Polka Lots Skirt

Maybe it is the subtle signs that Spring may be on it's way, but lately I've had a real hankering for new skirts.  I have some great fabric in my stash that is begging to turn into something beautiful.  This sheer overlay a-line skirt is something that has been in the plans for months.  I finally sat down and sewed it up.

I thought I had worked out all of the construction issues in my head, but unfortunately, my head hadn't done it's job.  The skirt was a bit of a bear to sew.  It seemed that for every seam I sewed, I had to unpick two.  It is finally finished however, and I'm relatively pleased with how it turned out.

The biggest challenge was the zipper.  Zippers aren't difficult, but with a sheer overlay I had to worry about how to insert the zipper, attach it to the lining, and make the visible seams look a little better.

It's not perfect, but I'm glad it's done, and I am 85% pleased with the results.  There are things that I'd still like to go back and edit, but I'm not so sure that it will be happening anytime soon. My sewing station is currently packed up, and my sewing table is the new work bench, as we remodel our bathroom.

The Piped Pocket Infant Skirt Pattern and Tutorial

I was glad to hear that so many of you were interested in a tutorial for the Piped Pocket Skirt.  I've done my best to create a printable pattern, and hopefully it will be helpful. This pattern is for an infant skirt, and I've tried to size it to be about a 3-6 month size, but you could easily adjust it to fit a larger or smaller baby by adjusting the length and the amount of elastic gather.

Lace for Days Skirt: Maternity Style

  I finally got around to making the Lace for Days Skirt from Elle Apparel.  I suppose that the skirt is more of an interpretation of the original skirt than anything, but I am very pleased with it.

I found the lace on a fantastic online shop called Deb's Lace-N-Trims.  Lace can be rather expensive, especially when it is wide.  This lace  $1/yard for 5 1/2" lace. It was a great buy!  I ended up having to buy two separate cuts of the lace, which come in 5 yard cuts,  but I absolutely love the results.  I lined the skirt in a butter cream colored taffeta that I found in the red tag apparel section of Joann's, for 75% off.

I made the skirt a bit longer than the original version of the skirt.  I also made it more of an A-line rather than a straight skirt.  I omitted the zipper, because even though I can attach a zipper, I'd rather not.

                                                

One thing that I'd change if I could, would be the overlap of the lace.  I didn't factor in enough overlap between the individual layers, and when I sit down some of the layers pull a bit exposing the lining of the skirt.                                

Clark really wanted to be included in this photo shoot.  He was striking poses with me as we got ready to head out the door to church. I love him.

When I designed this skirt I wanted to accommodate for a bit of waistline expansion.  You see, I fully hope/expect my waistline to grow substantially within the next 6 1/2 months.  Using 18 inches of ribbed knit, I created a comfortable, and stretchy waistband for the skirt.

I determined the width of the waistband by wrapping the ribbed knit (folded in  half hot dog style) around my waist.  I cut it so that it was just tight enough to stay up on my waist for the time being.  I expect that the ribbed knit panel will stretch to fit a full term pregnant belly.

Thanks for reading, and being patient with my lazy crafting and blogging as of late.  I've lacked a bit of energy.

Did you recognize the shirt and belt?  You can find the original posts here and here.

Ruffled Baby Skirt from Old T-shirts

Despite the fact that my sewing machine is out of order, I managed to get a bit of sewing done.  Don't worry, I didn't do any hand sewing.  I decided to try out the gathering foot on my serger, and I must tell you that I'm quite impressed (not with my skills, but with the machine).

 I started out with two old t-shirts that I'd thrown in a dye bath a while back.  I wasn't particularly fond of the t-shirts so dying them was a great option.

I'm no master at the ruffling/gathering foot and stitch, but it was rather easy, and the skirt was definitely a quick sew.  I made the skirt to be size 3-6 months. There isn't any elastic in the waist.  The knit material provides a bit of stretch, so fitting the waist band to the size of the  baby's waist should work quite nicely.

I used the hem of the t-shirt for the hem of the skirt.  I love it when half of the work has already been done for me.

To create the waistband I folded the fabric over, and serged the raw edge of the waistband to the seam of the top gathered tier, and the bottom of the waistband. I lost nearly all of the gather that existed prior to serging down the waistband, but I'm not too disappointed. After all, I didn't put in a whole lot of time or money.

I also created this little infant headband to coordinate with the skirt.  I simple served two layers of fabric together on either side, and attached a small knit flower to the top. Easy Peasy.

I'm still trying to decide what to applique or freezer paper stencil to the front of the onesie.  Any suggestions?

Thanks so much for reading, and being patient as I wait for the return of my machine (and my energy).  Clark had surgery earlier this week, he's doing well, but it took it's toll on his mama.

Tiered Skirt for Mama

A few weeks back I mentioned that I was working on a skirt for myself.  Well, I worked on it, I finished it, I wore it, but I failed to photograph it.

