I may need some help to determine if this make is going to be a contender for Fail February or not. Friends, please help!
I had pretty good luck with the Colette Zinnia Skirt since I wear the heck out of the olive green chiffon one I made for Cali Fabrics. I also am enjoying my linen blend Maritime Shorts as the fabric is cute yet neutral and works well for a bottom weight fabric.
I thought two rights would make a FANTASTIC and paired the Colette Zinnia Skirt with that same linen blend fabric.
Now I can’t decide if this is an “OK enough” or just a plain FAIL.
You see, the linen, even after washing this bad boy 3-4 times, is still pretty stiff, thus making the bottom of the pleats jut out at all angles, especially over that booty.
I pressed and re-pressed that darn fabric and I can’t for the life of me get those pleats to look better. I was skeptical about the pleats to begin with (as I made my chiffon overlay gathered instead of pleated for my first Zinnia) and I wonder if I should have trusted my gut.
Sure, it’s got a nice twirl-factor…
… not to mention much needed pockets….
…but really, does it look as bad as it does in my head? Or do these photos prove that I can get away with wearing this and no one will notice the ill pairing of this fabric with this pattern?
Dear sewists (and non-sewists), please tell me your honest opinions! I’m all (r)ears!!
-RED
Sew RED-y 
It looks cute. I think I’d be self conscious of it fluffing out at my butt if i was wearing it. Can you extend the pleats so that they don’t end at the widest part of your butt? Might help with the poof.
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Thanks and that’s kind of how I feel. I could try extending the pleats and see how that looks- thanks for the idea, it’s worth a try!
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You could also try to change the pleats into gathers? I think it would maybe help with controlling the poof and not having the fabric pouf out uncontrollably.
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Thanks for the feedback! I thought about it but at first I thought the heft of the fabric might not work too well with gathers. Now I’m second guessing myself, LOL!
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The Zinnia pattern also shows the skirt in a crisp lineny fabric. But yours is cuter (more RED-y)! Truthfully, I would need to see rear views of skirts you like to wear (feel comfortable in) in order to make a comparison.
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Haha thank you! I think the rear view of most anything I wear is poofy – thanks to the badunkadunk, LOL!
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I really like it. You’re so slim that a bit of poofing put around your bum is a lovely look.
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Thanks so much! I guess it can be considered a modern-day bustle? Hah!
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I see what you mean. It’s not awful, but not as tailored as you’d probably like. Could you make the pleats longer? Sew them down a bit more so they sit flatter where you want them to?
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That’s definitely an option! The more I think about it, the more I think I’ll try that. 🙂
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I don’t think the skirt looks bad but I think you might be happier with it if you style it differently. This looks like a summer skirt to me so pairing it with a sweater and those office heels isn’t working. I think this would look cute paired with a white t-shirt and keds for an easy going look, or white on top and more fun heels, either black stilettos or cute wedges.
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I like the white t-shirt idea and I think it was my original intention to style it that way for the blog but I got side-tracked with photographing 6 things in one day so I forgot, ha! Thanks for the honest feedback and it looks like this skirt may be spending a bit more time with me. 🙂
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I’m just going to come out and say it: NO ONE WILL NOTICE! 😉 I like the stiffness and how it juts out, wouldn’t have considered it wasn’t intentional if you hadn’t said. Love it with the claret top too. However, here’s the rub. If it bothers you, you probably won’t wear it. So perhaps test drive in a few situations and see how you feel. How you feel is actually the thing you need to resolve IMO not the skirt. Been there a million times with me-mades. Good luck!
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Haha thanks! I think I’ll try it out at work since I’m sitting most of the day anyway. I wore my husband’s old pants to work last week and determined I could NOT pull it off so I can try the same with this skirt! I love the color and the fit and flare… maybe I just need to break it in. 😉
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I think it’s cute and I wouldn’t have noticed anything about stiffness if you hadn’t pointed it out, LOL. I’ve struggled with similar issues with linen – I was able to get a recent linen make to soften by putting baking soda in the water during the wash cycle. My mother told me to. I usually ignore her advice (don’t tell her) but it worked!!
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Thanks and that’s a great idea- I wouldn’t have thought about the baking soda! Looks like the consensus is it’s not too bad so maybe I’ll keep it after all. 🙂
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I really like the body of the linen even if the pleats are not behaving, and I’m with Naomi. I don’t think anyone will notice because the overall look is really cute and it’s nicely constructed. Washing the linen with a bottle of Coke in the wash cycle will also help soften it. I wonder if wearing it with a petticoat would help the back sit better.
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I wore this last weekend with a crop top and I was in love. I think I just needed to not overthink it and go with it! The linen skirt is here to stay… now I just need to press it after washing so I can wear it again! LOL. Thanks for the comment – it helps solidify my decision. 🙂
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I swear sometimes things need to age in the closet so your can figure out how to style them. I hated hated hated my green Toaster sweater, but now that it has matching pants, it’s a little better.
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I agree – it’s better to let it marinate than throw it out immediately. Especially after spending so much time making it!
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