Burda 7248 Spring Skirt

I have a bunch of projects that I really should do, but the sun has finally peeked from behind the clouds and melted the snow; my tulips are blooming and I wanted to sew for SPRING!

So I made a pink pencil skirt. With flowers on it.

This is the fabric I used. Isn't it amazing!! Totally quintessential Spring. It is a stretch woven with an interesting interwoven floral design, given to me by the lovely and talented Lady Katza. I think this is actually the wrong side, but I liked it better so I used it this way. It has a ton of stretch, which runs with the grain like bengaline, so I cut the skirt on the cross grain to take advantage of the stretch around my body.

The pattern I used is Burda 7248, a vintage reprint from the 50s. I've used it before to make this Alexander McQueen knockoff, and really like the shape. This time, I actually sewed it as drafted, only making a few alterations for fit, based on the first version. While the skirt is pretty basic, it has all the bells and whistles.

Back vent with a nice fold over facing on the underlap, which finishes it nicely. You can see that I decided not to line this, both because I couldn't be bothered and because I didn't want to mess with the stretch of the fashion fabric.

I cut the waistband on the fabric's grain so that it wouldn't stretch and also to conserve yardage. Myra wants some, too. I accidentally attached the waistband without accounting for the underlap, so the skirt is a wee bit big in the waist, and there wasn't anywhere for a buttonhole. Instead, I sewed on a couple of hook and eyes. I kind of like it though. It's nice and flat without the bulk of a button back there.

You can't really tell from the line drawing, but this skirt is actually really long. I cut off an inch at the hem and added 1/2 inch to the hem allowance (functionally shortening it 1 1/2 inches) and you can see that it still falls an inch or so below my knee. As drafted it is a little bit of a frumpy length on me, but I really like the just below knee length, so future makes will be shortened.

I'm really pleased with this skirt overall. The pattern is great and the fabric is cool and comfortable. It will definitely get a lot of wear this Spring. I'm planning to wear this as my Easter outfit on Sunday. The blouse is Vogue 8747 and I've belted it with a faux leather tied obi that I think is pretty fun. I'm not too sure about these shoes though. What do you think?

And should you doubt the appearance of Spring in the Salt Lake Valley - look! Tulips!