Do you ever feel that there are certain things you shouldn’t wear? Clothing that some people might think they are not age appropriate? I have heard this argument a million times and I honestly believe that you should wear whatever make you feel your best. Long, short, slouchy, tight whatever works you. Who are we to judge? That was exactly how I felt when I bought the pattern to make this gold ruffle skirt. I love short skirts. I’m not that tall so I think they look good on short legs. Obviously, this pattern is a mini skirt, however, I didn’t realize just how mini it was until I cut out the pattern.
Wow is this skirt short! I mean really short! The finished length of the garment is 15″. Fifteen inches from the waistband to the hem. Now, I want you all to get out a measuring tape and measure 15 inches so can see just how short it is. Go ahead I’ll wait…yep that’s right it’s SHORT!
Now like I just said, I am all for wearing what makes you feel good, but a 15-inch-long (or short) skirt wasn’t going to make me feel comfortable. I mean, I could barely sit down without having some sort of wardrobe malfunction so I needed to make some adjustments.
Gold Ruffle Skirt Pattern
I made this using McCalls 7845. As you can see on the pattern, the skirt is short. I guess I just wasn’t paying attention to exactly how short it really was. I added two inches to the hem of the skirt and the ruffle which made it just right for me. Most ruffle skirts I have made are wrap skirts, but I like this one because there is a side zipper in it. It gives the skirt a clean finish at the waistband. You can read more about the other ruffle skirts and see how they differ below.
Hawaiian Skirt – Is it an Apron or a Skirt?
More Ruffles – Another Palm Print Skirt
Gold Ruffle Skirt Fabric
I bought this fabric at a second-hand store in NY when I was visiting my family. I bought it from the same place I purchased the fabric I used to make this pink bouclé Chanel inspired handbag. The tag said it was silk dupioni fabric. There was maybe a little more than a yard and it was $20. I have never sewn silk before. It can be very expensive and I would hate to spend that kind of money and ruin the fabric, but this wasn’t a huge expense so I figured, why not?
This fabric was a dream to sew. It does fray easily, but I serged all the edges so it wasn’t a problem. Once I made all the adjustments, I had just enough fabric to make the skirt. I did need to piece together one section of the ruffle because I didn’t have one piece large enough for it, but it turned out fine. Because of the abstract design on the fabric, you can’t see the seam.
Gold Ruffle Skirt Outfit
There was a larger piece of the pink silk fabric available when I bought this, and now I’m kicking myself for not buying it. Oh well lesson learned – always buy the fabric!
I know yellow isn’t really a winter color, but again, it all goes back to wearing what you like. I really like the color yellow. Although it doesn’t always look great on me, I thought the black velvet blazer and white shirt toned down the yellow without making me look like a bumble bee. I also wore this black stretch belt to pull it all together. I love this belt. When I first saw it online and read that it was a stretch belt I instantly thought 80’s belt. However, it looks great on and is very comfortable. I highly recommend it. I have been looking for similar belts in other colors and can’t find any I like. If you come across any let me know!
If you would rather buy than sew this yourself you can always shop similar items below.
Thanks for reading. Hope you are surviving the holiday madness and are off to a good week!
Photos by – Chloejane Photo + Film