Thursday, January 17, 2013

McCall 3968: The "Jumpin' the Shark" Skirt

A certain someone has likened my 1940 McCall Project to Fonzie's shenanigans on that one Happy Days special that involved waterskiing, a shark infested pool and a very dapper looking Fonzy.  So I dedicate this post to taking risks but doing so while always keeping your own personal style like the Fonz'.  In reality, I think Mr. Pattern Boldness just wanted to taunt me with the fact that he owns one of the best McCall patterns from 1940 (McCall 3640).  What are the chances?  I might just have to bribe him to make a copy for me...lol..

Now onto the 'Jumpin' the Sharks' skirts, aka McCall 3968...

Project Details

The Fabric(s): I've made two versions of this skirt pattern: The first, in a wonderful navy lightweight wool, and the second one in a lime green crepe back satin.  The wool fabric is perfect for this skirt, it has a nice flair and holds the shape really well.  The crepe back satin, on the other hand, isn't to my liking as a fabric for this skirt.  Mostly because 1) it's too light, especially for Scotland, and 2) it's difficult to invisibly hand hem on this fabric (resulting in a puckered look at the hem).  You can really see the hem in the photo below.  Alas, lesson learned.  The wool skirt, on the other hand, gets tons of wear.  I just love it!  It goes with everything.


Construction:
This pattern goes together very quickly.  It is a four-gore skirt with a basic waistband.  It took me about 4 hours to cut out and sew the skirt, making it a really quick sewing project.

I interlined the navy skirt waistband with petersham and the lime skirt with regular interfacing.  The skirt closes on the side with a zipper and a single button on the waistband.

I sewed seam binding onto the hem of both skirts before hand hemming them.  I have a 2.5 inch hem which I could probably shorten for the future especially if I make it up again in a lighter fabric.


The 1940 McCall Project Rating
I give this skirt pattern a solid 4 out of 5 stars for 1940 fabulousness.  It really is a very versatile and wardrobe building skirt.

Also, check out Inkyknits version on the vintage pattern wiki. So lovely!
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8 comments

  1. What a great classic pattern!

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  2. Love this skirt. A version of this style has been popular in every decade I think. I have a Butterick pattern, same lines from the 90's that I made in several fabrics. Wool was probably the best fabrication. Now that I think about it, Rayon was also great for warmer weather. Wore them until threadbare!

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  3. Beautiful skirt!  I'm new to your blog and I love that you're going through all 1940's patterns ~ how awesome. Also, I love taking a glimpse of Scotland - it looks like a beautiful place!

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  4. Love the colour of the green skirt but I can feel your pain about the hem and weight. The shape of both are quite lovely, and I adore your embracing the shark and jumping with it (not quite sure why my computer decided to suddenly start typing in italics, there's no hidden meaning to it honest).

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  5. Personally, I'd jump the shark with a six-gore skirt for added mobility (remember you'll have water skis on), but your four-gore navy wool is lovely!

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  6. Love the navy skirt, the first thing I made was a navy skirt, but wasn't too sure what to pair it with.. so I shall borrow some of your pics/ideas haha:)

    www.becstitches.blogspot.com.au

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  7. I think this style of skirt is so versatile.  I'm making a navy one at the moment - just need to hem it but mine is from an Australian Home Journal pattern not McCall.

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  8. That really is a great staple skirt pattern! I have a couple like that and I think I'll be making them time and time again. I really love that last photo of you in the lower right, with the white blouse and the ribbons peeking out at the top of the pic!

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I read each and every comment--thank you so much!

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