FO: pink and white floral circle skirt

Finally! I’m sharing my first circle skirt. Which I first made in March 2011. Yep, 2 years ago.

Unlike my second circle skirt, which was a heavy cotton sateen with quite a lot of drape, my first circle skirt was a lightweight cotton voile. Despite being hung for a week before being hemmed, it quickly dropped in one place and sat around for months waiting to be re-levelled and re-hemmed. Then when it was re-hemmed I didn’t have anything to wear it with for ages, and it was too lightweight for winter besides. So this summer was my first chance to really truly wear it. And wear it I did. It was glorious to wear in the heat of summer. All of these photos are from my Christmas holiday in KeriKeri, taken on a day trip to Russell and Waitangi, where it was perfect.

Daintily arranged to show off the print, on the hillside just below Russell’s famous flagpole.

I LOVE the print on this skirt. I love the vibrant colours and the painted look of the giant flowers and the fact that it doesn’t look like a floral at first glance. I love this so much I have the same fabric in an electric-blue-on-white colourway, waiting for the right pattern to become a two piece full skirted dress.

Was thrilled to see a bottle of Mello Yellow for sale while in Russell! Limited edition, exactly the same label from my childhood. I had to buy one (even though I wasn’t a huge fan when it was out the first time and not much has changed.) My mum decided that the retro style bottle went great with the skirt and retro-ish sunnies.

The skirt (dropping hem aside) was easy to make, as all circle skirts are. I used McCalls 5811 again, put in an invisible zip and a lapped waistband with a trouser hook, and wham bam that’s a skirt! The second time around hemming, I used wide  white bias tape to give it a bit of support at the hem and that was perfect.

This giant sundial offers 360 degree views over bush and ocean with the Russell township nestled in it. But rather than show you the beautiful views, I’m showing you my skirt. Oops.

Because I had to level this twice, I got worried about it being crooked. Which was probably why I noticed, when folding it after finishing the hems, the the side seams were a good inch different in length. I freaked out – I did NOT want to hem this again! But I tried it on, and no,it looked all good, nice and straight. So on a whim I looked at my other two circle skirts, (my polka dot skirt and the third yet to be blogged about). And each of them also had an inch discrepancy on the side seams, with the same side seam short in each case. So either one hip is lower than the other or one butt cheek is rounder than the other but either way, my body is not symmetrical. This shouldn’t really come as a surprise, and is why I always get my skirts levelled on the body rather than on a dress form!

Holding my skirt to catch the breeze

The sky was that colour everywhere.

Posing in the Waka House, Waitangi, where we had great fun exploring.

I love wearing circle skirts, even though I’m still not sure they suit me. But I love how they feel and that is the most important thing. The one downside of circle skirts is that I live in a windy city and the breeze can be a bit naughty sometimes. I get around this by wearing things of which I do not know the name. They’re like leggings but only come to the bottom of my thigh. When I was at school we called them bike shorts, but that can’t be right because these aren’t the hi-tech cycling shorts you’d see on people who are actually riding a bike. I still call them that in my head but what do you call them? Either way, they’re not quite right, the lace abrades a little and I’d like them a bit longer too, so I’m thinking of making tap pants or bloomers instead.

And I’m not showing you the photo of my skirt caught by the breeze, up around my ears, butt to the camera, white [insert name here] on full display!