Just got back from a visit to see my dad in Dallas, complete with a trip to the State Fair of Texas (more on that later!), but I didn't have a chance to post on a skirt I made before I left. It's Vogue 8499, by Marcy Tilton, who does some really innovative designs (check out her website if you're not familiar with her stuff!). I made it up one time before, but this time used a fun material which doesn't show up at all in the pictures. It's something of a jacquard, impressed with a floral design. Here it is:
Unfortunately, due to the black, it's very difficult to tell much about it (I lightened up the picture in the editor as much as I could to create some contrast!). It's an unusual design, with a sort of bubble hem and huuuge pockets on the sides. The only problem is that it stands out a little bit because of the heavy-ish material, but in a way that's kinda fun, and hey, it sorta balances out my hips!
So, I came back from Dallas ready to start sewing again, and immediately dove into another project. This one was the Lotus Skirt, from the Sewing Workshop. What a wild pattern! You start out with one main, enormous, strangely shaped skirt piece, and it gradually transforms itself (along with a couple of yoke pieces) into a lovely, unusual skirt. This was really meant to be just a (potentially wearable) muslin, or else I wouldn't have made two black skirts in a row...but it turned out nice, so it's joining my wardrobe! But given the black, it's again difficult to photograph. This rendition uses a linen blend, so it has some drape, but I can imagine it looking fabulous in super-drapey fabrics. (It's not really as shiny as it looks in the pics...I think that's a result of the adjusting I did in the photo editor to try to lighten up the picture)
And the back:
What's funny is that I made it mirror-imaged! I intentionally used fabric that was the same on both sides, because the inside shows in this design...and then I used the wrong side. So the draped section, which is supposed to fall on the left side of one's body, falls to my right. It didn't matter one bit in making up the pattern, and I didn't realize my error until pretty far along the way...and I certainly wasn't gonna change it then!
The skirt looks nice on me...I was little worried about that drapey thing emphasizing my "problem areas" too much, but fortunately it poofs in places I don't, and it all manages to work out. It's a little on the dressy side. I'm not sure if it's too "funky/special occasion" to wear to work or not. Maybe depends on what I wear it with...I'll have to play around. I like it too much to save it for way-once-in-a-while wear!