So here are a few shots of the skirt, but unfortunately I don't have any of me modeling the skirt.  I quite like it, and it is very comfortable to wear.

I found this sheer, crimped, fabric for $1/yard.  I'm not sure what the exact material is, but it was fun to work with.

The skirt itself is three layers: a lining, a long layer, and a shorter layer (about four inch difference).  I rolled the hems on each layer, which worked well for the sheer material, but not for my lining.  I had hoped to shir the waistband of the skirt, but unfortunately the three layers of fabric were too much for the elastic thread.  I ended up with four bands of stitching, but no gather.  I ended up sewing in some 1/4 inch elastic along each of the shir lines on the back of the skirt.  It keeps the skirt on my hips, but adds a bit of bulk to my backside, which I guess isn't all bad.

It was a really quick project, and I'm rather pleased with my new skirt.  I'll try to get a shot of it the next time I wear it.


Did you miss the post on sewing and serging rolled hems?  You can find it here.

Hip For The Holidays- I'm Biased and Bow Tied

Well you didn't think that I'd make it through the series without a project for myself did you?  It was really hard for me to decide what to make, because I have a long list of projects that are either bouncing around in my head, or borrowed from other talented bloggers.

Some day I'll learn to take photos prior to church, that way my outfit won't
be totally wrinkled from wrestling a toddler for three hours.

For this project I decided that I'd make my life a bit easier, and follow a tutorial for this very biased skirt from Katy at No Big Dill.  You know that I love Katy and all of her sewing goodness.  She is always coming up with original projects and tutorials.  When I saw her tutorial for the very biased skirt I knew that I wanted to try it, but it was a matter of gathering the material, and setting aside the time.

 I ended up finding all of my materials at Wal-Mart.  Our local wal-mart will occasionally have sale for five yards for five dollars.  The fabric selection is always a bit random, and isn't usually carried in the store.  I found three lightweight neutral fabrics for the skirt, and some lightweight knit for the shirt.

I'm quite pleased with how the outfit turned out.  I followed Katy's tutorial fairly closely.  The shirt was my own creation, and if you are interested you can find a tutorial for the pintucks below.

I ended up making pintucks at the base of the sleeves, and just above the "hem" of the shirt. I used two layers of knit fabric because the material was a bit sheer with just a single layer.

I was tempted to create an embellished neckline, but after finishing the shirt I could bring myself to embellish it.  I like that the pintucks repeat the rows of the bias cut fabric on the skirt.  I also like that it is pretty plain, that way it can be dressed up with a necklace, or in this case a sash.

I decided to add a sash using an extra strip of bias cut material.  I have a relatively shapeless figure, and the sash is just what I needed to break up my straight waist.

Now that the shirt is finished I really wish that I would have added a third pintuck at the hem of the shirt,  I think that it would have given it a bit more visual balance.

As you can see, I didn't hem the sleeves or the bottom of the shirt. The material curls up a bit, and I quite like how it looks when worn.

Here's a close up of the pintuck treatment on the sleeves, yep that's my marking pen that still hasn't disappeared.

Want some tips on making a pintucked top?  Click read more below.

Bouclé Skirt: Simplicity Pattern 0499

I recently made a  new skirt for myself.  I used Simplicity Pattern 0499.  I was quite excited to make the skirt when I found this bouclé fabric.  I love the mustard yellow nubs on the neutral background.  The fabric itself is a bit too heavy for the skirt design, but I am still content, not thrilled, but content with the results.

I wish I would have been able to get the fabric to cooperate in the  bow detail, but it wasn't going to happen.

Another issue that I'm having with this skirt is trying to decide what color of tight to wear with it.  My pasty white legs look horrible with the oatmeal base color of the skirt. Any suggestions, I'm not sold on the black.

I'm linking up here.

The Circle Skirt: I gave it a whirl (and a twirl)

I'm sure like many of you, I love all of Dana's (of Made) projects.  When she provided the tutorial for the circle skirt I knew that it was one I wanted to try, and I must admit I am rather pleased with the results.

  I'd never dyed fabric before so the dying part was a bit of an adventure. I first dyed the elastic "purple" but it turned out an icy shade of lavender.  I then dyed it dark brown...and I ended up with a nice neutral grayish brownish purple. 

I love the sheen on the fabric.  The plaid is pretty fun too.  The fabric is actually a home decor fabric, but I couldn't find anything desirable at Joann's.  Does anyone else think that there is a serious lack of desirable apparel fabric available at Joann's?  

I ended up making my skirt 24" long.  I'd hoped for 27", but 24 is all that I could squeeze out of my fabric. I does hit me below the knee, which I like for the fall/winter season. I think that I'm in need of a nice coordinating cardigan and some knee high socks.  

I feel like a little girl in my new twirly skirt.

Have you tried the tutorial?  Dana provides the best tutorials. Be sure to stop by, show her some blog love, and make a twirly circle skirt for yourself.

I'm linking up here today.