Amy Butler Skirt

So pleased with this one.  Its my old favourite pattern, Vogue 9959 made in a gorgeous Amy Butler Print that I bought last year. 

Amazingly this came out exactly how I had seen it in my head on the day I bought the fabric.  I managed to centre the design exactly how I wanted to, the invisible zipper went in more or less invisibly, and I got the match I needed across the back pieces almost right.  Its close enough for government work anyway.  Even the print on the sides came out looking really good.  Its not a match but it looks intentional (which it was).  Naturally this one needed a single layer layout to get it right, and I used a bit more fabric than normal to achieve the right match, but it still came out of three quarters of a metre of the fabric with a bit left over that could perhaps be used for a trim and contrasting waistband or similar on another garment.   Due to the length of the print motif that I wanted to feature this skirt is a touch longer than I might have normally chosen but I think the print justifies that. 

I have lined the skirt as well, in a blue a little paler than the background of the motif, and this gives it a better drape and makes it more comfortable to wear. 

I did have to do the waistband a bit different to normal.  In order to have the waistband patterning in sympathy with the main skirt in terms of roughly where the colour fell (since I couldn't do a match), I had to make the waistband in three pieces; front, and the two backs.  I actually attached the waistband to its respective skirt pieces before sewing up the side seams.  This meant that I could adjust the side seams and waistband for fit (as it seemed a touch small when I was making it up).  I believe this is also a method used to ease later alterations for fit as it makes unpicking and letting out/taking in, that much easier.  And it was a good job I did this... as I had to take smaller seams than normal to accommodate the results of eating too much cake recently.