Free Pattern Friday - Rainbow Supreme West Virginia Skirt

Today for Free Pattern Friday we have a skirt pattern I found in my stash called the "Rainbow West Virginia Supreme" outfit from 1982!

I'm not positive where this came from, but I think it might be related to the International Order of the Rainbow...(a masonic organization for girls..) though I'm not sure how that relates to the skirt!

If you have any better guesses, let me know.

It is a fun and easy skirt that will suit almost any gal's wardrobe, so I'm sure you'll enjoy it!

This pattern is from an unknown source and is assumed copyright free.  If you are the copyright holder and wish me to take it down, please just let me know.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

Autumn Looks From the Pattern Patter Team

Maybe you don't want to think about it... but autumn is on the way on this half of the planet!

Here are some great looks you can get from the Pattern Patter Team right NOW to spice up your fall wardrobe.  (Everyone ready for pumpkin spice everything?)  Oh, and some great patterns for fall crafts, too!

McCall's 8329

This adorable pattern to make some soft sculpture scarecrow kids sitting on sweet patchwork pumpkins is available right now from Find Crafty Patterns.

Butterick 5012

This gorgeous suit with couture detail will keep you absolutely fashionable this autumn, available now from Sew Vintage on Etsy.

Kwik Sew 509

Ready for some football?  This adorable pattern is great for sewing, but also for the terrific graphic.  It would look neat framed in a boy's room or in your sports-watching mancave. :)  Get it now from Jersey Girl Patterns.

Butterick 6800

Why not make a special holiday table this year for Thanksgiving?  Everyone will be impressed and they will be heirloom decorations for years to come.   Try it now from Wits End Design.

McCall's 2118

A beautiful cape will make you stand out, and will never become unstylish.  Pick it up now in Grey Dog Vintage's shop.

McCall's 5947

Why not decorate the whole household with this pattern from Keepsakes Studio?  Really pretty!  Great gift idea too.

Simplicity 8022

You can make some sweet scarecrow dolls with this pattern from Clutterina.

McCall's 2945

A whole new way to decorate your pumpkin!  You can make soup with it afterwards. :)  Kids will love this!  Get it now at Wits End Design.

McCall's 2703

These fall looks are pretty timeless!  Great for school or the office.  Staples for any gal's wardrobe.  Available now at Redcurlz's Patterns!

McCall's 5492

An heirloom turkey and pumpkin for your table, you can pick it up at The Granny Squared.

McCall's 2677

More classic looks for fall from Laguna Lane.

McCall's 3780

More beautiful fall decorations from Lonestar Blondie!  Another great gift idea.. why not take one to your Thanksgiving dinner host or hostess as a present?

McCall's 2770

Another beautiful cape, perfect for your autumn wardrobe or your steampunk Halloween costume!  You can pick up your copy at Smiling Cat Vintage.

Vogue 7460

These hats will make you stand out on a dreary autumn day. :)  Vogue Vixens has it waiting for you!

Everything you need to dress up your autumn look in this amazing pattern from DRC Rose Patterns.  Make a bag, cape, scarf, vest, cape, hat!   Great gift ideas here, too.

Vogue 8672

Sassy fall jackets are good from casual to dressy... make yours today with this pattern from Cloe's Closet.

McCall's 9019

Chilly weather basics that just can't miss!  Pretty Pattern Shop has it for you. :)

McCall's 4234

Don't forget the kids!  These easy fleece outfits are great for school or a chilly football game.  Check 'em out at Pitter Pattern Place.

McCall's 9900

Trust me when I say that every vintage girl needs one of these in her wardrobe!  Make it up in a nice woven or woolen and you'll look like a million bucks.  I wore mine all last year, and you can make one too with this pattern from Frisky Scissors!

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I hope I've inspired your sewing goals for autumn!  Let us know which one you like best, and be sure to let us know if you make any of the above designs. :)

Any weather is tolerable when you make it yourself!

Focus On: Skirt Styles

By Sherri of Sew Betty and Dot

Skirts, in some version or other, have been a part of the human wardrobe for millennia--prehistoric cave paintings show male and female figures wearing a type of skirt. Roman and Greek men also wore a form of skirt (as well as tunics and togas, more like a draped dress). In Western cultures, men  stopped wearing skirts by about the Middle Ages (14th century)--with the exception of kilts, of course--but in hot climates, they continue to wear skirt-like garments (the Indian dhoti, the sarong).

