Has anyone made a Split Side Adjustable skirt?

Split Side Adjustable Skirts were all the rage in the sewing Y---be world for a while about a year ago.  Wildflower Design made a modern version call the Coquelicot Skirt.

Back-story:
I need to make a fancy skirt for an event I'm not allowed to pass on... I'm a corduroy pants and plaid shirt sort of gal... I'm going to be surrounded by "bling" and I'm going to be photographed, and a skirt (they'd prefer a "buy it once and never wear it again dress" but I'm way too eco-conscious for that!) is the least objectionable option currently on the plate.

So I've been exploring the split side skirt.

Important Question #1 just how adjustable are these things in real life? One inch? Three inches? Anyone know?

Important Question #2 most of the pictures I've seen are using a fairly wide waist band/tie system. I am *very* short waisted, so wide won't work for me. Can this be done narrow? Has anyone tried?

I admit there would be much less pressure if this was just "casual wear". Alas not. It is upcycled silk with pleats at the back and sides. It is particularly  important to be genuinely adjustable, as it's not going to be worn often, so it needs to adapt and work over years of changes.

Tell me your experiences people! Tell me what worked, and more important, what didn't work, or why you decided not to go there!

I didn't make it, but I recently acquired a vintage pure wool wrap skirt that is VERY adjustable. I don't usually wear skirts but sometimes I'm laid up in bed for most of the day and it's easier to grab a wrap-around skirt so that when I do haul myself up to waddle around the place it's a much easier job to get myself covered up a bit.

My size and shape changes like the moon - I'm pretty much full at the moment!  But it's a relatively simple job to move the button and the clasp to allow for rather a lot of shrinkage.

I'm not very up to date on sewing terms, but I hope these photos will explain well enough.







The fabric is burel, a local, traditional pure wool material, woven and then washed so it becomes almost like a strong felt. It's surprisingly wind and water resistant. But that's probably a post for another day in another thread...

I remember having a wraparound pinafore as a teenager that I loved. I've got no idea what size woman it was supposed to fit...

I found the wildflower design skirt:


source

It looks pretty adjustable. My guess from this picture would be that if this is the maximum size (minimum overlap at the sides) the skirt can be adjusted to almost touch at the centre, so about 8 inches or more. View A (in picture above) has a thin waist band 'with a d loop' view B has a wider lace up panel.

Thanks Burra. I have a pattern to a similar skirt and it hadn't occurred to me that I can harvest part of that technique, and do the overlap on both sides in order to increase the adjustablity. The pattern is from my "BC" days (before children) and the skirt  couldn't be adjusted far enough to fit me after I gained weight with menopause. In many ways the concept is similar to the split side skirt, but with the split on only one side.

Thank you Nancy for finding the narrow waistband version of the skirt. I like that it has the simple attachment system for the back portion of the skirt that isn't as bulky as a bow would be. It looks like they've used velcro which wouldn't be my first choice near silk, but I'd been thinking of using several button holes and flat buttons to make it both secure and easy to adjust. I hadn't thought of using a D-ring. A D-ring will take the pressure off the fasteners. Definitely worth a think, but probably not as essential on a "dress-up" outfit compared to a working skirt.

I'm still not totally sure how I'll attach the front to the back at the bottom, and have it lie nicely regardless of how it's adjusted. I'm hoping if I pleat the front panel at the edges, I can leave the front fairly flat, as that would look better on me.

It's a work in progress, so maybe more ideas will come along.

Theater costuming we often used that kind of skirt, so they fit a wide range of people. We could easily get 8 inches of waistline change on them, sometimes we had to get more, so we'd split it farther down.

Any waistband you like will work. The patterns you see are just the ones that someone has taken pictures of, there are lots of ways to make them. Theater stuff we often made the top ties thread back in, so you put it on, lift the skirt, someone ties it in the back underneath, and there were no visible ties. We used narrow ties when we did that. If we were cinching it in to be almost a corset, we used a wider waistband and sturdier ties.

:D

I know you say you want a skirt, but you also say "they" would prefer a dress.
So, pardon me, but I'm encouraging you to think about a dress instead.
I have had one simple dress that has been my fallback for formal occasions for at least two decades.
I think a dress can be made more adaptable than a skirt to multiple size and shape changes.
Your arm length and shoulder width aren't going to change.
As long as the shoulders fit, a simple shift or a-line dress will fit you regardless of the fluctuations of your waist and hip measurements. If you make it with short sleeves or without sleeves you can add an over- or under-layer depending on the season.
The simplicity of it will show off the silk.
When the event is over it can be layered as a tunic over pants, or a jumper over a blouse, or under a sweater or apron or jacket or shorter tunic.
(Plus I can overeat in it, whereas I wouldn't be able to in a skirt with a waist.)

Ellen Lewis wrote:I know you say you want a skirt, but you also say "they" would prefer a dress.
So, pardon me, but I'm encouraging you to think about a dress instead.

I agree with Ellen that you should consider a dress. A skirt and blouse combo can look a bit frumpy or dated when you don't choose an excellent style.
A dress is more forgiving. I don't need fancy or festive dressing in normal live but two years ago needed something for my eldest daughter's graduation ball. As I am not only frugal but also very small it is hard to find a ready-to-wear dress so I sewed one myself. The bodice is doubled and I copied it roughly from a top I had, then I just added a large, almost circular navy sheer fabric which I don't remember the English or German name for (chiffon?), and added a lining in a matching colour.
The waistline is very high so it would be good for changing weight, almost an empire style waist.
As the skirt is very long you don't have to bother about tights etc.
If you managed to sew the bodice (mine gaped a bit so I added a brooch), you will only need some help with marking the length of the skirt and then need some patience with hemming.

According to location/weather you can add a bolero type jacket (sewn, knitted, or sourced second hand) or simply complete with a nice shawl (one size, can be borrowed).
Anyway, I was complimented on the dress and will probably reuse for next daughter's ball.

Some ideas for a dress ; wrap around dress, walk away dress,  wrap around skirt and modify the split where you'd want to.
And there is idea for handkerchief skirt (no picture and no split)
I couldn't post pictures because of file extensions.. Hmm...

To answer my Important Question #, I had to take the plunge and just get the skirt made:

My finished waist position = 29 1/2" and is set up so that I can increase it by either 1" or 2" simply by moving the waistband loops over by 1 set of buttons, or by buttons on each side of the skirt. This should be more than enough adjustability in the short term.

Maximum potential waist position with the skirt still hanging nicely = 34" by moving or adding simple shirt buttons

Maximum potential waist position which would require some unpicking and resewing = 42"

Minimal waist size = maybe 27-28" without doing a bunch of sewing.

What does this mean? This means that my skirt has *no* excuse of landing in the landfill. I will be able to find people to gift it to when I no longer can make use of it.  It also means that I can loan it to several friends if they would want to wear something that is truly one of a kind.

I'll be posting pictures of more of the project elsewhere, but this just gives a record of the changes in size I was able to accomplish relatively easily. (Ok, maybe not so easily - I was paralyzed by several "what ifs" while trying to guess at the next step and the sizes I should allow for, but I was working with a limited piece of irreplaceable fabric and a likely once in a lifetime event I needed to "dress up" for. Just a little too much pressure!)

Now the next problem is do I or do I not try and add a pocket... The long term answer will likely be yes, but the project ate a lot of time, so I may just pass for the moment!