Loud golf skort

So, not to be outdone by Mr N, I needed my own loud clothing for the golf course! I've been meaning to make a skort for ages and actually bought some pale green stretch cotton to make one about a year ago. That has since been made into a straight short skirt (not blogged about, but on My Makes page).

I spent ages looking for a pattern and pinned loads on a Pinterest board while I made a decision. You wouldn't believe how many patterns I actually found. Did I really want a skort, or did I want culottes? In the end, would I actually finish them in time for Closing Day in the middle of December? After cogitating and ruminating I mashed up two and came up with this...

I bought the fabric the same time as getting the fabric for Mr N's loud trousers. He actually saw this stretch cotton and thought it would be fun for his trousers, then I told him it had flowers on it, he changed his mind, but agreed it would be fun for a loud skort for me.

Patterns, well I bought the fabric first and then chose the pattern(s). All the vintage patterns were so cute and I really wanted one, but have you found a vintage pattern to fit a modern size 16? Mm, I haven't either. So, I thought I'd be brave... The shorts come from this pattern, Kwik Sew 3232

Mm, I don't really like Kwik Sew, but sometimes needs must! 

And the skirt came from...

Butterick 4766 - how cute is that pattern?

As you can see, the Butterick is a vintage size 12, ie small, well, smaller than me :-) I decided the skirt would be easier to grade up than the shorts. 

The Butterick pattern is a false wrap skirt with a back zip, the Kwik Sew pattern is just a plain skirt with a side zip. The Kwik Sew has in seam pockets, the Butterick has a slash pocket on one side and a patch pocket on the front. This was why the Butterick skirt definitely won me over.

I made a muslin of the shorts and was pretty happy with the fit. Fortunately they don't have to be perfect since they are covered by the skirt. I then actually made up the shorts before even cutting out the skirt. Possibly completely the wrong way round, but it worked for me, so do I care?

And here they are on, they are really comfortable and fit quite well as a pair of shorts (I've never made shorts for me before!) And comfort is important when you're playing golf. The last thing I want is to be constantly fidgeting with my clothes.

For the skirt I laid the Butterick pattern on top of the Kwik Sew pattern to try to get some idea of the size I needed to make. Out came the curve to get it the right fit.

This is how much was left once I'd cut the skirt out...

Don't you just love it when there's just scraps left? No wondering what to do with the remains.

The zip is just a centred zip in the back. It's actually only attached to the skirt part. The shorts are just edge finished and, yes, I guess if the skirt was high enough, you'd see the gap and most likely my knickers! (OK, too much information there!) The skirt is basically four pieces in an A-line shape, so no darts. I didn't actually baste the wrap part until I'd lined up the side seams. I'm sure my construction is decidedly ad hoc, but it completely worked for me. :-)

I put the patch pocket on the front and found some ribbon in my stash to put across the top, as in the Butterick pattern. The ribbon is stitched down at half inch intervals to provide space for my tees.

In practice it doesn't work that well, as soon as I bend down, the tees pop out!

I'm not sure there's anything else about the construction. The seams are all finished using pinking shears and the hem is machine stitched.

And so the details...

Fabric: Stretch cotton sateen from Spotlight, October 2013 (can't remember the cost)

Notions:   Thread, a standard dress zip, two buttons, interfacing for the waistband and a wee bit of ribbon to finish the pocket.

Pattern:  A mashup of vintage Butterick 4766 and Kwik Sew 3232
First worn:  For the Closing Day competition at Karori Golf Club at middle of December 2013, I finished it the night before!
Another one?  Not really sure, it's really comfortable and great for golf. The pockets are large enough for spare balls, tees, pitch mark repairer, etc. I probably will even get away with wearing leggings under it in the cooler weather. I feel much happier wearing it too, I'm not really a trousers person and much prefer to wear a skirt. This gives me combination of the two.

Oh I guess you want action shots don't you, otherwise you'll not believe that I actually wore it on the course...

Teeing off on the 9th - I'm keeping my eye on that small white round dimpled thing :-)

Putting on the 9th