TL; DR – I got this pattern for free as a tester, it’s a challenging skirt that I made more challenging with my fabric choice, but the results are stunning.

I saw the call from Forest and Thread for pattern testers as they expand their size range, and now that the pattern is available for purchase, I can share my review! I was excited to be selected to make the Gone Rogue skirt. I had gotten rid of most of my really dressy clothes, and I thought this would be a great “dress up” skirt pattern, using the right fabric.

The pattern called for lighter-weight woven that could be even a little translucent given the construction, which is that the two asymmetrical skirt pieces are layers on top of each other. So I decided to use some silk organza I had bought. Of course, for the most difficult pattern I had ever attempted, I chose the most difficult fabric. Looks the same on both sides, slippery AF and, you know, black, it was…a choice.

Having learned my lesson the hard way from the asymetrical Elodie mishap, I VERY carefully marked all of my pattern pieces with ALL of the information (pattern piece number, position, RS, etc). This helps a lot in construction. The directions were excellent for such a complex pattern, filled with techniques I had never done before (like flat felled seams). The only challenge was grading out the waist, as it has a side hidden zipper, and it wasn’t as clear to me as I would have liked as to how to do that. It turned out a little bigger at the waist than I would have liked, but it doesn’t fall off and if I do wear it out, I can actually do things like sit down and eat food without getting completely uncomfortable.

While the black hides the fact that not all my flat felled seams are…perfect, I am thrilled with how it turned out. I decided I was sick and tired of dealing with the fabric, and it has a bit of a rougher texture, so I finished the frill just with a zig-zag stitch to prevent fraying, but I like the slightly unfinished look of it. I’ll have to make a fancy enough top to go with it so I can wear it to fancy places when I go to fancy places again!