Fabulous Free Pattern Friday

I had a little surgery yesterday, so I'm not feeling my best today, but I wanted to do something creative and not feel like a blob. Just about a year and a half ago, Shams of www.communingwithfabric.blogspot.com did a guest post for us on drafting her tablecloth skirt. You can see that post here, http://rhondabuss.blogspot.com/2012/04/fabulous-free-pattern-friday_13.html

Well, bad me, I had not made the skirt....

until this morning!!!! Now I can officially say I LOVE IT!!!!! I used a vintage piece of wool flannel. I put the wool in the washing machine on a hand wash cycle and then dried it on low. It really came out beautifully. My advice on washing wools is to always test a piece prior to throwing the entire piece in the machine. More times than not, you'll be pleasantly surprised with the outcome.  

My skirt is just a tad different from Shams as I made a mistake. My motto is that most mistakes can be remedied if you just take a little time to think about it. You can see in the above picture that there is a pleat at center front. I did not want a gathered waistline, so I drafted the skirt to have a waistband with a center back seam for a zipper. I wasn't paying attention and I cut the waist on the seam line rather than the line I had added for the seam allowance. Opps! Oh well, I was able to fix it and I rather like the center front pleat.  

The back with a zipper.
As I said, I am in love with this skirt and I am so happy that I finally got around to making one. The entire piece look less than 2 hours from cut to finish. One exception though, I have not hemmed it yet. It is pressed up and pinned. I'll do this while I'm watching television.
My suggestion is to go to Sham's blog and download the instructions and make one for yourself. You can find the instructions here, http://communingwithfabric.blogspot.com/2011/11/self-drafted-tablecloth-skirt-with.html
You can see a gallery of the lovely skirts that have been made here, http://communingwithfabric.blogspot.com/p/gallery-for-garment-formerly-known-as.html
And finally, you can find the reviews of the skirt on Pattern Review here, http://sewing.patternreview.com/cgi-bin/search.pl?search=search&patternid=51201&CompanyID=163&PatternNumber=108155-1008
This is a wonderful skirt idea for plaids and it would also be great for a holiday party. Lots and lots of possibilities here. So RUN go make one for yourself. Don't be like me and wait :)
Happy Friday Everyone!
Rhonda