I wrote a while ago of how I made the alternative view of the Anna Maria Horner ‘Proper Attire’ skirt, and how it didn’t turn out as well as I’d hoped. The pleat sat very badly. Well, one day I finally got down to it and on the advice of my mum, took out the double-fold hem. Instead, I zig-zagged the edges of it and just folded it over once. I re-pressed it et voila! It seems to have done the trick.
A little recap… the fabric was 2m of denim I bought at the K&S show (I also got these shorts out of it). I was happy that it maintained its inky colour after washing. This was my first project ever using piping but the instructions were extremely clear. It took me a session or two to simply piece the front together, though I think my patience paid off.
As for the cord version I made, the darts at the back took a little tweaking. It’s just as well there is so much room at the front as the back is quite fitted. As you can see my piping doesn’t quite line up on the back yoke but it’s not a dealbreaker.
This shows the pleasing outline given by the piping. Maybe this view will help you imagine how crazy the pleat looked before – it stuck right out like a duck’s beak! I should say that this was entirely due to the fact that I sewed a heavy hem using a heavy material. If I’d used a quilting-weight cotton, as suggested in the pattern, I’m pretty certain it would have turned out fine first time around. All in all, I’m really happy with the result.
Wow, that skirt is really cute. I love the downward curving piping on the back, very flattering. I just wish the pattern wasn’t so expensive.