Fall Wardrobe - Moss Wool skirt

Remember this dress from the Mad Men challange?

And remember this moss wool, and skirt inspiration that I want to make for fall?

Now that I have spent the necessesary time and effort to fit the dress, I can create my skirt using the skirt from the dress pattern. 

 The changes I will need to make are: 

Style changes :

1.  Narrow the skirt towards the hemline, so it creates a little more of a pencil skirt, but not to much because this can quickly add up to me looking hippy and drawing attention to the fact that my legs are less then elegantly long.
2. Create the hem detail

Pattern changes:

1. Create a waistband
2. Adjust the ease at the waist appropriate for a skirt.  Did you know that dresses require 1.5" of ease at the waist where a skirt only requires 3/4"?  So I need to lose 3/4" of ease.

I began with the pattern changes.  Trimming a fat 1/8" off of each side seam takes care of the additional ease.  Then tapering that down to 1/2" at the hem, which I am hoping will provide a hint of my pencil look, but the muslin will let me know if I am correct about that or not.

The hem detail is next and for that I cut off 3" from the bottom of the skirt, carefully labeling so I don't get the front and back confused. 

slashing and spreading to add fullness to 1/4 section of skirt hem band

It looks to me like the hem detail has a touch of the flounce to it, and so I make four cuts into each pattern piece, leaving a hinge where it joins the skirt and spreading the hemline.  I spread each one 1/4" is all because I don't want a ruffle, just a bit of a flip.

Time for the muslin, which stitches up quickly.  I grab my shoes and my husband, who is great help with judging proportions for me, slip into the skirt.....and decide....I was correct about the "pencil" amount, as well as the spread on the hem band..."and there was much rejoicing". 

The length however need to come up a bit,  to just below the knee which meant shortening the skirt by 1.5".

Now that, that is decided I can make my additional hem band pieces, as it has 3 layers of unequal width and length.  I trace my hem band twice, layer them and cut them to pleasing shapes. 

 Nothing to it:)

Time to cut some wool.  Surprisingly when I went to cut my fabric I discovered I did not have an appropriate length of lining that would suit.  Although a little frustrated by the delay I will console myself with the thought that it simply means I must be effectively reducing my stash....don't you think? 

 In the meantime I will go paint my daughters bedroom, which will now be called the "Guest room"

Won't this skirt look great with this wonderful jacket I made a few years back(goodness back when my hair was long even) from a Vintage Vogue pattern and an Angora wool blend houndstooth I picked up at Ginnys Fine Fabrics. 

Fall Essentials and Palette challenge Post 1

Additional fabric contenders for Fall Essentials and Palette challenge Post 2