Saturday, May 24, 2008

Poppy Skirt

On Monday I posted about the problem dress. Too long, too stiff, etc. I'd intended to make it into a skirt, but I wasn't 100% sure that was the right thing to do. It felt wrong to cut it up for some reason. After several comments urging me to do just that, however, let me introduce my new skirt!

My first step in making this was to slice off the skirt of the dress about four inches from the waist. At that point, I tried it on to look at the length and to decide how much it would need to be taken in. The plan was to insert a zipper in the side seam, so I would have had to take it in about four inches on either side. That gave me pause, because I was still reluctant to cut the fabric. Hmm. I stood there, looking in the mirror for a bit, fiddling with the fabric, until I got the idea of making it into a wrap skirt. Out came the seam ripper, and out went the left-hand seam.

As it was, if I'd kept the right-hand seam on the side, I would have ended up with the overlap ending at an awkward spot. My husband suggested I put the seam up the back instead, which worked out perfectly once I added some darts for shaping. I used a piece from a commercial pattern to plan out the size and placement of the darts. (It never works when I try to wing it.)

To finish off the edges, I picked out a tiny bit of the hem, folded over the newly-exposed raw edges, and just sewed everything back up. For the waistband, I used quilt binding I had in my stash. The skirt closes with a snap and a ... what do you call those things? The ones that are like a hook and a bar?


Someday I may change that to a couple of buttons, but I'm still reluctant to do anything irreversible to the fabric if I don't have to. And, yes, I still have the fabric from the top of the dress to use for a bag!

7 comments:

Elle said...

I love it!!! Nice choice for the waist too!

Julie Zaccone Stiller said...

Turned out great!! And a very flattering length now. Hooray for you for thinking of a wrap skirt, and darts.

Anonymous said...

Thank you, Elle and Juliezs. It's so cool to get your feedback!

jo said...

Well done, yet another great outfit you have managed to do. Can't wait to see what kind of bag you make from the top half of the dress.

Anonymous said...

Oh, Jo! The pressure! I have been so reluctant to cut into this fabric...the bag will probably be shaped exactly like the top of the dress! :-D

Anonymous said...

Love, love, LOVE that fabric! I too am obsessed with short cotton skirts, and have decided to start making my own (instead of, for example, spending so much on skirts from Boden). I have recently discovered your terrific blog, after noticing that most of my favorite posts on Wardrobe Refashion were yours. Your creativity inspires me!

Anonymous said...

Hi, anonymous one! Oh, if money were no object, I would hit Boden HARD! Thank you for your kind remarks!