I chose to make the practice skirt with three rows of ruffles and the optional fabric rose. The only modifications I made were for fit at the waist. The pattern as drafted goes together very well. All the pieces fit where the direction say they should. This is something I really like in a pattern. Any same person would just serge the edges of all the ruffles. I turned the edges twice. That bottom ruffle took forever to sew (about four hours). Basing my idea of how the skirt should turn out on the picture, I was very surprised how short the skirt is in front. I’m not tall (5’3″) but, the front of the skirt is just above my knees. The back has (as expected) a slight train. Other than the front length, this pattern had no surprises and went together quite easily. I like the way the full circle (rather than shirred strip) ruffles look. The directions say that this type of ruffle has more life. It sure does.
Rated 3 out of 5
Christina Castellanos –
I would NOT recommend this pattern to anyone who is attemping to make a authentic flamenco dress. I read this review, and the back of the skirt looked great. But they should of shown the front side of the skirt. It’s short, like to the knees. This skirt is not worn that way for dance. The dress is what I made. I spent over a hundred dollars on fabric, spent many hours working on it, lot’s of frustration. As I worked I kept saying to myself “this can’t be right”. When I completed my work I realized that was not the dress on the package. The dress on the package is beautiful and is suitable for flamenco. However the dress that is the actual result of the pattern is far from anything that would be used for flamenco, it is in fact suitable for some sort of latin ballroom dance or even tango dance. NOT flamenco. Anyone who purchases this pattern and intends to use it for flamenco is going to be grandly dissapointed. I sent an email to folkwear informing them of their out right false advertisement and misleading representation of the dress pattern. I have yet to hear back from them and doubt I will.
Rated 4 out of 5
Kathleen Crowley –
I made this dress for a 6 ft tall man, so there were some adjustments to make in the pattern. I added three more rows of ruffles and added 3/4 length sleeves with a bias ruffle. I made the front shorter so he could show some leg. The whole thing is made out of a flocked velvet and it is lined throughout except for the sleeves. I thought the pattern was pretty basic and simple, but that the ruffle would prove too challenging to a beginner. I find that most finished garments don’t usually look like they do on the jacket when completed, so I was pretty pleased with the results. I think this dress could definitely be used for a flamenco piece, but may not be totally authentic. I serged the ruffle hem and saved a whole lot of time!
Sue Toorans –
I chose to make the practice skirt with three rows of ruffles and the optional fabric rose. The only modifications I made were for fit at the waist. The pattern as drafted goes together very well. All the pieces fit where the direction say they should. This is something I really like in a pattern. Any same person would just serge the edges of all the ruffles. I turned the edges twice. That bottom ruffle took forever to sew (about four hours). Basing my idea of how the skirt should turn out on the picture, I was very surprised how short the skirt is in front. I’m not tall (5’3″) but, the front of the skirt is just above my knees. The back has (as expected) a slight train. Other than the front length, this pattern had no surprises and went together quite easily. I like the way the full circle (rather than shirred strip) ruffles look. The directions say that this type of ruffle has more life. It sure does.
Christina Castellanos –
I would NOT recommend this pattern to anyone who is attemping to make a authentic flamenco dress. I read this review, and the back of the skirt looked great. But they should of shown the front side of the skirt. It’s short, like to the knees. This skirt is not worn that way for dance. The dress is what I made. I spent over a hundred dollars on fabric, spent many hours working on it, lot’s of frustration. As I worked I kept saying to myself “this can’t be right”. When I completed my work I realized that was not the dress on the package. The dress on the package is beautiful and is suitable for flamenco. However the dress that is the actual result of the pattern is far from anything that would be used for flamenco, it is in fact suitable for some sort of latin ballroom dance or even tango dance. NOT flamenco. Anyone who purchases this pattern and intends to use it for flamenco is going to be grandly dissapointed. I sent an email to folkwear informing them of their out right false advertisement and misleading representation of the dress pattern. I have yet to hear back from them and doubt I will.
Kathleen Crowley –
I made this dress for a 6 ft tall man, so there were some adjustments to make in the pattern. I added three more rows of ruffles and added 3/4 length sleeves with a bias ruffle. I made the front shorter so he could show some leg. The whole thing is made out of a flocked velvet and it is lined throughout except for the sleeves. I thought the pattern was pretty basic and simple, but that the ruffle would prove too challenging to a beginner. I find that most finished garments don’t usually look like they do on the jacket when completed, so I was pretty pleased with the results. I think this dress could definitely be used for a flamenco piece, but may not be totally authentic. I serged the ruffle hem and saved a whole lot of time!