Here at Twig + Tale, we love the practicality of Skirt Hikes - like an extra hand to help lift and style a full skirt for ease of movement - but just as much, we love the all the true "Sew Your Story" possibilities for creative embellishment, to create any number of unique fantasy-inspired looks. Whether you're heading to a LARP festival, a Renaissance Faire, or just frolicking through the forest or enjoying some everyday whimsy, these little details help make the outfit truly your own.
In this post, I'll share how I created a pair of charming, hand-embroidered skirt hikes with a twist - read more to see!
I love bringing stories to life with needle and thread in sustainable ways, so when the idea struck for some nature- and fantasy-inspired looks, I wanted to make sure I was creating pieces that were as adaptable and versatile, as they were whimsical. This Lorien Lace-Up Skirt and Vista Top certainly made a great base for it - they've already found a welcome place in my everyday wardrobe, as well as incorporating seamlessly into costume looks as well. So when the time came to create accessories for the look, I knew they needed to have just as many possibilities!
I created this pair of Skirt Hikes with interchangeability in mind, so they could be used for any future look I could dream up. I opted for a piece of wide-wale corduroy from the scrap bin as my material, for a rustic, yet elegant bit of texture that could match anything. Then, I hand-stitched motifs from our Toadstool and Leaf embroideries, and turned them into sturdy patches using the techniques from the Adventure Patches tutorial. These patches were then fitted to the Skirt Hikes using small hand-stitched clear snaps for an unobtrusive connection point. The results are Skirt Hikes with an extra dose of fun, as well as the patches serving as a hardware cover to obscure it.
Simple to switch out and create new patches for, the possibilities are endless for so many future looks, both costume and everyday - perhaps a tinker faerie with Sewing Magic embroidery? Seashells for keeping my skirt out of the sand at the beach? Bees or Insects for pottering around the garden and keeping my hem out of the mud? We'll just have to see where the inspiration leads!
I hope you've found this post inspiring for your own creative endeavours - if you create any one-of-a-kind looks with this tutorial, we'd love to see what you make! You can tag us @twigandtale on Instagram, Bluesky, and Youtube, or share them in our Twig + Tale Chat group on Facebook. Go forth and create!
- Erica xx
