I didn't put the question up here on the blog, but I asked
what I should do with this triangular rayon challis about two weeks ago. It's not a print I would normally gravitate to, but I love the colors and the drape of the fabric. It was a $2/yard score in LA.
When I first started sewing the skirt, the opinion was for the long skirt with a slit. Since then, the opinion has changed. No matter. I'm not second-guessing my decision for this skirt. It works beautifully as a wrap maxi.
I've mentioned this before, but my beef with wrap skirts is coverage. We live on a pretty drafty mountain and I hate showing off my underwear to family and friends. I do like how easy these skirts are to draft, sew and wear.
With this skirt, I drafted something slightly different. Most wrap skirt patterns (that I've seen from the big pattern manufacturers) are rectangles with darts. This doesn't create a whole lot of room at the bottom for flowiness or for covering lady bits when the wind picks up. Instead, I drafted up a partial circle skirt (just shy of a third of a circle) for both sides, the front flap being only 2-3 inches shy of the side seam rather than a whopping 6-8 inches. That makes all the difference in the world.
The skirt walks really well and doesn't show off really any skin above the tops of my shins. I say that's perfect for the upcoming fall and winter months.
The fabric used here is a soft, breathable rayon challis. I love this kind of fabric. It's fairly easy to work with, breathable and drapes really nicely. I can't seem to find this print anywhere, but I now have a
pinterest board dedicated completely to rayon challis. Check it out. You'll love it.
Outfit details:
I love my new skirt, even if the colorway is so nuts I only have two or three shirts that actually match. Two Sundays ago, I couldn't find any clean shirts that matched this skirt (but I wanted to wear it so bad!) that I rummaged through my "to refashion" pile and came across this white button-up.
I bought this button up in the boy's section at DI for $3 or so. It fit great in the body but not in the arms. I simply grabbed my serger and quickly zipped up the sides of the arms for a more tailored look. Pre-serger, that improvement would have taken about 30 minutes because of pinking or finishing the exposed fabric edges. This time it took me 5 minutes. I felt like I cheated it was that easy.
Have you ever made a wrap skirt before? It was one of the first garment sewing projects I ever did. I think I was 12 or 13.