Astoria top + swishy skirt (take 2)

After sewing this version of the Astoria top with a swishy skirt, I knew I had to make more.  MORE! Alas, I only made this one more (despite my dreams of a closet full of them).  

The overall style works well--cropped 50s inspired top with a voluminous skirt--and I like how it works with my shape (hiding the bottom of the pear nicely!).  

There are so many fabric options for each piece!  For this version of the Astoria, I went with a navy rayon French terry.  The fabric weight is nice for this top and is warmer than a regular knit for the fall.  

I used my double-needle coverstitch machine to finish the neckline.  Yes that's a beetle.  I have a thing for biology-related brooches.

For the skirt, I splurged and bought some silk/cotton Liberty voile.  It's lovely and Fall-like, but very sheer, so I added a lining of cream colored silk/cotton voile.

The pattern is the Brumby skirt (Megan Nielsen), cut down in length a bit.  The waistband is curved, but it sits like it's a straight band, which is fine for this overall look, but isn't very comfortable for me. 

I'm still kicking myself that I didn't add pockets.  Seriously.  Why have I not learned my lesson to just put pockets in everything?  And I would go back to add them after the fact, except that I sewed the entire thing (lining and all!) with French seams.  

I hoped this style (cute cropped top with dirndl skirt) would have been more of a "uniform" this Fall, but I didn't quite get around to making any more versions.  Regardless, I love this look and I can see it transitioning into a Spring uniform :)