wrap skirt

#2 in my quest to sew up a summer's worth of skirts.

The pattern is from Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross. A word of warning that you may have already seen on other blogs - if you are not very thin, you'll want to cut one to two extra panels before sewing them all together. (Sadly, I didn't see it until after I had finished the project.) Because the skirt is much larger at the hem, I'm hoping the small amount of overlap won't be such a big problem and I think I can ease my mind on a breezy day with some well placed snaps near the hip. Or I can check the weather report and if the air isn't still, I'll choose something else to wear.

(Hey, just had another idea - perhaps I could wear the wrap part in the front and add some buttons along the edge of the wrap to keep it in place. Thoughts?)

The fabric is from Denver fabrics and is a cotton lawn. I love the drape and softness of it, but I may need to wear a slip due to it being somewhat sheer.

Next skirt on the docket - a simple a-line out of some vintage drapery fabric from an estate sale.

date skirt

I think last year was supposed to be the year I made a ton of skirts. That didn't work out so well. I started in on the fabric I'd reserved for all of them last week.

Up first - a red linen bias cut with elastic waist. The pattern was drafted by laying a well fitting skirt I already had on the fabric and cutting a little wider for seam allowances. It worked out pretty well. A little snug at the waist, but otherwise it looks fine. I won't be tucking a shirt into it, so I'm calling it good.

The fabric came embellished with the ribbon. Found in the clearance bin at JoAnn for $1.00/yd.

What's a fancy little date skirt without a fancy little date bag?

The pattern is from Linda Lee. I'm happy with the results, but there were errors in the cutting directions and the zipper instructions were seriously lacking. If you're new to zippers, ask someone for help with this one. I lined it with a toile pattern from my fat quarter stash.

Below is the worst picture I've ever taken of a finished project. It was supposed to show how the strap goes through the loop(that's on the left above) to make the bag small and dainty. There's a fabric rosette where the two come together.

Moving on, just a close up of the cool ribbon detail on the fabric.

Basia's babysitting tonight. I'm wearing the skirt even if our date consists of shopping at Costco.

sign of spring

It definitely feels like spring has arrived outside. Not quite warm enough to wear this just yet, but soon, I hope.

The pattern is from Built by You(Simplicity). This view is supposed to be a minidress, but those days are long gone for me. I cut it much shorter and have deemed it a tunic length. The fabric is from Denyse Schmidt's Flea Market Fancy collection.

I loved the ties on the sleeves. They hit just above the elbow. Note to self: Next time you sew with a pattern marketed to juniors - leave a little extra room in the sleeve to avoid the sausage casing effect.

I also loved the gathering at the neckline. I'm hoping the shaping darts in the back prevent anyone asking me when I'm due.

And the new skill I tackled on this one: the lapped zipper. It took several readings of the pattern and repressing the folds after I did it backwards the first time, but I'm happy with the results.