Dirndl skirt: Red Southwestern

I took a tiny nibble out of my immense fabric stash this weekend by sewing up the red Southwestern-print dirndl skirt.

It's not actually crooked; it's just hanging funny.

There isn't much to say about this: It's a rectangle gathered into a waistband.  I didn't want to go to the extra bother of putting a seam up the back so it has an exposed zipper the way the pink chambray skirt does, although this one looks better because it matches the fabric more closely.

There are zillions of tutorials for these skirts.  You basically sew a rectangle (go about twice your hip measurement.  This one is two widths of 42" fabric, minus seam allowances, of course.  It's a bit full; two yards--72" minus seam allowance--would do for me), install zipper, add pockets if you want, and gather it into a waistband.  Hem at desired length (28-ish inches here; horizontally striped fabrics are easy to hem, right?).  Trim as you like.  I added the black stripes out of my stash of old bias tape to make the skirt look more like I'd put some thought into it.  I think I'm also going to get some white embroidery floss and add buckstitching to the stripes; I like them, but they seem kind of timid against that print.  

Some tutorials:
Stitch Me Softly
Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing, of course.

Installing side-seam pockets:
BurdaStyle
Simple Simon & Co.
Amy vs. Fabric
Blogspot: Sewing Tutorials