I ponied up the $1.50 (76p) for BurdaStyle’s Alexis 7945 skirt on Monday. On Tuesday, I printed out all the sheets, taped them together, then trimmed them down to size 42. On Saturday I got out some offcuts of grey summer wool leftover from my Mouret Galaxy dress and some assorted bits of lining, and sewed it up right then and there.
And then on Sunday we dropped a fridge on my foot. Oww. So pardon the fact that I’m barefoot, but at least the X Rays say it’s not broken.
The skirt is a basic lined pencil skirt with a wide waistband, but with three added areas of interest:
- There’s a square pocket hidden in the front seams of the skirt that goes the whole way through to the other opening. I found the instructions for this part to be really inadequate, but I got there eventually after ripping out the lining stitches a few times.
- The off-center pleats on the left side really make this skirt special, and also add a bit of fullness without becoming an in-your-face tulip skirt.
- The little rounded band on the left side waistband doesn’t actually do anything since it’s fastened in place with a button, but I think it helps to balance the pleating visually.
If I were making this skirt again I’d make a slit in the center back seam since I tend to have quite a long stride, but it’s definitely walkable without it and I otherwise LOVE the long, sleek lines of this skirt. And don’t be put off by the fact that it’s one of the few you have to pay for at BurdaStyle – to put it into perspective, this pattern cost less than the shipping on most patterns. Add to the fact that all of my fabric was from my stash (though having a very limited amount of the grey wool meant I didn’t have enough to match plaids) and the button I’ve had for years, and you’ve got a high class little number for less than a fiver.
I think the moral of this story is, you should have a BurdaStyle pattern on the go at all times to avoid fridge-related injuries. I’ll be printing out more to ensure the health of my right foot, and wearing this skirt to lift my spirits and encourage the healing of my left.