Inspired by the translucency of the petticoat I made for my friend’s skirt, and how beautifully the light came through the skirt that draped so elegantly over it, I made a new skirt for the petticoat.
This is the Deer & Doe Chardon Skirt, which we sell in-store only.
It’s a simple pleated skirt with a zipper in the back, an optional contrast fabric band at the bottom, and belt loops and a ribbon tie. And pockets! This skirt was very quick and easy to construct.
This fabric is a beige silk d’celene we have in our shop. While it’s a very beautiful pattern, it was hard for me to imagine it as something other than a fancy tablecloth. But I think it was really meant to be made into this skirt! I mean, did you see how well those pleats lined up with the pattern?! And because the fabric is fairly stiff, it lends the skirt a good amount of body, and holds the pleats well.
Although it looks fantastically full with a petticoat under it.
Not only is the petticoat great for filling out the skirt, it makes this very transparent fabric a lot more modest… but no too modest! I didn’t line it because I love the way light passes through it, and it’s pretty much for the mannequin anyway (although I may borrow it). That being said, this skirt could easily be lined, or you could wear a slip underneath it, or a petticoat.
Oh, and see that top? It’s a stretch velvet Renfrew Top that I made almost exactly a year ago!
Okay, back to the skirt! Here is a back view:
Funny how those pleats worked out. Anyway, I used a beige zipper and sewed it in by hand. This fabric is scary to unpick and I didn’t want to risk it.
And here are the guts of the skirt:
The facing is the same beige silk organza that I used for the petticoat, which is a great alternative to interfacing when you want to maintain the transparency or lightness of your material. I French-seamed the sides, and bound the back in the same organza. This allowed me to finish the back seam allowances, and add more structure and support for the zipper. I’d hate to put that much stress on the embroidered silk alone.
This skirt seems like such a perfect holiday skirt. The color is subdued and wintery, the embroidery fancy and festive, the skirt design elegant. But the playfulness of the linework in the embroidery and the sheerness of the fabric gives the skirt a fun edge. Definitely a compliment-getting skirt.
It would still make a nice tablecloth, though. Or curtains.