Grey matter
One shade that’s been prevalent in my wardrobe this autumn has been grey (see here and here).
Continuing my obsession with this versatile colour, this grey and blue linen skirt came from the British Heart Foundation shop in Scarborough (£4.30).
The flower print is enhanced with gold and blue embroidery and sequins. It’s beautiful.
Unfortunately though, the grosgrain waistband was in really poor condition.
So that was the first thing that had to come off! The size was also much too big.
The waistband had been sewn either side of the skirt and lining and topstitched closed, so there wasn’t much seam allowance.
I pinned out the required amount at the side seam (the seam without the zip) and sewed it shut.
After re-finishing the edges, I trued up the hemline.
Not bad!
I made a new waistband by sewing together two lengths of grosgrain from my stash. It wasn’t quite as wide as the original waistband, but it does the job.
Here’s how it looks when topstitched.
I also had to make a new buttonhole. The original button was much to wide for the new thin waistband so that had to be replaced too (the new small black button was from an old garment). I put the button facing inwards and the buttonhole on the underlap. It’s a little fiddly to do it up that way, but it means it’s hidden when in use.
Here’s how it looks with my absolute favourite grey wool jumper (read more about where this jumper came from here). The skirt is already a permanent part of my wardrobe and has been worn many times – I forsee many more outings in its future, too!
Charity Shop Chic 
Your SHOES!!! What a perfect outfit!!!
Thanks Diane, I love ’em too! (I have them in black as well)
Gorgeous – I love the soft shades of blue & grey, lovely save!
Thanks lovely, I am obsessed with grey right now!
Looks lovely :)
http://www.mancunianvintage.com
Thank you :)
Ooh, what a lovely skirt, grey and blue is so pretty (I love grey)! Once again I think you did the right thing with the garment, keep it the same, just tidy up and resize, brilliant! I think your judgment is spot on! Great shoes by the way! (I really want a pair of those now)
I love grey too! Yep, this skirt was definitely worth salvaging, it’s so pretty. Glad you like the shoes too – they are a wardrobe staple!
Gorgeous colors, amazing shoes, and beautiful woman!!! I love your photography, too. That photo of the skirt and your shadow. So cool!!!
Awww, thank you Beth! I am glad you like the photography, we are really trying hard to improve our pictures.
What a gorgeous skirt – beautiful fabric! I wouldn’t have been able to leave it either. It looks fab on you especially with your blue shoes.
Thank you Claire, the shoes were a great match for the blue colour in the flowers, but the skirt also goes well with sky blue, grey or black (or gold!).
that’s the lovely with the chunky jumper! great find and resize!
Thank you Jo, I really like this skirt!
I am blown away by the whole outfit – as everyone has said, those shoes are amazing, and the skirt – gorgeous. I keep trawling the op shops but can’t seem to find the inspiration. I’ll keep working on it…
The shoes are old but they aren’t thrifted – the skirt and jumper are though. Keep looking, I am sure there are treasures to be found… somewhere!
this is such a lovely winter look..
Thank you Rachel :)
I love the embroidery detail! I’m so glad you were able to save this piece. And with the grey sweater and blue heels – perfect!
Hi Carissa, glad you liked the embroidery as much as I did, sadly it’s only on the front of the skirt…
I love grey – I’m so glad you found this skirt! it’s beautiful.
Thank you, so glad you liked it!
Beautiful outfit, what a find! Aren’t your legs cold though?!
Thanks Rach, and yes my legs were cold even though it was a warm day (this is a few weeks ago, not today) and I was wearing extremely unfashionable nude tights…
just perfect with your shoes and grey jumper.
Thanks! :)
Grey really is a fabulous colour! My whole living room is grey and my newly renovated bathroom will be as well. (Not to mention all the wardrobe pieces that make their continuous circulation). Love the skirt! :)
Yep, grey is the new black! It’s such a great neutral colour, can’t imagine why I have only just cottoned on to it.
It is grey matter and(or) also black matter:suddenly one can find that is dressed from head to toes in grey (or black), it seems that happening to You also, so those blue shoes are splendid with grey (or black) outfit and this grey combination can stand and some accessories. This is real addiction of Yours blog! There is always something new for me!(coloring textile , unusual darts, hidden button etc.)Thank You!
Hi Mary, I haven’t been wearing as much black this season as last year. Grey is the new black, I guess! Glad you liked this skirt. Thanks for reading!
What a beautiful skirt. Love the blue heels.
Thanks Trish, these shoes are a firm favourite.
wow love that pop of colour at the bottom of the skirt! fantastic find! Love it!
Thank you, it’s a shame the sequins are only on the front though!
Love the skirt, and love the shoes!! Great job!
Thank you Susan! :)
Lovely… and as some of the others have mentioned… those shoes are perfect with it! Easy to dress up or down too.
Bet your thinking grey….. hmmmm not so bad! LoL….
That’s right Jean, this skirt is definitely versatile!
What a great blog you have! I love the idea of taking something pre-loved and reworking it to suit your own style (I recently tried this but FAILED so bad as I made the revamped skirt too small – whoops)!
The ads on every photo are very annoying and block out most of your work.
Hi Tina, sorry you’re having problems viewing the site. You shouldn’t be seeing ads on every photo. I think perhaps you have contracted some malware or otherwise may be having browser issues. I hope you get it fixed.
the ads are for etsy, just so you know, I do not use the site
I will look into it.
I finally figured out that a “jumper” isn’t a onesie in Britain, it’s a sweater! Was very confused in a previous post!
HAHAHA perhaps I should make a glossary for you non-Brits! Don’t get me started on ‘vest’ vs ‘tank top’ or even ‘thong’ vs ‘flip flops’…
This is perfect with your blue shoes!
Thanks Catherine, it’s a personal favourite!