Chasing Dreams

My inspiration for this skirt came from watching the Movie Anastasia. There is a scene in that film in which Anastasia finds herself in the palace she grew up in, now long abandoned. In a moment of memory and fantasy, she is surrounded by beautiful, graceful figures in grand ballgowns, twirling from the ceiling and floating into the great hall. The silhouettes and movements in this scene are so elegant, and I had always dreamed of having something similar to prance around in, I knew it was just a matter of time

• Overview and time for process -This Piece wouldn't exist without the running around behind the scenes and the creative process. This involved going to our local fabric shop in Vancouver for notions, and a separate trip to the secondhand shop for the panels of material, with an evening spent sketching out the concept and imagining the layout of the panels. From concept to completion this skirt took about 3 days, and when reducing that strictly to sewing hours, I would place it at around 8 hours of cutting, planning, placing, pressing, and finalizing.

• Step One: Selecting a Fabric - I chose a medium weight curtain fabric for this piece, so that when I would wear it and spin, the fabrics would catch on the wind and ripple beautifully. The mint fabric has some low impact texture, so it can be nice to the touch.
  
• Step Two: Pattern Drafting - The pattern drafting for this skirt is thankfully not as challenging as one would worry, as the 4 panels are virtually identical minus some adjustments at the front and back to account for the spinal curve.
  
  
• Step Three: Layout of Pattern and Cutting the Panels - I chose to use alternating coloured panels, to break up the various blues of the skirt, and opted to keep the lining all in one fabric to bring it all together from the inside.
  
• Step Four: Pre Construction - When the material was first cut out, the pieces needed to hang for some time from the waistband edge of the pieces prior to committing to the sewing. I left these pieces overnight and when I looked over them in the morning found them to have stretched a little at the hem so a secondary cut was needed to re-establish the consistent hem edge
  
• Step Five: Stitching the Shell and / or Lining - This skirt has a simple zipper running up the backside, is lined entirely and has a waistband with a button to keep it snug on the waist .
  
• Step Six: Finishing Touches - This piece was finished with some Fabric diamonds that I had handsewn onto the shell individually, which are overlayed on the mint panels to add some extra dimension and texture.

This piece fits a waist size of 34-36 inches (86.5 - 91.5 cms). The length from the waistline down to the Hem is approximately 38 inches (20.5 centimetres)

• This piece can be washed by hand or by machine. All fabrics have been pre shrunk, and finishes are mostly machine implemented, so the stitching is sturdy, within reason.
• You may consider folding this piece and storing away from direct sunlight, or it can be hung up in a closet using a clothes hanger.

This piece as is would sell for $700 CAD, plus the cost of the shipping. For a custom inquiry the price would be similar but would be dependent on the materials, and would be determined by the cost of the raw material in the amount needed.

If finished by machine, depending on the finish, the price would be reduced, and if there were extra details added on top of the Shell layer, more complex seamwork or a handmade fabric composed of patchworked scraps, for example, there would be additional cost due to the extra labour.

If you're envisioning a specific combination of elements for a piece or a particular silhouette, I'd love to hear the inspirations and musings you have.

Please come start a conversation with me through the Contact Form about what you would ideally like to bring to life together, and we can do some chatting.