... plaid skirt (with mixed results)

Spring is coming, and like most people in the Northeast, I'm viscerally longing for warmer weather. The stores are starting to carry spring clothes, the runways are showing fall clothes which really seems like jumping the gun, and I'm itching to make some light, breezy dresses and skirts for the warmer temps.

But I have unfinished business, before the cold weather is gone for the year: this black plaid fabric that I bought almost three years ago. Every winter since, I've meant to do something with it - preferably before black plaid fabric goes out of season. And every year I've never gotten around to it. So before I bought any cotton lawn or planned any sundresses, I was determined to use. that. fabric.

The fabric wasn't really inspiring me on its own, so I decided to copy a J. Crew wool skirt that I liked:

Photo from www.jcrew.com

Photo from www.jcrew.com

Cute, right? You don't have to like it. No judgement. Anyway, getting the folds "right" was pretty tricky - I say "right" because I don't think I entirely succeeded.

Attempt #5 or #6

The result (please excuse the quality of the pictures! I seem to be getting worse at taking them):

side view

back

front

This, my friends, is a solid Meh at best. The fabric (which is not wool, but sort of a medium-weight woven business) didn't really want to cooperate and I didn't get the draping quite right. The back looks better than the front, which is not generally what you're going for in a skirt. Would it have been way easier (and quicker) to just make a simple A-line skirt? Uh, yes. But it's good to try something new. Even if it doesn't work out, you usually learn something. And honestly I'm just glad I finally used that fabric. I can move on!!