Circle Skirt from Saree and Sorbetto #4

A few months ago I went on a little fabric overload shopping trip.  I bought 3 polyester crepe sarees to chop up and use.  In the shop, I thought this saree was a wedgewood/periwinkle blue and beige pattern. When I first saw it in natural light, I was very disappointed: the beige was actually celery green.  :(

The funky paisley part at the end is the pallu: the fancy end of the saree which falls over the shoulder

In the end, the blue color won me over and I decided to make another version of New Look 6899.  This time I made the circle skirt since I had plenty of fabric and circle skirts are notorious fabric hogs.  Prior to hemming, I let the skirt hang for at least a week and it was a wise move.  The parts on the bias stretched over 4"!!  I enlisted a friend to help me mark the hem.  The saree fabric has great drape, is very floaty, and absolutely does not wrinkle!!  See:

When the skirt was on the cutting table, I needed to figure out what top to make to go with it. I downloaded a new wrap top pattern, but after a major muslin "oops", I put that aside and decided to bring out the old standby: the Sorbetto. It is made from a rayon-poly blend called "Busy Lizzie". After 4 versions of the same top, there's not much to say. However, now that I look at these photos, I see weird wrinkles from the boobs diagonally down to the side seams.  Odd.  Am I standing up too straight?  Are my darts too short (I did shorten them)  Any insights about that one? 

Here is the final ensemble:

and a closeup of the fabric:

New Look 6899: Knit flared skirt

New Look 6899:

Pattern Description:  Knit flared skirt

View E

Fabric Used:  a medium-heavy knit I found in the clearance rack at Hancock Fabrics.

Pattern Sizing:  I cut a 18 but it was HUGE!  I took 1” off of the front AND back at one side seam.  Next time, I will cut a 14.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?  Yes


Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:  I lengthened the hem by 2” to 23”.  I used an invisible zipper at the side seam.  I tried a lapped zipper but the fabric would not lie flat at the seam between the yoke and skirt and had to redo it. I had very bad luck with zippers on this skirt.  The first invisible zipper I put in, broke when I tried to put the skirt on.  The 2nd zipper was the lapped zipper and didn't lay properly.  The 3rd zipper was invisible and the pull snapped in half.  (I get my zippers really REALLY cheap, so I can't be too too too mad), and the 4th was the charm in this case.  

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?  The pattern was easy and straight forward.  I thought the instructions for the zipper/waistband interface were rather sloppy, and should somehow be improved.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?   Very cute skirt, I will definitely make another one.