I picked up this amazing piece of velvet at a House of Hackney sample sale about a year ago and have had this project quietly on the back burner ever since…

I was rummaging in the remnant bin when I came across a 1 meter square (minus a couple of chunks taken out of the corners) of the brilliant Leonine amoeba/leopard print for £5. I knew straight away that I wanted to turn it into an A-line mini skirt so set to work using New Look 6106. I changed it slightly by omitting the pockets and added a lining (some lovely and slinky black silk habotai from Ray Stitch). I think the fabric is meant for sofas but it’s got a lovely soft drape and the slightly more structured look is exactly what I wanted. Sewing the velvet was a bit of a headache as it’s so prone to fraying – I’m so glad I have an overlocker! As you can see from the side view above, getting the seams to stay matched up when trundling through the machine was also tricky but I’m rather pleased with the end result (as you can probably tell from that last pic!).