What I wear
Published on August 29, 2010

The skirt that Would Not Cooperate

written by The Dreamstress

You know how some sewing projects should be easy, and instead you tear your hair out over them for months and months?

Yeah, this skirt was one of them.

I think I picked the wrong fabric for the idea I had, and the wrong idea for the person (my Mum) I was making it for.

I just LOVED the fabric though – silk cotton voile, fuschia warp and red weft. It glows in the sunlight, is light as a feather, and is softer than silk cashmere.

And I loved the idea of the skirt – it was based on the one my MIL wore for our wedding, and it looked so good on her.<

Mum and MIL at the wedding.

But the whole project almost defeated me. The voile didn’t want to pleat, I couldn’t find red thread, the black threads I settled for caught, and the tension went off. Lining fabric took forever to find, the pleats puckered…anything that could go wrong did.

And then I realised that what looks fantastic on my 5’3″ MIL might not look so good on my 5’8″ mother.

So I had to tweak the design. A lot.

And while I did successfully finish the skirt, I’m still not convinced that it was worth the effort.

It’s pretty, but I don’t think it falls right, and it’s not the most flattering design.

Not too mention that the blouse I bought my Mum to go with the skirt when I started it 2 and a half years ago probably doesn’t exist anymore.
UPDATE: Now with photos of my Mum wearing the skirt!  Doesn’t she look great in it?  I had to take it in a bit, but eventually it did work.

5 Comments

  1. Steph says

    Don’t despair! I recently had a similar run-in with silk/cotton voile. I’m sorry you had troubles, but I’m glad its not just me. It should have been such a simple blouse, pretty hoarded fabric from Houston, and it was just awful. I think the skirt is pretty, will your mum wear it? If not, can you salvage it?

  2. Jay says

    Giggled at the 5’8″ mother. I know that one.
    Everyone I know is cute pixi sized and I’m 5’11″ so just dress me in green and I’ll be the backdrop for their pretty florals and sunshine yellows.

  3. jackiead says

    Have you been told before that there is resemblance between you and your mum? When I first scrolled down the post and looked at the picture of your mum I thought it was you, until I looked closer and saw an older version of a woman that looks amazingly like you.
    By the way, I love the look of the fathers in matching Hawaiian flower shirts worn at your wedding.
    Hope you are having a wonderful visit with your family.

  4. MrsC says

    I think there is a look of both your Mum and your Dad about you. Mr Dreamy on the other hand looks just like his Mum! Maybe Mr Dreamy Sr’s facial fuzz masks further resemblance 🙂
    I think the skirt os gorgeous and I bet it looks great on her!

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