copper penny tablecloth skirt

Before

After

Who uses tablecloths? Not me. Who wears skirts? Yeah, me.

This is Simplicity 2512, a Cynthia Rowley design, view B. For the material I used a large copper-colored tablecloth with herringbone weaving. Thrifted for $4. It's actually pure coincidence that the Sew Weekly theme this week is garments made from household fabrics (curtains, tablecloths, sheets). That's just how I roll almost every week.

The pattern's curvy sweetheart-like waistband reminded me of the Ginger skirt from Colette Patterns but I liked the gathers and shape of this skirt more (from the front, anyway).

I wish I had made the belt tie longer, as some other reviews of this pattern suggested, so it could be tied in a bow. I followed the pattern exactly but my ties look thinner than the envelope model's.

I made the pockets with thin beige lining from a deconstructed skirt in my scrap basket. I didn't want to use the tablecloth material for the pockets because of the bulk.

I wonder why pockets are so coveted in modern skirt/dress patterns. Does anyone actually carry stuff in there? I stopped carrying anything in my pockets after an unfortunate melting chapstick incident. Ain't stopping me from making them, though. They still look cute and have a cute name. Pocket.

But let's be real. This skirt's fine from the front but it's awfully bubbly in the back because of the way it's gathered and then curves in towards the hem. This is an exaggerated pose but you definitely get the point:

 

 Right??:

Yet another skirt for the "Wear only with long sweaters to avoid Teletubbiness" category. Yea, I have a couple of those now. Bummer.

Another reason this sewing story doesn't have a happy ending: while removing the skirt after I modeled it, the zipper pull decided to pop off one of its tracks. (Yes, zipper pulls make decisions, as ways to spite me). I fixed it, which was a painstaking process, but then it just did it again the next time I unzipped the skirt. I believe it's because this material is fairly thick, and the waistband, facing, ties and binding all layered upon each other at the top is too much for the invisible zipper to handle. Maybe I'll replace it with a regular zipper, or I don't know. Any suggestions??

:(

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