My Two Cents

My advice for the day is this; if you wear skirts often and live in a northern clime, make yourself some flannel slips! I know it sounds old-fashioned and maybe silly, but you would not believe the difference.

I wear a lot of skirts and dresses. Not because of religious conviction, but because I just look better in skirts than pants. But every winter here in blustery Ohio, I have to contend with those cold, sudden breezes. This year, I decided to make a flannel half slip to go under mine and my daughter's Christmas dresses. Christmas was so cold here and with all of the in and out running we do, I hoped to cut down on the warm up time at each stop that we made. I have discovered why this was such a common practice long ago. I promptly made up two or three more, and now I am blissfully warm. (Gone are the cold knees and thighs!)

I didn't do anything fancy, I just used a favorite simple skirt pattern of mine. Sewed down the side seams, hemmed the bottom and put in a simple pocket-elastic waistband. You could achieve the same effect using a tapered rectangle cut in your desired length and wide enough to gather slightly around your waist. The elastic does all of the work, so there is no need to sew in any gathers or pleats.

Anybody who regularly wears skirts in the winter will understand what I mean about the wind cutting through the fabric, no matter how heavy. This little slip will do away with that completely. It doesn't even have to be expensive, thick flannel either. I use the stuff that I get on sale for 99 cents a yard at the fabric store. And if you are feeling especially Scarlett O'Hara-ish, you can add a little ruffle around the bottom. :)

Here's to swishy skirts!