When I found this fabric at Hancock Fabrics, I knew I had to make it into a skirt. I love the print, especially the edge design, the reds and violets, and the paisleys. I think the pattern was pretty much made for me and I love the way this challis fabric feels in my hand. The fabric was $5/yd originally, and it was Veteran’s Day so I got an extra 20% off thanks to my Navy husband…SCORE!!
I wanted a pleated dirndl skirt with a narrow waistband. I didn’t have a pattern, so I drafted one. Dirndl skirts are really easy to draft because the body of the skirt is essentially a big rectangle….more on this later.
I also included an inseam pocket on the left side and an invisible zipper on the right side with a button closure. The buttons were thrifted from my husband’s old Hawaiian shirt.
Most side zippers are on the left side of a skirt, but since I am left-handed, I prefer them to be on the right.
Typically, when cutting out any piece of clothing, you want the lengthwise grain of the fabric to hang vertically. This fabric had a design on one of the edges of the selvage, so I had to butt the bottom edge of the pattern against the edge of the selvage.
I finished the edge of the skirt with some mini ric-rac and topstitching. LOVE this look!!
No, my knees aren’t really that white….yeah, that would be creepy.
Stay tuned for an upcoming tutorial on this dirndl skirt! Thanks for reading!
I love this skirt!! That fabric is perfect for the style. You look adorable in it too!