One of my favorite things about the A-Frame skirt is the many opportunities for color blocking, print mixing and other ways of playing with fabric. I've provided some ideas and additional cutting layouts below, including some fabric suggestions from some awesome independent fabric retailers!

There are many variations on A-frame that call for the same yardage and layout given in the pattern, but create visual interest by using both sides of the fabric. The sample version of the pencil skirt shown on the shop page uses an amazing double sided cotton. Since each skirt section is cut in pairs, you can simply flip over any pair of pieces to create contrast. Many double sided fabrics are available as lightweight upholstery fabric, which would work great for the pencil skirt. You could also use both right and wrong side of a fabric for a little interest. Fabrics like satin & sateen often have a crepe or plain weave back, allowing you to mix and match shiny & matte panels.

Here are some additional ideas that require special cutting layouts:

Version 1 - The Pencil Skirt

One way to play with the A-frame panels is to use both directions of a directional fabric, like stripes.

You can use striped fabric in coordinating colors, or simply re-orient your pattern pieces to create interest with horizontal & vertical stripes.

You can also play with coordinating colors in either solid or print fabrics to get some awesome results.

Here's another variation where the whole side panel is a contrast color

Version 2 - The A-line Skirt

Using the original cutting layout from the pattern can produce some cool results when using fabrics with symmetrical geometric prints like checks or plaids. Be sure to use plaids that are balanced, so that the bias cut front panel will look balanced too. Check out this video from A Fashionable Stitch about balanced vs. unbalanced plaids.