The Everyday Skirt that Lives up to its Name

The Details: 

Pattern: Liesl + Co Everyday Skirt

Fabric: single weave wool, inherited from Grandma's stash

Notions: interfacing, 1/2" elastic, top-stitching thread

This was, quite possibly, the easiest skirt I've ever made. If I cursed once, it was a top-stitching thread curse, not at all related to the pattern.  Even piecing together the downloaded pattern was easy...unlike Burda patterns that get taped together in one gigantic 5 sheet by 6 sheet poster, these are taped together just into individual pattern pieces, AND they're printed with 1" grid lines so they're easy to line up.  I did have a slight head scratching moment though, before I realized I needed to cut one of my printed pieces in half in order to align the two slivers to the main piece.  Love.  Easy-peasey, and paper-saving, too.

 

The only downside I can come up with is the sizing; which really isn't a downside.  I originally cut a medium, as that's where I fit on the size chart, but went with a small in this one.  I am never a small in anything, seriously.  Ever.  In any case, if you're at the upper ranges on the size chart, you might be okay; there is ease built in, and you don't actually fit it to yourself until you insert the elastic in the back waistband. Going with a smaller size also cut down on the poofiness of the skirt around my butt, which can only be considered a good thing.

Gathered front with waistband

It was really hard to get good photos of the color of this fabric--the top picture is probably the closest to the actual color; it's kind of a green-gold, not really mustard, but more of an 'antique gold' color.  I'll be honest, I've struggled with this fabric since I first brought it home from my grandma's house--it's not chartruese, which I would have liked, and it's not khaki, which would be easy...and I'm still not sure I particularly like it, but it is growing on me.

In any case.  I had no hope of matching thread to it, so I went with gold topstitching thread, and just tried to make it look like an intentional 'design feature'.

Also, regular thread just got lost in the weave.

Side view of pocket + elastic back waistband

I also wasn't 100% sure I liked the idea of a elastic-waisted skirt.  I KNOW how I feel about elastic-waist pants, but I did that vehemence transfer to skirts?  I don't know.  In any case, this is okay.  I left my sweater untucked so it didn't show, but I could also wear this with a cardi and be covered just as well.

closer view of waistband

How I will most likely wear this

This really is an every-day skirt.  It was dead comfortable today, and I went through a whole day of teaching essay format, reviewing verbals, and ending with a curriculum meeting without a hitch. 

The elastic was comfy, but those pockets were divine.

Have you ever gotten home, and realized how much stuff you actually had in your pockets that you'd completely forgotten about?

At some point, I realized that in addition to my car keys, I had a jumbo pencil, pink pearl eraser, my name badge, and a dry-erase marker in one pocket, and my phone (and full disclosure: a candy wrapper) in the other.  

Clearly, I need more of these.

Cowabunga!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action!

 Have you ever realized that you really had no idea what was going on when you were kid?

I learned way more google-ing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles than I ever actually knew the from the first time I watched them.  Was I the only one that didn't know that Raphael was the 'bad/angry/rebellious' one?

It was kind of like watching Grease for the first time again as an adult.

Totally did not get what was going on there either.

In any case, I don't think B knows that either; he just likes the red one.

The Details:

Pattern: McCall's 6417

Fabric: kelly green and tea green Kona cotton, 

khaki twill scraps, red cotton flannel scraps, and dark green sateen scraps, all from stash

Notions: 14" zipper, 3/4" elastic for waistband, cardboard circle and quilt batting scraps for shell

Notes: 

On this version, I put the entire side fronts together and inserted the zipper flat, rather than wait and follow the instructions as written.  Those belly shell panels overlap the waist seam, so there really wasn't a way to do that as written.  Inserting the elastic after the fact really wasn't hard, so I think I would go this route again should I need another zippered jumpsuit anytime soon.  (?)  

The shell IS currently attached with safety pins, and I know that's not very classy, but for practical purposes, we really need a removable shell, especially for Ninja Turtles who ride in carseats.  Honestly, I struggle with getting puffy coats buckled in there, let alone an additional endoskeleton.   I did try to take the cheater route with stick on velcro, but that didn't really work for very long, and a ninja turtle really can't be spending every 10 minutes reattaching his shell.  Cuts down on crime fighting, you know.

We're ready to fight crime and take candy, too.

So, our pumpkin is carved, our costumes are ready, and all systems are go for a night of spooky haunts and all manners of tricks and treats.

Happy Halloween!

Fernando Alonso

So, Fernando Alonso is kind of a big deal in our house.  

