Colette Zinnia Maxi Skirt

I've been itching to make a maxi skirt for some time now.  I knew a knit version would be simple and quick, but I was imagining something in a flowy light fabric, like a voile.

I also knew that a maxi skirt would require a lot of fabric and given that voiles tend to be more expensive than regular cottons, I kept putting it off.  But last weekend my husband went out of town to visit his brother for some boy time, so I stopped in to Finch to browse.  Yeah, browse.  That's what I told myself, anyway.  An hour later I walked out of there with three yards of April Rhodes' Arizona voile, the Colette Zinnia pattern, and white cotton fabric for a lining.

I spent the rest of the day trying to figure out the best way to convert the Zinnia (Version 3) into a maxi skirt.  In the end, I did the slash-and-spread method, but it took awhile to determine the best way to do it.  Should I extrapolate the A-line from the top of the skirt down to the bottom, making a wide-ass hem?  Or should I draw a line from the end of the top part of the skirt down to the bottom of the skirt?  I opted for the latter, but I did a lot of researching online to make sure my skirt wouldn't end up with too tight a hem circumference making me walk like a Mermaid or something.

The Zinnia pattern sewed up easily once I got all of the specifics out of the way.  I went up a size so that it would be a little looser around my waist - I am high waisted with a long torso, so when something is designed to sit on the natural waist, it ends up being really high.  I wanted this to sit more toward my belly button, so I measured this area and sized for it rather than my natural waist.  This worked out pretty well.

My only gripe about this last-minute skirt that I sewed is that the cotton fabric I used for a lining is too thick.  It's a quilting cotton, so paired with a fabric as light and flowy as a voile, it practically feels like canvas.  It'll be too much effort to take the skirt apart and swap out the cotton for something lighter/drapier, though.

I was up until 1:30 in the morning working on this skirt, and the only reason is because I had planned to wear it that day (Sunday morning) to an event  I was attending - Blog Brunch DC.  Head on over to my photo blog to read more about it.  Trust me, you want to!

Pattern: Colette Zinnia

Fabric: April Rhodes' Arizona Voile (Triangle Tokens)
Alterations: Converted into maxi skirt.  Used V. 3, but gathered rather than pleated.
Photos: By Nicole outside of her shop!

Everyday Skirt • Featuring April Rhodes' Arizona

I have to assume that at some point, after I make a certain pattern a few times, I won't need to post text with the photos because there won't be much to say about it.

The Everyday Skirt is probably going to be the first of those patterns.  It's what I'm calling my summer staple this year, and I have only two but plan to make loads.  Comfortable enough to throw on with a tank top and be good for the day, but also cute enough to be worn out to dinner with sandals and a cute necklace.

But for now, I'll say a few more things about the making of this skirt.  First, I still maintain that it's super easy and quick.  Since I like to cut my fabric in batches (I have several garments to sew up that are already cut and ready for me), the Everyday Skirt can be sewn together in a morning.  It's as close to instant gratification that you can get in garment sewing, I think.

Secondly, I decided to shorten it a bit from the original pattern, and it's still plenty long enough.  Excellent.

The last thing to say is that I adore this Clay Sundot fabric from April Rhodes' Arizona collection.  I stocked up on some yardage from this collection to sew a few things.

On to my awkward model photos in which my skirt is actually crooked:

Pattern: Everday Skirt by Liesl + Co
Fabric: Clay Sundot from April Rhodes' Arizona collection
Size: Medium
Alterations: Shortened the hemline a bit