Mela Purdie inspired t-shirt and skirt outfit

A couple of weeks ago I was in a local boutique with my Mum while my Dad watched the boys (weird feeling to be in a boutique, I used to live in them pre-kids!) and I saw this gorgeous outfit by designer Mela Purdie. It was a simple t-shirt and skirt styled with a white and silver disc pendant. Simple and perfect. I had to have it, but at $200 a piece that was not gonna happen. I committed it to memory and now, a few hours work and about $5 later, I have one of my very own :)

I chose the exact same colours for my outfit as I'd seen on the mannequin. I couldn't find the items in the same colour to show you, but here is a similar outfit in black (source).

I used Jalie pattern 3132 for the t-shirt. I made the view in brown (below) with cap sleeves. I also altered the hemline give it waterfall sides and widened the pattern slightly at and below the hips. I used a lovely, soft knit fabric to make it that I had found on the $2/metre table at Textile Traders. They had the exact colours I was after. It was meant to be :)

I used my trusty large plastic platter to create the hemline shape on my traced pattern.

 I'd never made a hem this shape before...

 ...but after some trial and error, I decided to fold up a triangle of fabric

 and then fold each side up to create a neat point. The hem was folded once only then stitched with a twin needle.

This is how it ended up.

The skirt is made from the same jersey knit that has been doubled over to give a smooth finish. The waistband is also doubled over and cut a shorter width than the skirt so it's a bit tighter. The waistband and skirt are joined in a single serged seam. The hemline is finished with a twin needle.

Here is the finished outfit. I am so happy with the way it turned out. It really does look like the one I saw in the shop and it cost me about $5. Woo hoo!