Thoughts on Skirt Detail: Florence of Flossie Teacakes

You may've heard us mention Florence of Flossie Teacakes a time or two on crafterhours. She's a fantastic kick-off to Skirt Week partly because she was the winner of the A-line Skirt Category for 2010 and partly because she has the most enviable style. Her fabric choices, her willingness to talk about her projects and process and share what she is and what she's not so sure about, her delicious attention to detail and the sprinkling of humor-- we just love it all. We asked her to share some of her best skirt inspiration. Florence, thank you so much for getting this week started off on such a fashionable foot!

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I find that skirts tend to be quick to whip up. Without the need to contend with dress-associated worries - such as the fit at the bust or the puffiness of a sleeve - it's just a simple matter of dealing with waistlines. The sewing liberation that comes with this can mean that one has more energy to expend upon getting the little details just right and most skirt patterns seem to willingly offer themselves up as a blank canvas just waiting for embellishment. There's no shortage of skirt-detail inspiration on the Internet and here's some that I hunted down especially for you in anticipation of Skirt Week:

Stripey Goodness

Photo by A Fashionable Stitch

With a striped material at your disposal I think that the simplest of skirt patterns can be made to look altogether designerly. I'm partial to some chevrons, and making something similar to this skirt by A Fashionable Stitch is at the top of my own summer sewing list. If your skirt pattern doesn't have a central seam you could easily add one in, or perhaps think about contrasting stripe placement at the waistband instead.

Piping

Photo by Jemima Bean of Quality Time

Whether it's to unify contrasting colours or to add a little vibrancy to an otherwise plain skirt, piping can make things feel altogether more 'finished'. You can add it in where the a waistband joins the main skirt, or even edge pockets with it.I find it's a good way of adding interest and colour when I'm feeling a little less daring and wanting to play it safe (much of the time).

Secretive Additions

Pocket lining and waistband binding...by me.

If you want to play it really safe and keep all your embellishments hidden away so that only yourself and people peeping in your pockets can admire them, then you can keep all the interest on the inside of the skirt by creating pocket linings and waistband bindings from a contrast material. These are the things that make you feel wonderful every time you wear the garment and make it a delight to take out from the wardrobe.

Covered Buttons

Covered buttons by Kestrel Finds...and Makes...

Covered buttons never fail to delight me. If you haven't discovered just how much fun they are to make then do take a trip down to your local haberdashers and pick some up. You can use any fabric to cover the plastic or metal button moulds with and it only takes a few minutes to whip up several of them. I adore the the double helping of loveliness of piping and covered buttons used on this Beignet skirt.

Netting and underskirts

Skirt with netting by Make Something

Adding netting or a removable underskirt can give a skirt some va va voom, as seen here. I love this skirt and can imagine wearing it with or without the netting...but I like the versatility of having options.

Cording

Cording by Deep Indigo

Cording doesn't look so dissimilar to piping. The difference is that piping is sewn into a seam, whereas cording is sewing onto the surface of the fabric, making it a little more versatile and easy to apply no matter what pattern you're using. I love how it's been used to create a pocket design on the back of this skirt:

Cording by Deep Indigo

Puffballing

Puffball skirt by Gock's Frocks

When it comes to children's skirts you can possibly have even more fun. Almost any lined skirt pattern that isn't lacking in fullness can be made into a puffball skirt, simply by cutting the lining a little shorter and then sewing it to the bottom edge of the outer-skirt. Making a puffball skirt is particularly satisfying as the need to finish it with a hem is dispensed with.

Skirt trims

Skirt embellishment by Little Girl Pearl

Again, when it comes to girls' skirts, irrespective of what pattern you're using, you can have so much fun with adding trims and embellishments whether they're shop-bought or embroidered by hand, like this lovely skirt below:

Skirt embroidery by Anna Maria Horner

Out-Foxing Yourself

Adorable flower pocket and tutorial by Soduel

Finally, if all of that seems a little...reserved...you could also go for the utter fabulousness of adding one of these flower pockets onto your skirt. You can find a how-to tutorial here. I wish I had found this before my own daughter had grown up so much - I've fallen quite in love with the idea of chubby little toddler hands squirrelling away treasures inside one of these lovely flowers.

Yours, happily stalking the skirt pools on Flickr,
Florence x