Listening to Fabric

My original plan for this fabric was to make a dress.  I searched my pattern collection and Burda index for a dress with simple styling.  I thought I found one.  The  July 2014 issue of Burda Style Magazine showed a very simple dress pattern in style 129.

But, every time I went into the sewing room I heard a small whisper: "I don't want to be a dress."  Lori, at Girls in the Garden, does an excellent job of matching fabric to the right pattern.  I asked myself, "What would Lori do?" And realistically, it was a little late in the season to sew a sleeveless dress.  So, I listened to the fabric and even though I really liked the pattern, I decided against the dress in favor of a skirt.  I went back to my pattern collection and chose an oldie but goodie, Kwik Sew 3276.

Listening to fabric has always been a problem for me.  There have been countless times when I was disappointed because my fabric/pattern match-up was wrong.  

I though it was as simple as this:

But there is more to consider:

I'm okay with the drape and weight.  It's prints that give me trouble.  Many sewers can match pattern to fabric instinctively.  I need to put deliberate thought into my fabric–pattern match-ups.  But I take heart.  It's not too late.  This is a skill that can be learned.