Women's skirts--and we're talking about the "skirt" part of a dress at the moment, not necessarily a separate garment--quickly evolved into elaborate constructions with elaborate underpinnings--crinolines, petticoats, and hoops, reaching a pinnacle in the 18th century: hoop skirts during the Civil War era were often an astonishing six feet across.

A brief history of the skirt in the twentieth century: French designer Paul Poiret introduced the hobble skirt, which was as it sounds: a skirt that was tight around women's legs, substantially altering her gait.

A hobble skirt: 1911 postcard. Image from Wikipedia

By the 1920s, Coco Chanel and Jean Patou helped raise hemlines to the knee--think Flapper dress--and then in the 1930s Patou reversed course and introduced longer, mid-calf-length skirts. World War II fabric rationing meant that skirts were fairly streamlined and tailored. In 1947, Christian Dior introduced the New Look: yards and yards of fabric to make a very full skirt (with a VERY nipped-in waist). In the 1950s, slim and full skirts were in fashion (and patterns from this era often offer a choice of skirts). Of course, the 1960s saw mini skirts arrive--thank you, Mary Quant and André Courrèges--and in the seventies, women could choose maxi, midi, mini, or micro-mini. In the 1980s, designer Christian Lacroix introduced "Le Pouf," a bubble skirt seen on socialites everywhere. All of these styles have made a comeback over the years, and in the anything-goes twenty-first century, we're free to wear any one of these that strikes our fancy (well, there aren't too many hoop skirts walking down the street!).

Let's go! Skirt styles, some practical, some fantasitc--and again, some are attached to bodices and are thus part of a dress--currently on offer from the Pattern Patter team. 

(As always, please click on the images to make them larger.)

Top row, left to right: 4-gored skirt from 1939: McCall 3188: She’ll Make You Flip

8-gored full skirt: Simplicity 4674: Blue Tree Sewing Studio

Accordion pleats: Vogue S-4832: RetroMonkeys

Middle row: Knife pleats: Simplicity 1279: JFerrariDesigns

Inverted pleats: Vogue 8668: Redcurlz

Back pleats: Simplicity 4368: Fancywork

Bottom row: Pencil/straight skirt: Butterick 5594: VioletCrownEmporium

Wiggle/slim skirt: McCall’s 4167: Grandma Made with Love

Modern hobble (1960): McCall 5320: SoVintageOnEtsy

Top row, left to right: Exaggerated full circle skirt: McCall's 4357: SewBetty and Dot

Two gores, inverted pleat/two gores, underlay, slot seam: McCall's5048: MidvaleCottage

Back gathers: McCall 7581: VioletCrownEmporium

Middle row: Tiered skirt: McCall 7258: PrettyPatternShop

Micro mini: Butterick 6592: Bessie and Maive

Bottom row: Mini: Butterick 5553: AnnesVintagePatterns

Midi: Simplicity 8918:JeaniesShop

Maxi: Simplicity 9112: Historically Patterns

Top row, left to right: 1920s wrap skirt: Butterick 1480: Vintage Needle Finds

Reversible wrap: Simplicity 7699: ClassicCabin

Wrapped and buttoned: McCall’s 3887: EmSewCrazy

Middle row: Flounce in back pleat: Style 4859: All the Precious Things

Flounced hem: Butterick 8792: PaneenJerez

A line: Simplicity 7779: SuttlersSundries

Bottom row: Sarong style: Advance 8634: pinkpolkadotbutton

Bell: Style Print 1321: DejaVuPatterns

Tulip skirt: Vogue 2568: AdeleBeeAnn

Left to right: Pouf/bubble/“harem”: McCall’s 4690: Frisky Scissors
High/low hem: Vogue 1686: SelvedgeShop

Avant garde: Vogue 2056: All the Precious Things

That wraps up--pun intended--this quick (and gorgeous!) trip through Skirt Land...there are so many variations and combinations of these styles available. Just search "vintage skirt pattern patter" and see what treasures you'll uncover! Tell us in the comments about YOUR  favorite skirt style!