I meant to write last night but forgot.

I finally washed and ironed the tropical cotton I got from FFC, and it turned out to be basically a turquoise ground with a very broad pattern down either side. It'd be fair to call it a border print, although the border is about as wide as the empty center section. The dress I want to make from it has a full-ish skirt that gathers to the waist except at the front; it's flared a bit and has a curved hem. Should I:

a) cut the skirt as the pattern indicates, on the grain and with a slight curve at the bottom

or

b) cut the skirt as rectangular blocks and pleat instead of gathering (since gathering is already asking for thick-waistedness and adding more fabric isn't going to help)

or

c) cut the skirt as rectangular blocks, but dart it to curve into the shape of the original pattern pieces and then gather as instructed?