Shortcuts for Sewing The Riot with Circle Skirt

Anyone who sews knows shortcuts are your friend. The Riot Skirt by George + Ginger isn’t a very time-intensive pattern to begin with, but hey, shortcuts? Why not?

This is my third Riot and features the circle skirt and curved waistband in a geometric print cotton lycra from Made of Love.

The Shortcuts

I deviated from the directions while assembling the waistband. I skipped basting the straps and just sandwiched the lining, straps, and outer all in the same step and went right to sewing the seam. Used clips to hold the straps and pins for the rest.

I also combined topstitching the waistband with overlapping the front into the same step. I started topstitching at one end, and when I reached the curve at the other end, I did the overlap. I overlapped the loose end where I started topstitching (call it End A) ON TOP of the end I still had to topstitch (call it End B). So I couldn’t see the last little bit of End B, but it had enough bulk that I could follow the contour of it through End A. I used one clip along the raw edge where they overlapped, and one pin in the middle of the overlap. Then I did a short seam along the raw edge of the overlap to secure it.

Saved a bunch of time.

What I Did Differently

I had to shorten the skirt by 1&7/8″ because I didn’t have enough fabric to fit the full length.
After sewing the straps, I laid the original pattern piece and trimmed them to size since they stretched while sewing.
Had to colorblock the straps because I didn’t have enough fabric, and the back waistband because I didn’t have enough to match the geometric pattern.

Notes for Next Time

I would love to do the circle skirt at the intended length. This is a smidge short for my taste.
I also want to do a half circle skirt instead for a slightly more fitted silhouette.
I probably want to use a more fluid fabric. I’ve never been a fan of the drape of cotton lycra but wanted to give it a try with this.
I love the idea of playing with more color blocking. Maybe I can slice up the skirt and add some color blocked triangles. It looks awesome in my head, anyway.