Cheerful Summer Skirt

I am excited to share my most recent and most favorite project-- a hot pink bow skirt!  The fabric is a Marc Jacobs print from Fabric Mart.   Once spied, I was instantly smitten with the fabric (and I must not have been the only one, as it sold out fast!).  I made this same skirt two years ago, using a rust colored stretch poplin.  You can read about that version here.

The skirt has pockets, a nipped in waist, and it's cheerful color makes me smile each time I wear it.  This, ladies and gentlemen, is why I sew--sometimes the pieces all come together perfectly, and the result is pure bliss!  


Warm wishes, and happy sewing :)

Full Floral Skirt

Another month has past without a single blog post.  I can't believe I've been so lax.  Or maybe I can.  I've spent much of the last month straightening things out for a big move in August.  I have been making time to sew, but the projects I've chosen… Let's just call them high maintenance-- as in I've spent more time hunting for buttons than sewing!  


On the bright side, I found the right project to give me a little instant gratification while I wait for those buttons to materialize.  Using some gray floral poplin I bought from fabric.com and Verypurpleperson's very excellent easy full skirt tutorial, I made this: 

Styled with...

Racer-back pocket tank - Uniqlo

Drapey Silk Cardigan - TJ Maxx

Gladiators - 80%20

And one last shot-- testing out the twirl factor of the new skirt...

It looks like a keeper to me!

I should add that I made a couple modifications to my full skirt.  The waistband was created just like a self-fabric casing, only i left about 2 inches above the casing to make the paper bag effect.  I also added side-seam pockets in a contrasting (vivid fuchsia) fabric.  All skirts must have pockets!

It feels so good to finally finish a new project, and to be able to twirl in it.  What type of projects do pick when you're looking for a quick sewing fix?

Have you ever seen a skirt with such a jaunty bow?

Remember the skirt I was working on from this April's Burda?  It's finished!

I'm also much happier with the color than I expected to be-- I didn't use this poplin for so long because the rust color reminded me of place mats from c. 1974.  As it turns out, it's a nice color when styled properly!

This was such a quick and satisfying sew.  I highly recommend the pattern.  If you like the pattern but are concerned about the different sizing (Burda calls this a "tall" pattern), read the tall size chart and then go ahead and make a muslin.  It was hard for me to tell what makes this pattern different from the standard sized ones-- I should think that subtracting 1-2 inches from the hem would make all the difference.

The only glitch that delayed the arrival of my rusty skirt was a tension issue with my machine (see photo below).  I am the proud owner of a Pfaff 1475cd, and though I love it dearly, sometimes I just can't figure out why it throws these temper tantrums.  This particular issue was fixed after several test swatches, readjusting the bobbin tension, changing needles, and finally upping the tension to 6.0 (In the past, I've never had it set above 3-4).

[loops of pain]

I should also mention that I made the top I'm wearing too!  It's from Burda 2/2009, one of my favorite issues.