Skirting around

In my efforts to find a skirt pattern that (1) fits me well and (2) suits me well, I have been playing with a couple of different designs. I wanted a skirt that has a small yoke, so I tried McCall's 5524 - it has a yoke and a bias skirt. After chopping 30 cm off the length - as it is designed for longer, lankier women - I think it's OK. I even managed to perfect the lapped side zip. Fabric from Michael Levine in LA.
Next I wanted to try a more A-line style, and with a centre back zip. This is Sidonie from BurdaStyle - also cut on the bias.

Notice anything wrong? It's maybe a tad short for me? And it's not even hemmed?! Yes, that's right, while I went to a bit of trouble to make sure I cut the right size, I didn't actually check the length. It is the non-adjusted pattern length, which is usually OK, non? Only if you want to sew a mini skirt, apparently.

I modified the pattern to remove the waistband and replace with facings, so that my bulky middle wouldn't be accentuated. Luckily it's made from a cheap vintage sheet. I'm thinking of adding some lace or broderie anglaise to the hem.

Next project: How to take a decent self-portrait (and remember to replace daggy Tshirt with something a bit more suitable).

Just sayin'

One thing that might be really important if I am going to succeed with sewing my own wardrobe for a year is to learn to insert zips using my lovely newish Pfaff - inserting them easily, correctly, neatly and stress-freely. One thing that might help is to use the zipper foot the right way round. Back to front just doesn't work.