Thursday, March 19, 2009

Green Skirt ~ a.k.a. The Moss Maiden


The Moss Maiden. Of course inanimate items, like clothes, sound so much prettier if described in creative terms. My skirt is green. Moss is green. Ah. The connection. The maiden, I suppose, would be me. Although I am married so am doubtful if the term would be absolutely correct.
But perhaps the Moss Maiden brings to mind vivid images of a green-hued lady, with damp, wrinkled skin, smelling of earth, and with stringy, fish-pond-moss-like hair.

At any rate, I did not finish my green skirt in time for St. Patrick's day. I did finish it today however, and am very glad to have it done. It is one of my first times using something other than quilters cotton for a skirt. I am not sure of the exact fiber content, but it hangs and drapes very prettily and is silky, rustly and has a gorgeous shimmer. The stripes are very subtle, tone-on-tone green.

The style was specifically designed to be flattering to Ladies With Large Hips. The yoke sits an inch or so below the naval and dips slightly down in the front to create a shallow curved area. This creates a pleasing line for those of us who are abundantly blessed in the hip region since it fits smoothly with no additional bulk. It also serves another purpose in that, being lined, it supports and shapes recently vacated belly bumps so as to supress be-jingling flesh and mass it together to create a firm illusion for this not so firm area.
The main skirt body is composed for four triangular skirt panels. I really love this look. I had copied it years ago from a thrift-store skirt that was worn out since I loved the style so much. It gives a bit of fullness and flair to the hem while retaining a smooth line at the hips and I like the way the skirt hangs where the seams fall. I have added this feature to many skirts I've made, since then.I finished off the bottom of the skirt with a 10" ruffle. The lace was a last minute addition as I was reviewing some thrift shop purchases yesterday and realized I had four yards of this lace. I asked David what he thought and he said it looked nice so I went with it. I don't usually put lace on skirts since when the lace is at the hem it tends to get dirty and frowsy looking very quickly. However, being inserted here above the ruffle will protect the lace and still add a feminine touch. The ruffle is 150" around the bottom. It took me watching most of Rooster Cogburn and The Lady last night to get it hemmed and gathered, but, at last, it is done!A bit late for St. Patricks Day but just exactly in time for spring!

Love,
Sarah

12 comments:

  1. It's so beautiful!!! I love the lace as well. :) Very feminine and Summery!

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  2. How lovely! I am a huge fan of that style of skirt as well, for all the same reasons you mentioned.

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  3. It turned out very pretty! I too like the detail of lace added to it.

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  4. That is beautiful! I love the addition of the lace too...lace is just splendid:-)

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  5. Very beautiful, Sarah. I love the style!

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  6. I love it! That colour is gorgeous, my favourite shade of green, and the lace adds the perfect finishing touch :-)

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  7. Very lovely! I also love your descriptions and how pretty they sound for maybe not the prettiest things, hehe.

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  8. oh its wonderful sarah! I too love the moss color and ruffles and lace in the back. I too have bigger hips and this is a wonderful style for my shape. I will have to ask my sis if we can come up with something along this line the future as spring is coming around. thanks for the creative ideas and I love your work as usual! happy sewing!

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  9. That's one of my favorite colors. The skirt turned out lovely!

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  10. I love this skirt, it's charming! Yoked skirts are my favorite; that's nearly all that I wear. I've never taken to naming my clothing beyond "the dress with flowers on it" or "my green sweater, you know with buttons," lol. I might try your idea on my next project!

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Thank you for your lovely thoughts!