Winter Saloon Skirt

Last week while I was browsing through one of my favorite sites, I came across this skirt. You know that feeling that hits you when you see something you love? It's so immediate--and it always reveals your true taste: what you like and what you're drawn to. For me, this skirt had two things that I've always loved--plaid and ruffles. (If you peek into my closet, you will find a few ruffled plaid things.)

And since I was lucky enough to have the exact fabric and the exact amount of yardage needed, I jumped right in.

I didn't want my skirt to be as full, and dropped yoke seams don't look good on me, so I used a straight skirt pattern I had, but added both length and width to the bottom. I used a "serger" stitch on my sewing machine to finish the edges of the ruffles. It took forever to feed the ruffles through my machine using that stitch, but I really like the end results. And it's always tricky to match plaid at the side seams, but I just took my time and tried to be careful--you know, act like a responsible seamstress.

But really, I finished this skirt in two days and I must say I love it. It swishes when I walk and feels heavy and warm like a blanket. A perfect skirt for winter. I considered calling it "The Winter Bustle Skirt" but "Winter Saloon Skirt" sounds more interesting. And it's perfect for an impromptu can-can. Not that I know, I'm just saying.