Zipskirt

So, the original plan was to use this plum pinwale corduroy to make a McCall's 7906.  I just didn't have enough of it, though--the large pattern pieces meant I couldn't possibly squeeze it out of lesser yardage.

I decided to do another McCall's 7981 instead, like my previous project. This time, I had enough of the fabric to cut the pieces the length the pattern wanted. I was ready to use four part snaps for the closures again, but, when I got to the point of sewing on the front bands, I pivoted even farther off course and dug out a matching zipper.

and then used a few four part snaps on the waistband

The zipper is not a perfect match, but, considering it was in my stash after having been given to me in the Great Friend's Relative's Destash of 2019, it's pretty good.

In retrospect, it would have benefited from some interfacing on either side of the zipper.  All of the pressing and ironing of this happened on a fluffy towel, to maintain the fluffiness of the cords, so not adding fusible interfacing was purely a function of not thinking about it instead of worrying about crushing the pile.

The zipper was even the right length--I wasn't even sure how long the skirt was, because I once again bagged the hem, but this time trimmed the lining about 5/8" and sewed it to the skirt with a 5/8"seam.  The zipper tape had 20 stamped on one end, so I guess this is right around 20" long.

That's about 2" longer than the previous make of this skirt.  I didn't think it would make that much of a difference, but, while the previous skirt is kicky and fun, this one feels massive.  I guess the difference is less about the length and more that the pinwale corduroy is just a bit heavier than the wool.

That extra heaviness is also what made me second guess applying the front bands and go with the zipper instead.  Good idea or not, it's finished.

And, look: center back seam this time, too.