Pattern Making Take 2 - The Asymmetrical Skirt

After the Triangle Dress I made this skirt. I had purchased the material for a shirt that apparently needed more material than I had. So this nice soft (forgot what kind of material it is because its been so long AND I don't know enough about textiles to know a fabric by feel) poly/cotton blend-ish material just sat in my pile unused.

Making this pattern was way more simple than the Triangle Dress. This was basically cut rectangles of fabric and angle them off. The back is the same as the front angled higher on the left front and right back. The black part is straight and even. The flowered bottom part is gathered at the top to give it a more flowy kind of feel.

This too is an unfinished work :( I just barely put an elastic in it, but I think its too small. I haven't perfected that yet. And the bottom hem is not done either. I think I hemmed this skirt about 5 times before I gave up. My sewing machine at the time was not great and did not work well with the material. There were several times I got the *CHUNK*CHUNK*CHUNK* noise and my bobbin (underneath thread for those of you that aren't in the know) was all knotted and destroyed. So, after unpicking several times I finally gave up.

I really like this skirt (I've wondered several times if it really is a skirt, or a strapless mini dress). I like the feel of the fabric and the way it flows and moves so smoothly. I really like the pattern of the black and white flower fabric too. And just like the Triangle Dress, making this pattern was also a fun and fulfilling experience. Hmm... maybe I can make patterns for a living. I hear they make great money. :D

The Triangle Dress

This dress was the first thing that I designed myself. I made the pattern and sewed it. It is unfinished (not hemmed at the bottom and no zipper in the back). This was fun for me because I learned a lot from it.

At this point I had not taken any sewing classes and I had no clue how to make a pattern. I just kind of went with what I thought was supposed to happen. There are definitely things that I know now that would help me go back and refine this, but for being try number one at pattern making, designing, and really sewing something (not just attaching 2 pieces of material together) I am very pleased with the outcome.

The thing that made me happiest with this dress is seeing that yes, I could make patterns and have it come out looking mostly like what I wanted, and I also learned that I actually had a lot of fun making the pattern. This dress, as crude as it may be, really kick started my motivation to keep moving forward with learning to sew.