Sewing | Victorian Lace Skirt & Sweetheart Top

I'm so happy that the weather is finally warming up so that I can wear this lace skirt and top that I made last winter.  Awhile back I posted a fabric haul  along with a video showing all the beautiful fabric that I purchased from the garment district in downtown LA.  I particularly purchased some pink lace to make a Victorian lace skirt that I had seen a photo of on Pinterest. Well, this is the first of three skirts that I plan on making. I didn't use a pattern for this skirt, rather I used an actual wrapped skirt that I already had hanging in my closet. I just laid the skirt on top of the fabric and cut it out the best I could. However, I didn't want it to be a wrap skirt I just wanted it to have some flare and most of my skirt are pretty straight.  I closed up the seams with a zipper and made it fitted around the hips.

The photo above is from my fabric haul post. For this skirt, I used the first three pinks in the photo (from left to right). The first two pink fabrics make up the outer portion of the skirt and the top, and the third pink is the fabric that I used for the lining inside the skirt. The top is not lined so that my tank top can show through.

The skirt was actually completed back in December after I purchased the fabric. I bought 5 yards of the stretchy fabric for the top portion of the skirt and also for the blouse. I also bought 2 yards of the lace fabric for the bottom half of the skirt and I bought 2 yards of the pink organza used for the lining.

A closer image of the front and back of the skirt reveals my flaws. I had problems sewing the invisible zipper because this was my first time sewing one in about 10yrs. When I tried on the skirt the lining was too tight. I had to split the lining and add a panel, for some reason I chose to add it in the back so this is why you can see the lining seams in the back of the skirt.

I split the lace at the bottom half of the skirt and added two panels of the stretchy fabric to give the skirt some flare. I did it on each side of the front seam.

For the top I used McCall M7163 pattern View C. The only alteration I made was shortening the length at the bottom, otherwise the top rest past the hips. I have a short torso so I placed the casing for the elastic for the waist a couple of inches below my bustline. I prefer this look instead of what the pattern calls for.

 I used clear elastic which I have on hand for my Lace Wig Straps that I sell online.