Many thanks for your votes!

The votes have been cast in the Mini Wardrobe contest and I gained 31 votes! I am totally amazed by this, especially as it is the first time I have entered a competition. My only other attempt was a full SWAP and I didn't even come close to the finishing line. I think it is a major achievement to complete the four garments and the winner, Adrianne thoroughly deserved to win for her fantastic wardrobe. I particularly like the fact that she had a variety of looks from smart casual to formal from just her four garments. You can see al of the entries at Pattern Review.

I have been able to finish my Vogue 8426 skirt now that the contest is over. I started this at the beginning  of the summer but I put it on hold when I was completing my wardrobe. I based the design on a skirt that I loved in Karen Millen, but at £120.00 I decided to make my own version! The shirt below is Karen Millen though, a girl has to treat herself sometimes!

This is the second time I have made this skirt so I knew that the fit was right. I made View C this time which has 5 pleats at the back:

The pattern goes together superbly well and the instructions are very clear. The only alterations to them were that I used an invisible zipper using my new invisible zipper foot. This enables you to get much closer to the zip and I am pleased with finish I got for a first attempt. I also top-stitched the seams using a zig-zag stitch. I used topstitching thread but it is VERY thick and if I was to do this again, I would just use double thread. My other alteration was to the hem, I took a narrower hem allowance and topstitched the hem on the machine, at the same time, attaching narrow lace that I had pinned from the right side. At the seam allowances, I caught the hem allowance by hand to stop it falling forward.

I wore this skirt for work on Friday and received some really nice comments. I would definitely recommend this pattern to you.