Marimekko "kaivo" pleated skirt

[EmilyInOrbit]

I have had this Marimekko fabric forever but I could never figure out what to do with it because the pattern is HUGE. I got it from a thrift store. Here's what the fabric looked like before I sewed it up.



This photo I found on the internet, it's just like the fabric i started with, except the two colors of green are reversed in mine.

I decided that I could make it work by pleating the fabric to make the pattern a little less crazy-intense. So I cut it in half down the middle longways and sewed the two pieces together end to end to get one long strip, which was then long enough to pleat to make a skirt. Here it is all pleated on my floor:

The shape of the pattern changes because for some reason this fabric was not made to be an exact mirror image... weird.

I decided to do 1" pleats and sew the pleats down part of the way. Because I was going to sew them down I had to change the width of the pleats between the waist and the hips so that it would fit both places. That was kind of a pain. Here's the pleats being sewn:


here's some pics of the finished product! The fabric did not want to hold the pleats. I'm not sure I've fixed that problem but what I did was fuse a piece of interfacing around the inside of the skirt to keep the pleats from flattening out. Does anyone have a good way of getting pleats to stay in a skirt like this?

[spydyrgrrl]

That fabric is fantastic!  I love it.

[CraftyMcCrafterson]

you can send it to a drycleaner that specialized in pleat setting.

It looks really great!

[daiconharuko]

Wow.. that looks fantastic! I love the fabric! What a score!

Hmmm... maybe you could use some spray starch and use it when you iron your pleats out. I remember having to use that when I was in ROTC to keep the pelats in my pants and such. Or, take it to a dry cleaner and do it.

[mcscience]

I am so jealous! Just simply beautiful. And clever. Amazing.

[pinkropers]

You've done a fabulous job with the construction AND the fit!  You definitely get an "A"!  It looks wonderful on you.

As for the pleats, here is a technique I saw on Sewing with Nancy.  With the skirt turned inside out, edgestitch along the edge of the pleats which hang on the inside, down to the hem.  You won't be edgestitching on the right side.  And then I would take it to the cleaners and ask them to press the pleats in place.

Beautiful, beautiful skirt!

[SeeJaneSew]

Wow! How cool to not only find Marimekko fabric at a thrift store AND to come up with such a cool and clever skirt.  Looks like fun!

[craftylittlemonkey]

absolutely gorgeous! i love how the design collapses into something wonderful to look at. what a great, innovative idea.

[fleur_delicious]

brilliant! I love the colour, print (what a score on that fabric!), and what you decided to do with it! nicely, nicely done!

[appliquehearts]

That's so cool!
I'm in love with that fabric, and the whole thing!