Sarah, Taffy, Patty and I had a blast picking out fabric at the Alexander Henry booth when we were at Market last October. When these great bird prints arrived at the shop last week, Sarah called to let me know and I immediately started thinking of something fun to make with them.

I loved the Pink Fig Mish Mash Skirt pattern because it provided the opportunity to use all the fabrics — and more — in one fun and funky piece. While the pattern calls for 10-15 fabrics cut to 5/8 yard, Sarah and I figured out that I could get away with fat quarters instead (although we did opt for a 1/6 yard cut of fabric for the waistband). When the pattern called for a longer cut of fabric, I just divided up the fabric and sewed up the pieces to make the longer strips (this was needed for only two fabrics, BTW and pretty much used up each of those FQs).

In addition to the great AH fabrics, we mixed in some solids, a few Kaffe Fasset prints, a little Henry Glass (Bubblegum Basics), some Robert Kaufman and a touch of Lecien Mini Miu. The underskirt is Erin McMorris’s most recent line with some tulle I had on hand.

I did find the cutting and measuring a little intimidating but I just sketched out the skirt layout and planned each piece before I started cutting. I think that really helped me make sure I didn’t have fabrics of the same color or print next to each other, as well as plan the pieces so I didn’t run out of anything unexpectedly.

I neglected to double check each measurement before I cut so I did end up with some pieces that were shorter than others. After I pieced all the non-gathered strips together, I just evened up the bottom. It really was no more than 1/2″ and obviously is still plenty long.

If I had to do it again, I think I would adjust the gathered strips so they are not gathered within 1/2 inch of the top and bottom. I think this would help the rolled hem look a little neater, as well as help with the sort of balloon-y look of the gathered strips where they meet the waistband.

The instructions called for a lot more embellishing and topstitching than I did, and I think I’ll give those a whirl the next time I make this skirt. I think I’d really love to make it with a less diverse color palette for some variation. And I’m eager to try out the embellished tee the next time, too.

For reference, this skirt is a 5T and plenty long to get worn for a couple or three years. Liesl is a skinny size 5 (and only about 42 1/2 inches tall). I made it as a shop sample and didn’t mind it being a little big, since it may be a while before we get it back.

Tomorrow: The Sew Liberated Flora Tunic & Twirl Skirt!