DIY Monday: Pleated Skirt with Waistband

So, this is my first attempt at a regular feature.  Every Monday I am going to post a project that I get from a different site. I'll follow their DIY instructions and post what I come up with, whether it works out or not.  This will keep me on track for one of my 20 goals from this list.
I pinned this skirt on Pinterest a while ago and decided to make it today.  I used some fabric that I have had FOREVER and you might recognize from some other projects, like this and this.
Everything started out fine.  Then, along came the pockets.  I'm not very good at making pockets...A lot of the dresses that I make only have one, because I get so frustrated that I just give up and decide to screw it.  On this skirt I accidently sewed them in upside down and then just took them out.  So my skirt doesn't have any.
Also, there were a lot of parts where the author just assumed that you would know what to do next, left out steps and said something like "and now it looks like this".  Nope, it doesn't, actually.
I made the waistband three inches thick, because I thought that it would make it look better, and it did.  I'm happy with the final product, BUT IT DOESN'T FIT.  Measuring FAIL.
oh well.
Here is the waistband and pleats:

 And the whole thing:

Then, my sewing machine broke.  So....yeah.  I have a case of the Mondays.