Two, Two, Two skirts in one!

Confession: I have a lot of trouble sewing clothes. I don't know what it is. I pick out pretty fabric and what I think will be a cute (and hopefully not too difficult) pattern. In theory, all should go according to plan. In reality, I always struggle. Perhaps it's the fact that I like to change things around from the pattern. And that I'm often trying to squeeze the most I can out of a small amount of fabric. And maybe easy patterns are really meant to look like maternity wear. (Not a problem if you're expecting of course, but I'm not!)

 

Take this skirt as an example. I loved the look of Anna Maria Horner's Flirting the Issue Skirt. The pattern's a free download, and it looks so easy and cute! I also had been wanting to try out sewing with voile, and I love Anna Maria's Innocent Crush line. Seems like a perfect match, right?

Well. The voile is gorgeous. So gorgeous that I couldn't decide which one to choose. But then I hit upon this happy thought: why not get two patterned fabrics instead of one patterned and one solid? That way I could make my skirt reversible!

It all worked out in the end but let me tell you it was a bit of a pain getting there. Mostly I tried to follow the pattern, though of course it changed things making the skirt reversible. I also changed out the band a bit since I had a different elastic at hand. And of course I waited until almost the end to try it on, and it was HUGE. Like a small panda could have fit in there with me. I debated leaving it extra poofy but decided I'd be happier taking out some bulk. And I was.

It's funny, I was especially drawn to the little flowers on the "Maybe" pattern. But as a skirt I kinda like "Turn of Events" and its bold floral print. I like that I can wear it with a shirt tucked in or out. And that I could do a fast change in an elevator like in the opening of  The Pink Panther. (The Peter Sellers Pink Panther... the scene where the inspector's wife has to make a quick getaway so she reverses all her clothing while in an elevator to throw the police off her track! I always thought that was too cool.) So, all things considered, I'm happy with my finished reversible skirt. And the next clothes I sew? I'm not getting cute or clever with them!

Summer's Over

I'm always a bit sad to see the end of summer. Partly because I know I will miss the warm weather, partly because the reminder of another season going by makes me think of all the things I wanted to accomplish in that time (and didn't get to). All in all, though, it was a great summer. I got to see fireworks on my anniversary, had out-of-state friends and family come to visit, and even managed to get everyone's schedules aligned for a weekend family getaway. I also got to craft a lot. Here's a few projects I completed to round out the summer:

This Good Folks fabric seemed just right for a colorful tiered skirt. (Easy tutorial here.) At first I wanted to make it for myself, but then I decided it would be more suitable for a younger friend of mine. She loves it! Ah, to be ten again, wearing a fun, twirly skirt!

I also worked on some zipper pencil pouches for the shop. Birdies are so sweet! I love both this paint-by-number bird fabric (Moda Uptown) and the Tufted Tweets line by Laurie Wisbrun.

Also discovered that amigurumi is a great craft for a road trip! Ever since I made my Ami Bunny she was waiting for a Mama; this second bun went together in just a couple hours (and fit so nicely into the car's cupholder). I'll have to remember to bring this kind of crochet project along next time we do a road trip; it was so satisfying to have something finished by the time we got home (and it kept me from being too sad about the vacation being over, too).

That's a couple more things off my project list, but I better get cracking to get some more done before the end of the year. The colder weather has got me back into the knitting groove, and I'm hoping to finish a quilt before the snow flies!

Bye, Summer. See ya next year.

Alabama Stitching, take 2

OK, so I haven't completely given up on my other Alabama stitching skirt. But remember how I said the colors and all kinda came together on a whim? I decided I really wanted to go back to my first thought, which was classic black and white.

I modified the rose stencil from the book to just use the flowers. I used silver paint to make a border at the bottom of my skirt panels. I'm hand stitching in white.

One panel down, three to go! Overall I'm much happier with this (safer) design. It feels like it's more me. (Don't worry, red and brown design fans, I'll get back to it. Eventually.)

Alabama Stitching

Picked up the Alabama Stitch Book at my library the other day. It basically promotes a technique involving deconstructing t-shirts, then stenciling and hand-stitching them. I loved the look of the reverse applique skirt, so that's the project I'm tackling next!

So I went to the local craft store and found shirts 2 for $5 (you need 4 for one skirt). I also picked up some fabric paint and some beads in case I want to get fancy.

I had the strange experience of going in with one idea in my head for the colors and style I wanted to do, but in the store it all kinda went out the window and I went with red, brown, and gold. Here's the first skirt panel:


Doing the stencil last night I was thinking perhaps I should have chosen a different paint color. (Maybe it was just the fumes reminding me of an embarrassing sunflower applique & puffy paint experience I had growing up.) Starting the hand-stitching today I think I'm liking it better, but I'm still a bit unsure.


Have you ever jumped into a project only to find yourself questioning if you really liked it later? How long do you continue with something before deciding to keep, rework or scrap it?

Sock Monkey PJs

As soon as I saw the "Goodnight Monkey" fabrics by Erin Michaels for Moda, I knew I had to have some. The cute little sleepy-time monkeys were just screaming out to be made into pjs. And they come in flannel -- even better!

Thanks to a pattern sale and the Sew Mama Sew September Pajama Party Sew-Along, I finally finished up some pj pants. (Just in time, too!)


No, I didn't make the pj shirt or slippers I'm sporting here, although I had been putting off mending that Paul Frank monkey shirt, and making the pajama pants motivated me to finish.

The pattern I used was Simplicity 2821, and it was very easy and fast. (I mean, we're talking about elastic waist pants here.) The pattern also includes a pajama top, which I might still make. I need more fabric for that, though. (Btw, I bought this fabric at Whipstich on Etsy, where there's currently a flood sale going on. Check it out for some bargains!)


Although I followed the measurements to get my size, I think I actually could have gone a size smaller for these. Since I am short I also had to move the waistband. They still seem baggy, but I guess that's ok for pjs.

Finished sewing the pants yesterday and broke them in last night. They are super comfy! I love the flannel and the fabric design (Monkey in the Moon = sock monkeys in a night sky with stars and bananas for moons). I think today might have to be a stay-in-your-pjs-all-day day!

Weekend Sewing Project... with frogs

The other weekend I had a burst of sewing energy and decided to make a dress for my niece. (Not the one with the birdie sling. A littler one.) So I whipped up this smocked sundress from Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross.


It was the first time I tried smocking and I loved it. There was something so fun about watching the fabric shrink up! The pattern is really easy and fast to do, to. And my niece looks really cute in it! I love how versatile it is: sundress now, wear a long sleeve top under it when it gets colder, summer shirt and/or skirt next year (or more?)

The fabric is also by Heather Ross, from her Far Far Away collection. It's SO soft! I only had about a half yard of it (good thing my niece is small), but I wish I had bolts and bolts to make lots of comfy pajamas. Or just to spread out and sleep on. Ah, double gauze.


What I had left of the fabric was barely enough to make a hex flower for my English paper piecing project. As a result of being so short on scraps, my stitches around the frog hex are not very perfect. :-( I'm hoping it won't be noticeable in a finished quilt, because I really want to include this fabric and memory of my niece's dress in there.