Thread: Circle Skirt Problem

Hi ladies, so I found this great hammered silk material at Hancock's that was on sale half off. So I got 7 yards of it thinking it's gonna make an awesome circle skirt.

It wasnt til I cut out my pattern piece (per Shira's instructions) that I realize there is no way Im gonna be able to cut it out with the wrinkly parts vertical. It would have to be horizontal So should I just bite the bullet and attempt to get rid of the wrinkles so that way it's just regular silk? Still pretty and still floaty (two main reasons I bought it).

I think that I would make the skirt, let it hang for a week, and then decide if it needed to be ironed smooth. You might actually like the resulting texture. Additionally you can iron out a scrap and see what the result is. It may or may not lose all the wrinkle.

If you have a serger, you can follow a construction that's more like a mermaid skirt - many trapeze shaped pieces put together, which will maintain the direction of the fabric better.

Originally Posted by steffib

If you have a serger, you can follow a construction that's more like a mermaid skirt - many trapeze shaped pieces put together, which will maintain the direction of the fabric better.

I think the problem is that she has already cut the pieces out. So the shape is stuck now.

You might also try some of wrinkle relaxing fabric spray. I have used that with success on silk veils that are wrinkled.

I agree with FayrouzFarasha...I had a vertical design on a 4-point accent skirt and LOVED the result of the vertical becoming diagonal and horizontal in places...it does make for an interesting, cool texture.

If you *haven't* cut the skirt pieces yet, you may wish to opt for bunches of panels (1/4 or even 1/8 circles) instead of 1/2 circle panels. Yes, this does mean more sewing. ,r:; This will let you cut the pieces so that you have more of a chevron design especially if the directional wrinkles run across the fabric (using 1/8 circles). The layout on the fabric would look something like this:
/\ \/ /\ \/ /\ \/
I don't have any pictures of it, but I did a skirt like this and loved the way it looked (and received all *kinds* of complements on the complex pattern of it).

Thanks ladies, no I havent cut the fabric itself out yet. I was hoping to make a three panel skirt but now Im open to suggestions.

Btw, sadly I dont have a serger -- yet.

Hi GI82!

With fabrics that have obvious directional prints or designs on them, the two-panel Shira pattern will not work. Luckily you hadn't yet cut it because once you do, when the seam sides hang down, the direction changes completely. I had to learn this the hard way. Lucky for me I was only experimenting with making the skirt using Shira's pattern.

If you are going to use a fabric with a print or design on it, it has to be a design that looks the same in every direction. Definitely don't use a fabric with borders on like a sari unless you are going to use 1/4 or 1/8 circle pattern pieces.

Sounds like you will either have to iron the wrinkles out, use 1/4 or 1/8 panels as suggested or get some different fabric. Guess it depends on how bad you want to make a skirt out of this fabric and how much work you want to put into it.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm Im leaning towards just ironing the wrinkles out, like I said the main reason I liked it so it's because it's so floaty