BurdaStyle Kasia Skirt

Despite coming of age during the Reign (or Tyranny) of Low Rise, I'm open to new things, including the high-waisted skirt. Thus, when I perused BurdaStyle (you have to register to do just about anything on the site but it's free and I've not received any spam as a result) and came upon the Kasia skirt I was totally digging it. I downloaded it back before they started charging for most pattern downloads, but Kasia is still free because it was based on a design submitted by a BurdaStyle member.

It comes in a generous range of sizes (34-46) and is easy to download, print, and tape together. The taping together is a bit tedious, but the markings are clear on which pages go where. The pieces are laid out more like a Big 4 tissue than a BWOF pattern; the pieces don't overlap so it's very easy to trace out (though it would take less paper and taping time if they did overlap). The pieces themselves are well drafted, have useful markings, and go together well. I was worried about the gathered side panels drawing too much attention to my rear view, but in the end it just adds a little interest without being too blatant.

This is a popular pattern on BurdaStyle; a browse through the gallery shows it made up in a wide variety of fabrics for all different seasons. I decided to go for a transitional piece and make it in a winter white moleskin I got from Joann. I'm not sure what it is about this fabric that I love so much. It's got kind of a crushed faux suede look and is subtly metallic. I'm not majorly into suede (faux or otherwise) or metallic, and yet somehow the combination works for me in this.

Moleskin is not easy to gather or ease, so the side inset panels were a bit of a challenge. I now see why cotton is such a popular choice for this skirt. And as an aside, moleskin wrinkles like crazy! I did not expect it at all of a heavy polyester fabric, but it is pretty annoying. The light color might not have been the best choice because I feel like my stomach bulges noticeably under it (not in the photos, but after I've eaten or something), but that is mostly my self-consciousness, I think.

The only modification I made was to add a snap to the bib to hold the outer bib over the zipper. I was having a little trouble with it sagging down and showing the top of the zipper and it just didn't look good. The snap is an easy fix. You can see the buttons in the closeup, a fun bright gold metal button with a crest from a Fabric Mart 4 pound bag of buttons.

My only complaint with the pattern is that the front bib lining goes only about halfway down the skirt. When I was planning this skirt I intended to make the inner front panel go the full length but then forgot while cutting and didn't have enough fabric to recut it. If you know it's there, you can see the ridge of the bottom of the inner panel at thigh level and it just looks a little tacky.

Other than that quibble I am totally loving this skirt. It looks good with a sweater *and* a Spring t-shirt. However, I'm having a little trouble styling it because I like it as a more dressy skirt, but I feel like it looks weird to have a blouse with center buttons while the skirt has side buttons. It seems like too many buttons going in too many directions. However, some of the girls in the photo gallery on BurdaStyle are wearing button blouses and they look cute. Maybe the thing is that the buttons on the shirt have to blend...which is not my modus operandi with buttons! I like them to make a statement.

All photos are here and the pattern review is here.