Hot Patterns Bossa Nova Skirt

This is the first Hot Patterns garment I've made. Although I've purchased several patterns of this brand, I haven't gotten around to sewing any of them yet. This one was a free download at Fabric.com.

Basically, it's an 8-panel gored skirt, so one pattern piece. I wanted to make it in black and white, since I have a few black items in my closet with white accents. They're harder to match than you'd think! So off to Hancock's, where I found the perfect fabric, a large scale floral. Yes, it's polyester, but I really liked the print, so I'll deal with it. I also bought lining to go with, also poly, because you know how white fabric is. It always shows through.

I proceeded to cut and sew the panels when I realized that they were just a wee bit too short. I had already added some length to the pattern when cutting it out but not enough. The original pattern just has you turn down the sewn panels at the top to create the casing. That wouldn't work in this case because I needed all the length I could spare. Fortunately, I had bought more fabric than I needed (as usual), so I made a separate waistband casing. It also solved the problem of dealing with 2 layers, the face and the lining.

Love love love how the skirt looks! It is also comfortable to wear through the day. I will be making more from this pattern! BTW, I took the photo above after getting home from work and a dentist appointment, and the skirt still looks fine. (I expect my skills with timer and tripod will improve, but not bad for a first effort.)

Wedding dress update: yes, still working on that one. I've mocked up the bodice a couple of times and pre-washed sample pieces of each fabric. Hopefully, I'll have a sample version of the dress soon, then I can move on to the good stuff.