Liberty Lawn knitting skirt.

I’ve had this fabric for about eighteen months, but I’ve been “saving” it for just the right outfit. First it was going to be Vogue 8470, and then McCalls 5431. Then I decided that neither of those options would be comfortable, and I couldn’t decide what to do instead.

Chris Zydel wrote yesterday about how precious art supplies can make you afraid to use them. That’s definitely true for me (don’t ask me how many blank sketch books I own), and it’s true of my fabric stash as well. Because I usually can’t afford to buy fabric from Liberty (this piece was given to me in part payment for a dress that I made), this lovely cotton lawn fell into the “precious” category, and I was afraid to use it on the “wrong” garment. I wanted it to be something that I would love, and not something that would just sit in my wardrobe without being worn.

Yesterday I made an executive decision that I didn’t want to wear the blue smocked tunic to the Albert Hall on Sunday, which left me still in need of a blue outfit to wear on the day. I knew I had a blue t-shirt, and it suddenly occurred to me that this knitting print was also blue, and would make a fabulous summer skirt!

The skirt is a full circle, with my usual fancy elasticated waist. I’ve added pockets to the side seams and a ruffle to the hem. The ruffle is made from 9 metres of fabric, gathered down to fit the 4.8 metre hem. The lawn was a little bit see-through, so I’ve lined the top part of the skirt (not the ruffle!) with a plain white lightweight cotton.

I’m really pleased with this ruffly summer skirt. I have a pretty piece of white broderie anglais with rainbow coloured stitching that I think would be ideal to make another one. I only hope that there’s enough summer left for me to wear them!