Hey Babe, Take A Walk On The Wild Side.

I surprised myself with the print I chose for my first spring version of  Simplicity 9267. It's a little... outside my comfort zone. Perhaps the influence of Jungle January triggered my inner animal.  Clearly, I've been suppressing my animal print instincts; I've been sending myself subliminal messages on Pinterest (1,2,3) in an apparent S.O.S.  

I figured, why not? There was nothing to lose. I had this piece of cotton leopard print in my stash from an estate sale score last year. It was a sign, no?  

Since I'd already used my pattern to sew the Wool Chevron skirt I knew exactly what sort of result to expect in my finished garment.  I'm mostly pleased with the fit of the original skirt; however, I wanted a moderately closer fitting silhouette on my lighter weight spring versions. It was an easy fix. I pinched an inch from the overall width of the skirt, and it's PERFECT. The skirt fits easily at the waistline and skims my curves before straightening out. 

I didn't do anything tricky on this version. No embellishment. No details. Just a good plain skirt. I did try to be aware of my pattern placement. There's a vertical stripe incorporated into the print. It likely wouldn't have mattered where it ended up, but I tried to center the stripe in the front and make sure that the stripes at the back were evenly spaced. 

The true testament to the success of this skirt is that I put it work and wore it to my mom's Surprise 50th birthday party. 

I was busy playing hostess, so I didn't get any shots of the skirt 'in the wild', but we did stop to take photos and play on the park equipment outside the venue. Scout's honor, it performed well all day long in terms of comfort and wearability. 

The 'up the skirt' shot below is the only picture we managed to take showing the lining of the skirt. I used a solid black poplin to line. It's got a nice weight to it. Even though the outside fabric is opaque, I think the lining helps the skirt hold its shape and gives structures to an otherwise flimsy garment. 

The darker colors incorporatd into this print make it very versatile. I would feel comfortable stretching it into three seasons, weather permitting. This skirt is ready to enter rotation in my closet, effective immediately!