Flirt item #3

The technical view:



Burda 05-2009-116

A theme is emerging. Tulip skirts. None of it planned, just based on what the fabric wanted to do. This wool is so light and so drapey, and I loved the idea of keeping the original design (pleated at the waist) but modernising it. And the fact the fabric actually features tulips made it perfect.



Also I loved the bow on this design. I have a big tummy so I usually shy away from waist detail, but on this skirt, it absolutely makes it. I used the hem of the lining fabric to make the bow. It's cut on a slight curve because it's all I had left, which is why the seams are not true, and there is a big seam running across the middle. I put the bow on hooks and sewed my own little "eye" onto the front in thread. That way I can un-hook the bow when I want to wear a long top over the top and not worry about the bulk underneath.





I also lengthened the skirt 2 inches. As you know, Burda models like to sport a lot of leg. They also have fabulous gazelle like legs to sport. With a tulip skirt you have to alter the final length very carefully. You can't just whack off or extend the bottom, you have to redraw the entire side seam to preserve the final circumference. Otherwise you cannot walk: the angle gets too narrow if you follow the slanting trajectory.

Other than that, it was an extremely easy sew and a relatively painless refashion - not too much unpicking, lots of fabric, not too many seams etc.

Now, may I be smug for a moment? In addition to reusing the outer fabric, I also re-used the original lining (resewing it to fit the new shape of the skirt, and using the hem for the bow) and zipper. I left the original tags in the lining to make me feel thin. I used thread I had lying around and I used interfacing I got from the Sally Army, absolute top quality interfacing, 3 metres for $1. Don't hate me because I know how to find a bargain.



All in all, a happy refashion, and for the grand total of $15.50.