But there's a pretty little thing waiting for the King down in the Jungle Room

Mr S has been travelling a lot for work recently, which is bad news for my blog posts as he's also my resident photographer. Tripod now added to my birthday list. No scratch that, Mr S is reading over my shoulder and NOW decides to tell me he already has a tripod and the camera has a timer on it.

Anyway, finally I have photos of my Jungle Room Pencil Skirt. 

Mr S actually spotted this awesome fabric in the remnant bin at Rolls & Rems in Lewisham. As he picked it up he suggested it might make a nice head scarf (so sweet!) but there was enough of it for something larger and at the time I thought it might make an interesting top. However, as I began to plan what I wanted to make for the Road Trip this summer, I figured this jungle print was destined for only one place and it had to have sex appeal if I was going to wear it while hanging out with my boyfriend Elvis. This is so weird, but he actually has a lounge that he calls the Jungle Room!

So, what's sexier than a pencil skirt? Here are the details:

This is a self-drafted pattern. I drafted up a standard pencil skirt pattern with a back vent and waistband. I prefer including a vent on a skirt rather than a slit as when sewn properly, a vent can withstand wear and tear better than a slit. You may find that a slit will tear with certain movements.

Originally I made the skirt with pockets, but I removed them as I felt that I lost the nice shape on the hip line.

Even though it's going to be pretty hot in the south when we go, I still wanted to give this skirt a lining, so I used a very lightweight black cotton lawn from Fabricland. I had fun and games when it came to lining that back vent but I found Colleen's video tutorial over at the Fashion Sewing Blog really helpful. I definitely recommend this. 

I used a 9" invisible zip. I prefer using a 9" as I can ensure that the skirt will open enough to go over my hips. It's always worth considering this with skirts as the worst thing in the world is hearing that tear of zip/fabric as you try to breathe in through your thighs!

For the waistband, I drafted a standard waistband with lapped finished. I have used some snap fasteners for closure but I think I will change these to my normal hook and thread 'eyes'. For a finishing touch and in tribute to the King I have added a faux gold button. I spent ages looking for a button with a lion on it as per Elvis' famous belts in the 70s, but could I find one? Nope, so this will have to do:

I am really happy with this skirt. It's so comfortable and I am loving the fit, plus the print is fun for the summer. I teamed the skirt with a black body and some new black wedges from Marks & Spencer's that I am in love with, so much so I bought the animal print pair too!

And there you have it, the Jungle Room Pencil Skirt has left the building! a.k.a the sewing room.