You may recognise this fabric as I have used it before on a Cross Body Bag – it came from New Threads sale rack at just £5 per metre !   Using  2 metres of the 150 cms wide fabric and a squared paper diagram pattern I managed to recreate a wraparound skirt similar to ones that I had way back in 1976!

The diagram pattern is featured in “dressmaker” a sewing guide for beginners by Ann Ladbury and accompanied a TV series of the same name. The book was published in 1976 and I can remember vividly the television step-by-step instructions which I watched each week. I made several of the garments at the time and used the skirt pattern to give my younger sister some basic sewing lessons.  I don’t recall making a skirt in camouflage fabric but I know that I did use some floral curtaining – it was the 70’s after all and flower power still reigned supreme.

Fortunately I had metric dressmakers’ pattern drafting paper to hand and it did not take long to draft the pattern according to the largest size in the book (size 16 – 30″ waist). Since my waist measurement was that a long time ago, I had to enlarge the pattern but that done I set to and cut out the skirt. I added an additional panel to the underlap as I am paranoid about the wind catching the wrap and exposing my delicate underwear! At  first fitting I added two darts evenly spaced either side of the centre back seam. I used flat seams pressed open and overlocked. All the outside edges were also overlocked. Prior to adding the waistband I stitched the edges of the overlap, underlap and hems  with my favourite twin needle.  I added a waistband with a finished width of a bare 2″ and then stitched 4 buttonholes across the top of the overlap to match neutral beige buttons from my stash.

Now that I have a refined pattern I hope to make the skirt again in another – more subtle print  fabric -perhaps a plain would be best and next time I might make the waistband a tie instead of buttons which will then provide more scope to match my variable waistline!