A) He's a racecar driver, B) he drives a Ferrari, and c) uh, we like Ferraris.  

Naturally.

So when E outgrew last year's Tony Kanaan costume, and he told me he wanted to be Fernando Alonso this year for Halloween, what's a mom to do other than make that happen?  Should I mention here that his first grade teacher and I had a whole discussion about his plans to be a Formula 1 race car driver when he grows up?  I blame his father.

Earlier this summer at a Rolex race with Dad.

I will pose for exactly one picture, and that's it, Mom. I mean it.

Every driver needs to acknowledge their sponsors.

 Fine, you can take a picture of the back.  But then I'm going in.

The Details:

Pattern: McCall's 6417

Fabric: Red Kona Cotton for suit; leftover white cotton scraps for sleeve stripes and sponsor patches

Notions: 18" zipper from stash, 3/4" wide elastic, iron-on transfer paper

Notes:

First of all, McCall's has this pattern listed as 'easy'.  How do they choose difficulty levels? The cape included in the pattern was probably easy, but this pattern envelope includes a hat, 4 different variations of a zippered jump-suit, a vest, and boot covers. While I didn't find this hard, I definitely wouldn't give it to a beginner, which I find odd, because wouldn't beginner sewers (sewists?) think a costume could be easy?  The way the directions instruct you to put this together, you're putting the zipper in LAST, after sewing everything else together...not easy.  For my second version, I put the front zipper in flat, which was much easier and looked much nicer.

Second, on the sponsor patches, I just googled Fernando's sponsors, and copied and pasted the logos into Microsoft Paint.  I know that's not particularly savvy, but I needed something easy that would invert the picture horizontally.  The writing needs to be mirrored so it will transfer correctly when its ironed on.  I then then ironed it onto scraps, which were then appliqued onto the flat pattern pieces.

  

Waiting for our hot chocolate after the parade.

Finally, heartbreak city: we wore our costumes already to E's school's Haunt the Halls, and again to our town parade on Saturday morning.  After enjoying hot chocolate, I threw everything in the washing machine.  FORESHADOWING ALERT:

The red on the sponsor patches bled.

.

.

.

(whispered expletives deleted)

  

photo source: mingle.kansascity.com

So, although I considered myself finished, I spent last night picking off the worst of the patches, re-printed them on my remaining transfer paper, and reattached new patches in the same spot.  Let me say, it was much easier done when all the pieces were flat.

But he's worth it.  

And with that, I'm done.

Sewing for Others

I've been silent lately, but that doesn't mean I haven't been sewing.

I will be the first to say that I don't often sew for others.  Sometimes, though, it's a lot of fun.  Especially when you get new tools to try out.

After the initial top I made for my mom, she asked for another one, in black, for an upcoming trip.  She liked the cowl neckline, but asked for a couple of changes--namely, the armscye needed to be raised.  

Honestly, no one wants to flash bra band in the armhole.

So why isn't this shirt black, you're asking?  2 reasons: 

1.  Black is boring classic, but it doesn't photograph well.  

Read: I forgot to take a picture of it.  

2.  I talked her into this fabulous raspberry color, too.  

And, I added short sleeves to this one.

And the new tools?

Well, I bought myself a coverstitch machine.

It's AMAZING.

The hemming of the sleeves and body was lickety-split quick, and the neckline is just incredible.  My double needle never looked so nice, even with all the additional time spent adjusting the tension on the bobbin case.

After reading Andrea's review of her's, here, and Sunny's post about her's here, I hemmed and hawed, and hemmed and hawed, and talked myself into.  I justified it in every possible way, and it is a luxury purchase, but I'm really happy I finally did.  If you need justification, too, let me know, and I'll get you going, too.

Long story short, my husband said yes, my local sewing store worked with me, and I decided to go with the Janome Coverpro 1000cpx.  It has 3 needles vs the 900cpx, which has 2. 

But, before you think me too selfless, I did actually run-through the sleeve changes on this one first:

Details:

Pattern: Maria Denmark Day-to-Night Drape top + Renfrew sleeves (minus bands)

Fabric: black (not pictured) and raspberry modal; polka dot bamboo knit; 1 yard each, all from Hart's Fabric

Notions: clear elastic to stabilize the back neckline

Time to complete: an evening for each, a month to blog about it

And because I like the coverstitch so much, I've got a stack of knits waiting to be made into t-shirts.

Especially now that my Halloween sewing is done.  

(I may have a slight turqouise problem.)