Made it Reversible: Part 1

Hi everybody!  Last month, I shared on my social media accounts (Facebook & Instagram) about one of my travel habits, traveling carry-on only.  I know for some the idea of leaving that large suitcase at home makes them shudder, but I enjoy not worrying about whether my luggage will or will not arrive to its destination and in good condition.  That being said, a smaller bag means packing lighter, which requires me to plan out my wardrobe so I will have a decent wardrobe for entire trip.

Traveling light is really never an issue when I am vacation traveling, but traveling for work requires a semi-professional look, and those pieces take up a lot of space in my small luggage.  So I decided to tackle this issue by making three reversible garments that would work well dressed up or dressed down.  Today’s post is about 2 of 3 of the reversible pieces, the deer and doe agave skirt and itch to stitch lago tank.

Reversible Lago Tank

First, let me start by saying that this is not a reversible pattern.  I love the lago tank because of its simplicity and because it is free!  It’s one of those patterns that can work for your athletic and work wardrobe depending on the fabric you choose.  It is also easy to make a basic shirt pattern such as this reversible because you don’t have to worry about bust darts.  I cut the size 4 for the bust and graded to a 0 at the waist.  With a project like this, you will want to use fabric that has similar content and stretch.  I went with a blue rayon knit and black cotton knit from Joann with 5% spandex.  This pattern is only two pieces, so I had to cut four pieces to make mine reversible.  I used the burrito method to sew my four pieces together, and it took all of two hours to make.  I topped stitched around the neck edge and the shirt hem using my cover stitch, but you can get the same effect with a narrow zig-zag stitch.  Here is a helpful article and youtube video that gives further details about the various methods that you can use to make a reversible garment.

Deer and Doe Agave Skirt

My skirt was made using Deer and Doe’s newly released Agave skirt pattern. Version A is reversible, and Version B is not reversible and is finished with a facing.  I usually send PDF patterns to PDF plotting for print, but I did not have time to do that because the pattern was released a few days before my trip.  The print at home version for this skirt was not bad though, and I had it taped together within 30 minutes.  Using the patterns finished measurements, I cut the size 38 and made no modifications.  At first, I was going to make each side from a solid color.  Once I got to JoAnn, I came across this tropical print fabric in the shirting section and knew it would look fantastic as a skirt, so I grabbed it, and I picked up this linen look fabric for the reverse side.   I love the linen look fabric color, but it wrinkles after about 30 minutes of wear time.  For View A, you will cut a total of 8 pieces.  The instructions and illustrations are great, and if you are not familiar with sewing a reversible garment have no fear, the pattern is beginner friendly.  I plan to make version B soon because I love the skirt shape and I like the simple closure. 

Styling was simple as well; I wore this crossbody purse from target and my Michael Kors Berkley sandals.  Part 2 of Made it Reversible will be posted it in a few weeks.  If you want a peek of the dress there is a video on my instagram feed, check it out!