As I was saying in Part 1, my long winter wool skirts are all centered around a purple, grey and plaid color theme, with a rustic, Highlands feel.
I love the fabric because it is a wool blend, but it is not too heavy - like many wools made for coats, and it has a smooth, soft finish with no scratchiness.
Here is the purple and plaid fabric draped on a mannequin, just so you can see how it looks.
I source the wool blend fabric is from a supplier who specializes in "deadstock" - unwanted fabric from the fashion industry that would otherwise go to waste. The company has great sustainability principles and even ships the fabric in biodegradable organic-based packaging instead of plastic.
The plaid one is so soft I didn't even feel the need to insert a lining - and I am VERY picky about wool linings. I absolutely can't stand any scratchiness next to my skin, even with tights on.
The purple, black and grey wool are not any more scratchy than normal wool, but I did insert a lining for additional comfort. It's just that the plaid literally feels like a soft blanket. The lining fabric for the purple, black and grey skirts is made in the USA.
Here is a video of all 3 fabrics so you can get a 'feel' for them. Just skip ahead in the video if you want to see the next color (you'll need to hit the enlarge button):
I used a circle skirt pattern to construct the skirt, they all have a waistband with a zipper and a clip to fasten at the top. You can specify the length so it is perfect for your height. Some people like them long and flowy, some like them a little shorter with less fabric.
The plaid fabric is cut on the bias, which means diagonal. I liked the way the checks looked doing it this way, but if you prefer the checks to be up and down (like they are in the video), the skirt can easily be made this way too.
I actually made this skirt for my wedding earlier this year, which was outdoors in January (freezing!). The fabric was a cream color, with light beige checks. I decided to do the checks up and down as I just liked how it looked. Its all up to you!
To style the skirt, I would wear a cropped cable knit sweater or something similarly chunky, maybe a cream with the plaid, a light grey with the purple, and almost any color you want with the black. I'd love to know how you would style them!
Here they are all finished, just click on the link to take you to the product page to find out more.
Plaid maxi skirt
Black maxi skirt
I don't yet have a product photo for the purple skirt but you can see it made up below into a midi skirt. If you want a maxi skirt in this fabric, just go to the black maxi skirt link below and select "purple" under color.
It won't be as full as the midi skirt above, as that much fabric would be too heavy for the skirt. It will be in the style of the black and plaid skirts, just made up in this purple fabric.
Black maxi skirt
See you in the next post!
