This happens to me a lot, and I’m sure I’m not the only one, but I was going through my closet the other week, and I had absolutely nothing to wear. Really, I have plenty to wear. But I had to go to a wedding rehearsal, and I didn’t really have anything appropriate for it. Like, something casual, but still nice-looking.
I saw someone wearing a skirt that was full, but lightweight and beautifully drapey, and I loved it. I had that skirt stuck in my mind for a while. Like, a few weeks. I think I knew in my heart from the very beginning that I wanted to make the Colette Zinnia out of our black linen and that would be the skirt. I waffled for a long time, and I Googled images of every skirt pattern we had, and lots that we didn’t. And then it was three days before I had to go out of town for this wedding.
The linen was a big investment for me, so I had to play with every other fabric we had. Long story short, I used the linen (obviously), and boy am I glad I did.
Also I realized I had no nice-ish tops, so I ended up wearing my Datura dress under the skirt. And that looked really nice.
That’s not what I’m wearing here though! This top is the Megan Nielson Eucalypt Tank, which we don’t have, so I bought the PDF pattern, even though I probably could have just traced a tank top I already had, but I wanted it now. The fabric is Art Gallery Flora’s Oasis in Rosa. I also have one in this sketchy floral and plan to make one in this lightning bug print.
Anywho, back to the skirt. I went with Version 2, which features pleats along the waistline and hits just above the knee. The pleats are much more flattering than gathers, I think, although I do love a nicely gathered skirt. The pattern has you stitch them down, similar to a pin tuck. I machine stitched them with lavender thread, but I did a bad job tying the ends, so they all came loose. Last night I hand-stitched them, which maybe wasn’t the best idea, because I was also drinking some delicious homebrew. But at least the stitching won’t untie itself again!
The lavender thread goes with the darker lavender button and zipper.
As much as I love linen, it often gives me grief. I think the other reason my pleats look a little sloppy is because of the shiftiness of the material. A more densely woven linen would be much easier to use, but I’m such a sucker for the airiness!
You can sort of see through it, but I’m wearing cute underwear… And you really can’t see through it that well. As long as you don’t stand in front of any bright lights.
Also, it has pockets!
Oh, and, see that dress on the armoir next to me? That’s the ill-fated Colette Macaron, which fits neither the mannequin nor me. I meant it for the mannequin, but it’s linebacker shoulders won’t fit into the dress. And the bodice fits me terribly. What a mess. It sure is beautiful, though. The main fabric is a silk/cotton shantung, and the upper bodice is a silk organza.
Anyway, that’s my skirt!