Watercolor Mave Skirt

I finally, finally, finally made myself another Mave Skirt! If anyone forced me to name a singular goal from the last few months that goal would be to get myself another Mave as soon as possible!

The first Mave I made (this green floral maxi) has quickly become a favorite among the things I wear. It’s comfortable, there’s very little risk of my having a wardrobe malfunction while I’m chasing my kids, and I feel good wearing it. I wanted to make another one in a bad way!

The fabric for my first Mave turned out to be very nice but I was a bit rushed in making it (just channeling Veruca Salt’s “I want it NOW!” attitude) so my options were limited as I had to use what I could find locally. This time I wanted a fabric that I really loved.

Anyway, I found this beautiful watercolor floral over at Raspberry Creek and just completely loved it but couldn’t quite think of what to make out of it. I’m not very decisive and this becomes even more obvious when the decision has anything to do with money. So as I curated my cart over the course of several days, this fabric found itself being bounced in and out of my online shopping cart. I kept coming to it and swooning over it and plopping it in the cart, but then coming back to it completely clueless about what to turn it into so removing it once again.

I did consider a Mave skirt but I had originally been planning on making another maxi and for some reason that didn’t jive for me with this particular fabric. It was later that I considered a midi and that seemed to click. I added 2 yards worth back to my cart. When I got my load of fabric (I ended up really treating myself because they were having a sale), this was the first thing I cut into (after washing it, of course!).

The fabric is a rayon challis. It’s thin and flowy but has a crispness that makes it really easy to work with. Raspberry Creek does their fabric printing in house and I’m always so impressed with how bright and vibrant the colors turn out. This was no exception which was great since that’s the reason I was attracted to the print in the first place!

I don’t recall any difficulties during the sewing. It’s a straightforward and simple sew. It definitely has some great techniques to practice but I’d think it’d be an awesome project for a beginner sewist. The ruffles can be time consuming, and the topstitching on the waistband can be a little daunting, but honestly both of those features are optional, so don’t do them if you’re not sure you have the skills or just want a project that’s super quick.

If I had to come up with a problem it would just be that, between my Maves and my Hudsons, I end up using my 2″ soft waistband elastic so fast! It seems like I have to go pick up more every other project. If anyone knows where to buy it in bulk, let me know (specifically the “soft” kind).

I made a straight size 12, using the midi, 2 tier option. I included pockets and ended up doing a double rolled hem that was only about 1/4 inch.

I’ve decided that the Mave skirt is basically the sweatpants of the skirt world. It is impossibly comfortable and so easy to wear, though it can totally be dressed up by using different fabrics (like my holiday Mave). I love this pattern and am so glad it’s in my stash because it’s one I suspect I’m just going to make again and again.

I took my regular porch pictures for this skirt but felt like I needed something a little brighter to feature this lovely fabric, so I had my husband snap a couple photos while we were visiting Mesa this week. Unfortunately we still have (a lot) of snow on the ground where we live but Mesa was a balmy and gorgeous 80°. It was so nice to visit for the day! Hopefully we can see some spring(ish) weather soon!

Pattern: True Bias Mave Skirt
Size: 12
Alterations: None
Fabric: Floral watercolor rayon challis from Raspberry Creek Fabrics (2 yards)
Cost: Fabric $20; elastic $5
Would I make this again?: Yes 🙂