Orange Wool Everyday Skirt

I was quite skeptical about this skirt.  I should say that up front.  I was quite worried that it was going to make me look quite wide--the combination of heavy woolen fabric with a pleated front and big a-line silhouette made me quite nervous.  

But I didn't want to make this fabric into another pencil skirt because my shape is changing so much and I didn't want to make something that would fit for five minutes before needing alterations.  The fabric for this skirt (and the lining) came from an etsy seller who bundled it together with a vintage pencil skirt pattern from the late 1950s.  It was something like $10 for the whole thing--2 yards of wool, 2 yards of poly lining, a spool of thread, and a vintage pattern in a larger size (mine at the time I bought it!)  I figured even if I never used the fabric, the price for the pattern alone was worth it.

But the fabric stayed in the back of my mind.  I felt I needed to use it.  After my Everyday Skirt successes this fall, I thought it was worth a shot to use this fabric for a winter skirt.  I'd never really looked at the fabric, and so when I got it out to work with it, I realized it would never have worked for a pencil skirt anyway because it has a pretty loose weave and a fair amount of drape.  So it is actually perfect for this pattern!

I confess it was a bit difficult to work with, since it had been folded for a LONG time, and I think there is probably some polyester content in with the wool.  The lining was a bear, being both polyester and having been folded for probably 20+ years.  I despaired of getting the fold lines out of both pieces, but in the end, a heavy steam from my steamer did the trick!  

I did kind of mess up the lining a bit, as I applied it inside out (instead of having the raw edges of the seams to the inside of the skirt, all nice and lovely encased, I put them to the outside).  I didn't realize my mistake until I was nearly finished with the skirt, and I wasn't about to unpick the whole waistband to fix it.  The fabric is loosely woven, as I said, and unpicking stitches was quite a job.  I worried that I might wreck the skirt in the process of trying to fix the lining that only I would see anyway.  It doesn't really bother me, and the edges are pinked, so it won't fray.

I almost didn't have enough fabric for the skirt--it was a squeak!  I added 1.5" to the pattern for extra length (although in future, I think I will add another 1" to the top so that I can stabilize the waistband more effectively; the 1.5" petersham is good and stable, but it wants to roll on the seam allowance).  

I ended up using lining material for half of the pocket bag because I didn't have enough, but it ended up reducing a lot of seam bulk on the pockets, so that worked out well.  I also had to cut one of the side panels on the opposite grain from the rest of the skirt.  There is a subtle chevron pattern in the fabric, so one of the side panels is running the opposite way, but it is pretty subtle and not noticeable unless you are right up close and looking for it.

I think it looks nice with this sweater--I bought it last year off ebay and struggled to find things that looked good with it.  It is a little big on me this year, but not unwearably so.  It is cashmere and so soft!  I love the big collar.

The temps have dropped significantly overnight after a big rain (the temps are going to continue to drop into polar regions over the next week--winter is here!!)  I pulled out my big fuzzy boots this morning and was so happy to wear them.  I swapped my wool fall coat for my down parka too.  The parka is really getting big, but I don't even care.  It means I can layer a lot of sweaters under it and still be comfortable and warm.

You can see the chevron pattern above.

And the lining.  It was a good color match for the skirt.  I am glad I lined it, even if I didn't attach it right.  It was a little tricky to attach at one of the side seams because of how the waistband is constructed in the back.  I'll probably do it differently next time.  I had planned to line my flannel Everyday skirt, but ended up not doing it on account of the trickiness of this version.  I don't mind wearing a slip.

I'm pretty pleased with this one--I think it is pretty flattering, the colors are good for my skin tone, and I feel good in the outfit.  Win-win.