The Gretel Skirt - It's all About The POCKETS with Mother Grimm Designs!

I love it when I can just totally embrace the inner child within, and others just go with it.

This will make sense to Doctor Who Fans

That's what happened while testing the fun Gretel Skirt for Mother Grimm Designs, located in the UK!

It was a quick test, but it was also a quick skirt to sew up with easy to follow direction.  The design was created for stretch jersey/knits, however, many of the testers ended up using not only stretch jersey, but non-stretch wovens mixed in the the knits for spectacular results!

This is a "panel" skirt, meaning, you are to use an uncut t-shirt panel - apparently they are sold as such, but I like to cut things up for repurposing, so most of my "panels" actually DO come from t-shirts, and I just colour block  around the edges to make it into a full "panel."

Neither my test skirt nor fancy skirt had panels, but I sure did use a mishmash of fabrics - each fabric pulling the colours and designs from the other - such a neat effect for an under-hour sew!

Mishmash test skirt

There are two smaller side panels, and the front and back panels - which can be reversed, just by twisting your skirt around to the other side!  It sits at your proper waist, so for myself, I don't feel overly hippy or large bottomed, as it is a rather flattering cut.

That's how I got away with wearing my Tardis skirt at work without feeling too dressed down.   And really - the POCKETS are so awesome, they held my work pass AND phone, and a bit of change for my required 2nd coffee of the day.

It also passed the wind test. Every girls' worst nightmare is having that light flowy dress or skirt...go up like Marilyn Munro in her famous white dress, all because of a wind gust.

Between my office building and the parking lot or mall (where I get my coffee or sit in during lunchtime), the wind can gust me away like Mary Poppins 3 out of the 5 days a week I am there.  It did this while I wore my Gretel skirt, and due to the size of the panels, it did NOT blow up.  There was some rippling, but I didn't have to hold my skirt down!

A skirt you can whirl in that stays down in the wind (and has POCKETS) is a must in every girl's closet!

So, if you have some bits and bobs of fabric that you are coveting because it's too small for a full item, Gretel allows you to use these smaller fabric pieces as side panels, pockets, or even the waistband!

Gretel can be as fun or as serious as you want it - a panel is fun, but not required.  I can only imagine this as a Christmas Dress, with big pockets to hold goodies in, perhaps with a lace overlay on the sides. Or it can be hiked up over your chest, and worn as a dress (with a few alterations, like lengthening the skirt and lowering the pockets) with or without straps added on.

I am now eyeing Mother Grimm's Dragon Wings (which I wish were adult size....although I could always trace a larger patten), but feel that I will dive into the Adult Coif (face hood for the winter) with add ons like animal ears or a pixie cut when I'm ready for new patterns.

For now, I will OCD over Gretel. I feel I need one for every day of the week!

Gnome Tried to hide in my side pocket!