Sugar skulls pencil skirt

I so much enjoyed wearing my spider print pencil skirt so much I decided to use some more of my stashed fabric and make this version.


Its a cotton sugar skulls print. I bought 2m of this a few eyars ago and it has been waiting for me to find the right garment. I reckon its got a kind of summery hawaian look to it so fits well with this style of summer skirt. There isabout a meter left for something else - maybe a top?

I originally thought this fabric was multi-directional and yes it is.

 However, after cutting out it seemed to look better the opposite way up so I reversed the split - as in its on the right side of the front skirt on on the left hand side.


 Other than that small thing its exactly the same pattern as the orange skirt.

 

 There is a tutorial on making these skirts here:
https://brackencrafts.blogspot.com/2019/07/river-island-pencil-skirt-copy-tutorial.html 

I added some elastic braid to the seam above the opening in this version. It is  sold as wedding elastic. I did not have any small buttons so used pearl beads. I suspect the paint may yet come off these when they are washed so I may have to replace them at some point.

Bearing in mind I had to hand sew these and there are 22 of them thats not such a good thing but there - what you have to go through for fashion eh!

I bought this elastic braid stuff ages ago beacuse the pattern directions for this steam punk dress 

use it down centre back on the bodice. I decided not to use it in the end when I made that dress so I still have a few meters of it and have not till now found an excuse to use it. 

I did consider adding this all down the opening. I think this would look good. The problem is I suspect besides the toil of having to sew on so many small beads to match the elastic side I would probably have problems with catching the beads and ripping them off when wearing so just added this to one side of the seam so it gives an illusion of being an opening. Its decorative anyway and I do love a bit of frogging which is what this elastic braid is mimicing.If you want some of this I bought it pretty cheap off ebay. I do not remember the original listing but this is similar here.

Anyway heres the photos:

Just love the gothic door!

In case you were wondering these pictures were taken in Straford-upon-Avon.

Thanks for visiting 

Bracken