Rae & Jem - I'm glad you like it (as well as others who chimed in to say they liked it) 'cause I spoke with my thrift store and unfortunately their return policy without receipts is iron clad due to previous problems they've had with returns. So I'm going to make this work, come hell or high water! I'm just that stubborn.
I got back my Shabby Apple skirt yesterday from my seamstress who did an AMAZING job - the skirt now fits better than any other skirt I've ever owned! So I will try some more styling ideas such as belting, leaving it open, trying it over different silhouettes, etc. and if I still feel like it needs tweaking, I'll take it to Wonder Woman (what I'm now calling my seamstress since I can't pronounce her name) and see what she can do.