Alabama Chanin 4-panel skirt

What 2 words come to mind with the sight of a hand stitched flat fell seam on a piece of t-shirt weight jersey skirt?!  Alabama Chanin!

A skirt that doesn't look much on a hanger, but a skirt that has so much 'meaning' behind it.

I've had this book for a year and this is the first pattern I've made.  Natalie Chanin, the designer behind the name 'Alabama Chanin', provides all the patterns in this book cleverly designed to be used in all the different garments.  For instance, the 'skirt' is simply cut from the 'dress'.  From my measurements, I traced a size large from the Short Fitted Dress skirt.

As a reminder, you can request an autographed book if you order from the Alabama Chanin website.  I lucked out and she was having a sale at the time I ordered.  That usually never happens.  :)

My original plans were to embellish this skirt with embroidery using the Climbing Daisy stencil that is included in this book.  I learned how to print out the stencil to custom size for my garment and had the stencil and my fabric prepped for embroidery when the Ottobre magazine fell into my hands and the no. 10 Sculpture top was made and it needed a skirt and voila! this skirt was perfect for that new top.  I'd only machine basted the skirt together to check for fit, so it was nothing to machine stitch the seams again and in the photo below, as I was in a hurry to wear this outfit to the Lowcountry, simply quartered my elastic, zigzagged it to the top of the skirt, turned down and stitched.  After wearing the skirt on this short trip, decided the elastic waist needed adjusting, as well as the length.  Also determined to leave the skirt unembroidered.

When I got home I cut 2" off the skirt's length and unpicked the stitching at the waistline, cutting off 2" of the elastic to make a snugger fit.  Made a casing for the 3/4" elastic by turning the top down, zig-zagged stitched leaving an opening for the elastic to be run through, then stitched closed.  This is my preferred elastic-waist garment method.  I deviated from Alabama Chanin's instructions of using a foldover elastic at the waist.  This also moved the (wider) hip area of the skirt up higher on my body and gave me a better fit.  These skirts are designed slim.

Then I hand-stitched (faux) flat fell seams on all four panels using 3-strands of embroidery thread.  Oh how I love this look!  You sort of pull it tight, without puckering the seam, and it gives it such a nice look. 

And because it is an Alabama Chanin garment, I hand-stitched 2 darker gray stars to note the back.

Really like the gray on gray tones.  Can you believe I got the right side and wrong side of my fabric confused and sewed this skirt with the right side to the inside?!  Not a big deal, except at the hemline, which is left unstitched, it sort of curls a little to the inside, instead of to the outside.  Grrrrr.  

And here is the completed skirt paired with the Mrs. Style Book 2015 self-drafted top.  Not sure this is how I will wear the skirt in the future as it is almost too much gray and the knit top likes to cling unsatisfactorily to the top of this skirt, as opposed to the nice contrast with the unclinging crepe de chine Ottobre top in the photo above mid-post.

Hope everyone is staying cool in this part of the world.  We are having a heatwave of consistent above 100 degrees F heat indexes.  And in case you missed it on Instagram..... a beautiful doe came to share my blackberry patch....

...and with the click of the camera, she was gone!  Beautiful!

Happy Sewing Everyone!