Simplicity 8606: Poppies Everywhere

Behold the third Make 9 2018 project of the year. Yes, so I have six to go, but honestly I didn’t think I’d stick to it even this much. They’re being posted out of order–I can’t keep track–but there are two more to come in the next month or so.

Long drapey wrap skirt. It startles even me, apparently.

I took the pictures and then remembered that I hadn’t yet cut off all the threads, so if you see a thread tail or two, that’s why. Sorry. Anyway: Simplicity isn’t available in Canada, so I ordered the pattern off the internet, which is so much more than I want to pay, except that this was such a great fit for the Make 9 project and I couldn’t find another pattern I liked nearly so well for it.

It has, I think they say, “drama.” This amuses me. I’ve never had a piece of clothing throw a temper tantrum on me, stop speaking to me for no reason, start a baseless rumour, or pick a dumb fight. The closest I’ve had to drama from a piece of clothing would have been when I went out dancing in university in a dress that was apparently mostly translucent under black light, worn with white underwear, and found out my error only when the black light in the club illuminated my unmentionables for the benefit of the entire venue. Otherwise, I find clothing mostly drama-free.

The flounce is enormous. Most of the yardage required is for the flounce. The hem on the flounce is both enormous and tedious. It must be at least 3 metres long, possibly more. Expect to spend a lot of time sewing the hem if you go for the flounce version, is what I am saying. But it is pretty and it goes together well.

The fabric is a rayon poplin from Fabricland. It has enough heft to make a sturdy skirt but being rayon also drapes really well. It’s got a lot of fabric for the front, so there’s low risk of accidental exposures. Which is apparently not zero risk, as I found when I wore it the first time; but the top of the upper flounce is placed perfectly to be a handle when walking down the street on a gusty day. Just a hint.

Sizing Note

I should be a size 14/16 in Simplicity based on the body measurement chart, and this is a 12/14. Honestly it would have been fine too in a 14/16, given the amount of drape and the fact that it’s a wrap skirt; there are 2″ of ease in the waist, so the finished waist measurement is about my own, which is the ease I prefer in something like this.