A tale of two Hummingbirds

How many Hummingbirds can I sew? Well, a lot! Meet my second skirt and my second top, which through pure chance just happen to be out of almost identical prints! 

Booyaa! The tee is a slub jersey I bought last week, and the skirt is a linen I bought last year. 

Let’s take a closer look, shall we? 

I guess I really am consistent with what I like!!! I’ll never wear them together, but I’m tickled that the fabrics are so similar. 

Let’s talk shirt first: 

I cut the same size as before, but took in the waist and took 2” off the length. I also made cap sleeves instead! Bonus: I cut it out of only 1m of fabric! :) 

It’s such a drapy knit that it’s still a bit loosey-goosey… I’m going to take a page from Katie’s book and cut the shoulders and bust smaller next time!  I think I’ll make the neckline lower next time too… feels a bit covered up!  

Now for the skirt: 

I was so inspired by Susan’s beautiful piped skirt that I copied her before the day was out! I follwed her tutorial to use flat piping. Mine is just normal bias tape that I ironed to make it a single fold. It was surprisingly easy to use, and really didn’t add much time to the project! 

Oh, and guess what? Using piping was one of my own #Sewingdares!!!

I’ve still got a few more to go, but I’m pleased to knock one dare off the list! :) 

Now, my first version of this pattern was stretch, but this one is not. I’d altered the pattern to reflect my adjustments, but I probably should have included a bit of extra ease for a plain woven! It’s not tight, but it’s snug!  Luckily the linen has some natural give in it (from pre-shrinking it in the wash, I think!) 

One of the pleasant surprises while making the skirt was that it was easy to match the large print across the centre panels because all the pieces are cut out next to each other. As a result, the print flows really nicely! 

What (not) to wear: 

While I was planning the skirt, I really wanted a striped shirt to wear with it. I pulled out my brand new Mission Maxi pattern, traced it, widened the straps, and boom, make a new tank top!

I even trimmed it with leftovers from my first Hummingbird top! 

I love it as a stand alone, but I’m not convinced it’s right with the skirt. Check it out: 

I love the piping so much that it seems a shame to cover it… and the tank tucked in looks kinda boxy to me. The thing is, I’d love to wear this skirt to a family reunion this weekend - so I need to make a top to wear with it!

What should I make? 

1. a black tank (maybe with some ruffles at the neckline or something to make it a little more dressy?)

2. a black kimono tee

3. a Hummingbird of some variety?

4. a _____???

Thanks for your ideas!!!