My second gathered, elastic waist skirt post of the week... first the Melinda Midi, now this one:
This is the Elbe Textiles Lawley skirt.
The Lawley skirt is a free pattern for a "gathered, knee length skirt featuring an elasticated waistband with a drawstring and side pockets with a bias strip edging finish." It's made for medium weight fabrics with a nice drape.
The Lawley has a wide size range. Size A-M range up to 48" waist and 58" hip, although this style would likely accommodate larger sizes than that... I cut a size G, which corresponded with my measurements.
The fabric I used is a poly crepe floral I bought from Hart's Fabric when I was driving through Santa Cruz last winter. I don't typically buy much 100% polyester, but I loved the rich, deep orange color and the pops of gold and teal!
The Lawley has a waistband that is separate from the skirt pieces. I was interested to see how the Lawley is constructed: rather than having the skirt gathered entirely by the waist elastic, the wide skirt pieces are gathered onto the narrower waistband, and then the waistband is pulled in/gathered even more by the elastic.
The wide elastic is topstitched down so it doesn't roll, and there is an option for a drawstring. My drawstring is made from self-fabric, cut from the scraps.
Like the Melinda Midi, the Lawley skirt is super swishy:
I really love my Lawley! I was expecting to have a clear favorite between the Melinda Midi and the Lawley, but they're both pretty great. I mean, you can't go wrong with an elastic waist skirt as far as comfort and classic style go...
Like my Melinda, I took photos of my Lawley paired with a t-shirt and sandals, but I think it will be fabulous with tights, boots and a sweater in the fall and winter!
