I fell in love with the Brumby skirt long before the pattern was ever published. Megan Nielson published some pictures of her skirt in denim and I thought, that skirt is perfect!!! What felt like ages later, the pattern finally got published, and I immediately purchased it. For my first attempt, I made it in a medium weight chambray. I want to say it was a Robert Kaufman linen blend, but I'm not completely sure on that. Most of the time, I order my fabrics online, so I can usually look up what a fabric was. . . But this one, I actually bought in person, in a little shop in Portsmouth, NH.
When I first tried this on, I tried it on with all kinds of tops, tucked and untucked, and universally decided "NOPE! Not on my body!" My finished Brumby then languished for a while, unworn and unloved. Then one day, I tried it on again, and I don't know what happened but I decided I really liked it. It has since become one of my most comfortable, most often worn items of clothing! I guess it just needed to age for a bit. Here is what it looks like with the top tucked in, although this is rarely the way I wear it in real life. . .
I opted to put a ton of fullness into the back of the skirt. I really wanted it to be swishy and fun, and it definitely is!
The other feature I really love about this skirt are the pockets, which are so roomy that one can fit all manner of things in there! Part of my commute for work involves a train and then a shuttle bus, and in the process of that commuting, these pockets saw knitting projects, an iPod, my T pass - even a bottle of Coca Cola! They really are wonderful pockets.
The only changes I made to this pattern were to adjust the length, and I skipped the exposed zipper and went with an invisible one, instead. I just can't seem to get on board with this exposed zipper trend. I guess I'm old-fashioned! I also don't want to suddenly have all my hand made things be obviously outdated when this trend finally passes by, as all trends eventually do! At any rate. . . Everything lined up in back so perfectly that I really think the sewing fates were smiling down on this project!
Normally, I line almost everything. I skipped lining this skirt, figuring it would be a summer skirt and I'd be wearing it with bare legs, but then I ended up wearing it all through the cold months, with sweater tights, which meant I had to wear a slip. I really regretted not lining it, and will not make that mistake again! I did, however, take the time to finish all the exposed seams with a Hong Kong seam finish, using some lovely blue Hug Snug seam binding. This is my absolute favorite way to finish raw edges. It's not only neat, but it can be a fun way to add a secret pop of color!
I absolutely love this skirt! I have another cut out in denim that I can't wait to sew up!
