dyed black, 2 yards ¼” elastic, scrap of interfacing
Size made: 46
Modifications: The pattern calls for ⅜” elastic, but I used ¼”.

Sewing up the Goji Skirt was seriously fun! There weren’t too many pieces to cut, nothing overly difficult in the construction and NO hemming! It has a facing instead. Bonus!  So, it went together quick which means I got to enjoy wearing it sooner.  

I can’t tell you how pleased I am with the end result.  I’m especially glad I decided to make it in something simple and classic like the Brussels Washer.  Brussels Washer is a linen and rayon blend, which means you get the look of a 100% linen with less wrinkle and so much drappyness and flow because of the rayon. And we carry it in so many amazing colors.

I only ran into a couple of issues, which is nothing I can’t fix the next time I sew one up, but here is what I learned.  First, the pockets are basted in place before top stitching them to the front of the skirt.  The pattern gives you two marks to position the pockets between, which I did, but I think I should have positioned them a little further to the outside edges as that would have given me a smaller pocket opening, thus fitting my phone and keys a bit better.  Secondly, I had a little trouble feeding my elastic through the two narrow casings above and below the drawstring.  I decided to use a thinner elastic than the pattern called for and I had a hard time making sure I didn’t get a twist.  Unfortunately, I think I did in one or two places, but it’s not enough to bother me since it’s so thin.  The pattern also tells you to cut your elastic to the length of your waist measurements, but I think next time I’ll make my elastic a bit shorter to get a little snugger fit. 

I’m adding the Goji Skirt to my list of staple handmade pieces to wear year round and who knows, a pair of shorts might be next.