Oh boy! What FUN pattern could I use to sew this up? How about something with a flounce, because nothing is quite so FUN as a flounce! Better yet, an asymmetrical flounce, because asymmetrical is not only FUN, but also whimsical. Ooooh, a FUN, whisical skirt ... I can hardly wait.
I traced out a skirt from Ottobre Woman 2/2007 -- design #13. And that flounce was hard to trace, by the way. I ended up using yellow highlighter on the original so I could follow the pattern lines on the Pattern Ease.
And I whipped up that FUN skirt.
(Still working on how to shoot a non-flash non-blurry picture in a somewhat dirty mirror, as you can see)
Oh. Oops. Just because the fabric and pattern are both FUN doesn't mean they should be used together. Even the cat looks as though she is rolling her eyes.
MrV commented that the higher swoop of the flounce looked like I had fabric bunched up in my undies. Which struck me as pretty funny. But, really, how can you wear a skirt in public after a comment like that? Also, this length makes my legs look fat. Also, I was sewing with the windows open whilst someone in this town was playing Led Zeppelin's Houses of the Holy at such a volume that not only did it flatten all the trees in a 5 mile radius, but it also lodged itself in the very fiber of this skirt so every time I look at it I hear the song in my head.
Well, what did I learn from this experience?
Invisible zippers are a heck of a lot easier to put in with an invisible zipper foot. Last time I tried one I used a regular zipper foot. It was not a good experience. This one pratically put itself in. I felt like I was cheating.
Putting in petersham at the waistband is a cinch, and does work well.
Ottobre skirt patterns have bigger fronts than backs. Its been ages since I sewed an American skirt pattern, but I vaguely remember that the backs are bigger than the fronts. I suppose this causes it to hang differently. Or perhaps European women are built differently. Next time, though, I will make the front smaller.
Also, having chosen the size based on my hip measure (per the Ottobre suggestion) this was huge in the waist. I deepened the darts, and added an extra set of darts in the back. Next time I will alter the waist before cutting out.
I have discovered an inner compulsion to finish items even though they don't look that great. I hemmed it and tacked the lining to the zipper after I realized I will probably never wear it.
And, most of all, I really really need to get a grip on visualizing what finished items are actually going to look like when put together and placed on my body.
(I really did dream of seam rippers after I made this. They were dancing around like the dishes in Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Amazingly enough, they were NOT dancing to Led Zeppelin.)
6 comments:
Maybe it's the photo that gives the skirt grace...or things are just different here. No one would blink twice if you wore that in Southern CA. I like the skirt. Except maybe where the print cuts off for the flounce, there maybe a solid or a small print would have made a better transition. Still, it doesn't look unwearable. I've been wearing some of my odlder skits around the house...much cooler than shorts when it's hot...oh, no...I'm becoming my mother.
i think km has a great idea....it's not too late to add a bit of trim along the curved seam to break up the two pieces. having made this skirt w/ a print (which i'll blog soon), i think it is better suited to a solid. however, a bit of trim could make your really cute.
btw....it does *not* make your legs look fat.
teri
first, you look fantastic in the skirt!
Second, I will now see polka dots and think "Zeppelin dots"
Look at you with your tiny little waist! I like the skirt.
I'm really sorry to hear about your dad. I'll be keeping him and you in my thoughts.
Love the crochet hook story down below. I have some passed down steel hooks as well. Have you ever used yours? I hate crocheting with cotton thread - my great-grandmother-in-law obviously had much more patience than I do.
I'm all for adding in the bit of solid... and I am SO not seeing the fat legs thing. Add a cute little tank and sandals and you'll be styling!
I'm envious. I keep eyeballing the fabric I bought to make a skirt for myself last year. When the kid starts school I'm having a sewing day.
For the record, the picture is gone because I deleted it. I looked at the sitemeter, and the hits on this post because of google image search are just plain weird. Are there people out there polka dot fetishes? Was it the 40-plus year old mama-belly that showed in the shot? Yeesh.
I couldn't handle having international fascination with a skirt hanging in my closet. Sorry.
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