Miss Lydia Buys Tulips: Stitch Tulip Skirt

Lovelies, I have a problem. Skirts hate me.

I don't know why. It's not like I've started an anti-skirt movement or sworn my eternal allegiance to pants. If anything, I've always been a friend to the skirts. A pro-skirt activist even! Yet...they scorn me still.  Whenever I try my hand at making skirts, things go horribly, horribly wrong. Remember The Great Ginger Debacle of 2011? Even Simplicity 2215, which has been so good to me as a dress pattern, failed me as a skirt. Despite it being adorable out of the gate, the invisible zipper quickly broke, taking a big part of the skirt into its coils. It was consigned to the unwearable rag pile too soon.

I don't know what made me think things would go better this time. Perhaps, it was a sewing high from The Esme Dress that made me believe I could finally conquer a skirt pattern. There had been one pattern, after all, that has been haunting me for months. Ever since I discovered the Tulip Skirt pattern from Stitch Magazine, it's been on my mind. Those slanted pleats, that curvy shape! It was even designed by Jenny Gordy, for goodness sake! What's more, there are adorable versions of it all around the internet: Jenny's own pastel lovely, Make Something's version with typewriter buttons, and Emily Kate's perfect denim basic being a few of my favorites. It seemed the slam dunk of skirts.

Oh, poor foolish Mary...

 At fist glance, all seems well. It's made from a basic khaki twill, bought from JoAnn's during one of their coupon crazy weekends. In the heavier fabric, the shape is a little boxy, but the pleats are still nice and the waistband flattering. Or is it...?

It is not.

Y'all, I ran into some major fitting problems. You see, the khaki is not my first tulip skirt attempt. The first, a wearable muslin of sorts, was made from that lovely mustard Lisette twill that was on the market a few seasons ago. Unfortunately, that version is practically unwearable, as it is a good inch too small in the waist. This despite the size I cut out being suggested for my exact measurements. Even with adjusting side seams, it's a skirt only to be worn with Spanx. Two pairs would be best.

 Super cute! Until I try to eat something....

That poor, poor button. Such strain for a little thing!

Yet, I would not be defeated so easily. I decided to try the larger size, with this twill I stumbled upon. Of course, despite the measurements being only a bit larger, this skirt is too big. Witness the waistband sag in the picture above. Horrors!

I won't quibble with things being a bit too big, however. Isn't that what belts are for? If I ever attend a Turkey dinner in this skirt, I shall be able to eat all I like, without fear of button malfunctions. Unfortunately, we have another problem. This fabric loves wrinkles like I love Sherlock Holmes. Y'all, in these photos, I've been wearing this skirt for all of 10 minutes. And I have not sat down. Yet, look! Look at those waistband wrinkles! This puppy has been interfaced to within an inch of its life and still - still! - it wrinkles. You should see it right now. I look as if I've been in a fight with an accordion. Sigh.

 Still, at least it's wearable, right? I don't feel particularly lovely in it, but I'm sporting it in public today. The yellow one has yet to see the light of day. As of yet, no one has pointed and laughed. So...that's a good sign. It's just a bit of a meh skirt, you know? Nothing I'm particularly proud of. I do think in a lighter weight fabric, like the suggested linen, it might be a bit more flattering. Twill doesn't exactly drape well, after all. Let's be honest, though. I probably won't be making another version of this to find out. Another skirt pattern will have to win me over, instead. For now, I'm back to my beloved dresses...

Onto the not-so-delightful details...

Things I Changed:

• Added an extra button to the waistband. I thought one button of this size and that wide waistband was asking for odd pulling and twisting about. So, I added another. It still oddly pulls and twists about.
• Omitted the tie waist. The tie on the pattern was a bit short and I didn't like the bulk it added to the waist, so I unpicked it and consigned it to the trash.

Things I Would Change, If I Made It Again:

• Fix the bloody waistband! I don't know how, but I would. There has to be a happy medium between to tight and too saggy. This is not it.  I will not be making another one of these, though, as I've had enough skirt punishment for the time being.

Things I Love:

• The buttons. I always love buttons. Plus, these are from a vintage covered button kit I scored off of Etsy. A seller had bought a sewing lot at an estate sale and didn't know what to do with the 30 kits she ended up with. Well, since I firmly believe modern covered button kits are total rubbish, I took them off her hands. Hooray! I have enough covered button kits for at least a year.

Notions & Fabric:

• Khaki twill from JoAnn Fabrics: $7/yard on sale
• Six hand-covered fabric buttons

Time to Make:

• Three hours

Do you have any skirt pattern suggestions, dear readers? Something that will cleanse my sewing palate of all these disasters? I need something to turn my luck around!