Yellow Gingham Top + Skirt Set

I saw this fabric at Fabric Outlet at least a year ago and even though I didn't know what to make with it, I still got it. I'm sure it was on sale too. 

I got some inspiration when I needed an outfit for my senior photos in May. I'd been seeing so many cute two-piece outfits in matching fabrics both online and around the city, and I wanted one for myself! It felt like a great way to have one super cute outfit that could also be split up and worn different ways. 

The yellow in the gingham is perfect - just the right shade and very subtle. And the white balances it out nicely. 

The fabric also has a good texture to it, which made it easy to sew. 

For the pattern, I patterned my own circle skirt and used the bodice from my black Winter Formal dress for the crop top. 

However, instead of an invisible zipper, I extended the side seam on the right so I could have a button placket. 

The inside is lined with leftover muslin. You can also see the skirt's invisible zipper, and the matching button I used for the waistband. 

I topstitched around the neckline, armholes and bottom hem so the fabric would lie flat. 

The buttonholes were done on the machine (the machine was in a good mood that day!) and the buttons stitched on by hand. 

The skirt was lined with leftover muslin as well. 

Gotta be honest: I was ironing the zipper on the skirt while I was wearing it when our friends showed up to take my senior photos. Yay for second semester senior year time management!

And here's a couple of the really awesome photos we took that day: 

Photo credits to Vincent Louis Carrella. To read more about his and Michelle Turner's ODE project (which these photos are from): http://www.ode.life/. 

I'm going to keep up with posting every other week for as long as I have projects...hopefully I can find a little bit of time here and there to keep sewing in my dorm!

-Taft WK