It is essentially a circle skirt with some added pleats, and an optional sash.I had planned to make it after work on Monday last week, to nicely round out my endless combinations outfits, by giving me another 3 outfits. (I rather like this stage of capsule sewing)
I traced it out in the morning (3 pieces to stick together, yuck)and was proceeding very nicely until I tried the dratted thing on.
I feel that this is the most unflattering skirt I have ever put on. It looks fine from the front, but from the back and side it is considerably fattening.
For the sake of my vanity, I am compelled to point out that my abdomen is about the only part of me that is relatively flat. This skirt manages to give me apparent central adiposity, and also visually enlarge my behind, which does not need any assistance. (I can manage this much more pleasantly myself by consuming chocolate and mince pies).It looks far,far worse in real life than it does in these photographs. (My photographer was laughing too hard to take properly revealing pictures). Fortunately, it does have a few redeeming features. 1.It gave my teenage fashion panel a good laugh.2. There is a lot of fabric in the skirt, and recutting for another garment was possible.
I folded in the pleats at the front, sewed an enormous dart in the back of the pattern pieces, and tried cutting the skirt out again.
Due to fabric limitations, I had to make the skirt much shorter, more like view B in the magazine. I also had to add 6 darts to the back, and 2 to the front to make the waist fit.It is much less fattening without the pleats.
I made a sash using the bottom section of the original skirt, so the back of the sash is curved. I really like the bow, it is nicely frivolous.
The fabric is a very thin, but crisp, cotton batik that my Mum bought me in Indonesia. It is possible that the pleats would look much less fattening if you used a more drapey fabric, such as the voile suggested by Burda for the longer skirt, but Burda also suggests taffeta for the shorter version. It seems to me that this skirt would produce apparent stomach enlargement on most figures in skirt fabrics with much body. I think it works much better without the pleats.
