Upcycling

Again at Daniel's suggestion, I went for some more instant-gratification projects and turned two of his button-down shirts that I don't think I've ever seen on him into casual skirts for me. Neither are quite finished since I was missing notions (can you imagine that?), but I'll get the finishing touches on them this weekend. Here's where they are so far:

Skirt front

Skirt back

As much as I really wanted the buttons/pockets in the front, once it was on I just liked the way everything laid with them in the back. It was matching thread that held up this process (that and a hook/bar closure), so I'll finish off the bottom with a straight hem, sew down the line of buttons so there are no surprises during wearing, attach the closure, and it will be ready to wear!

This one is much closer to being finished - it just needs the closure. I'm intentionally not showing you the darts in the back because they're off center. After many goes trying to get the darts in the right place and the correct length, I finally thought they looked good, but the skirt was just a little bit too big still. So, I decided to take in the sides, took the first one in a little too much so that I couldn't do the other, and now have lopsided darts in the back. I'm counting on no one noticing when it's on. Plus, it's such a casual skirt, I'm not too terribly concerned...somehow I can only get darts to go successfully when I end up deciding I don't want them...

The same, yet very different...

In efforts to clear out the stash quickly, Daniel suggested that I make some of the skirts in the "to-do" pile since they're quick to whip together. Pencil skirts are super easy, but life can get frustrating when you don't have a pattern that you really like.
So far, I'm not a huge fan of my one pencil skirt pattern, but I hesitate to buy another because it might just be the same. Part of the problem is that it's from a business suit, so it comes up to my true waist and I'm just not sold on that being a good look for me. With my fearless comfort rigging patterns into something else, I've just been modifying it into something more "me."
I started out with some stretch denim (originally purchased to make a purse...but I kept staring at it thinking what a great skirt it would make). I managed to eek out a pencil skirt from half a yard of fabric, and it went pretty smoothly. This was my first attempt at the vent in the back (which was a stumper for a couple of minutes, then the lightbulb lit up and it was a breeze), and the invisible zipper went in without a hitch. And of course, it doesn't look like a big rectangle when I wear it - it's actually quite cute - and since I'm child-size, it's not nearly as short as it looks on the hanger.

Front

Back

My second go at the pencil skirt (same pattern, and same initial modifications) was drastically different. This one was made from a beautiful poly brocade. It was my long-anticipated, first time ever working with brocade. I've been dreaming of making myself all sorts of beautiful brocade pieces for months now but couldn't until I discovered the incredible selection of brocades at the JoAnns by my parents. No one around me sells them, and my trusty Fabric.com doesn't carry much either.
Needless to say, I was dancing with excitement when I pulled out my fabric to start the process. I was quickly met with frustration when I discovered the odd way brocade acts when it's stretched and there's a zipper thrown into the mix. I had a nice wave down my backside from where the zipper pulled just a little. After a second unsuccessful try to make things lay right, I decided it would have to be loose and I'd have to put in darts. Normally I manage to fore-go all darts since I like skirts/pants to ride at my hips rather than my waist. I've also been a little confused how to use darts on the front of a skirt/pants when I don't have that little "female pooch" but do have a teeny bit of a spare tire. Seems backwards. Regardless, after many, many, tries, I worked four darts into my skirt and love it. I tried a blind hem, but it didn't turn out well. I'm guessing it's because the fabric won't fold as flat as others? I'm working on ideas for how to fix it. In the meantime, I wore it dancing Friday and got lots of compliments!

Front

Back

More to come!! I'm a busy little bee!

Sucked In

It's funny...two weeks ago I was sewing to give myself something to write about. For the last week, I've spent so much free time sewing that I actually ran out of time and energy to write! After a moderately harassing comment left by one of my dedicated readers (yes Mom, that would be you), I decided it was past time to sit down and share the process.

To catch you up:
My linen pants/capris are finished except for the capri conversion aspect. I know exactly how I want to do it, but my seams are in desperate need of tidying, as they are 100% not ready to be shown to the public when the pant legs are rolled up.
I rescued the pair of gauchos that were the victim of my haphazard scissor skills with some fusible interfacing on the inside and a dab of fray-check on the outside. You can't even tell, unless you happen to see that white square on the inside and get curious.
Both skirts came together in a couple hours (oh how I love a skirt without a waistband!). Both ended up requiring lining. I was prepared for the white skirt since it would be a bit on the see-through side, but the black skirt's seams were surprisingly a little itchy with the fabric being so heavy. Lining is no problem, and I actually think I prefer that to turning down and sewing the top edge. I wore the white skirt (which I accidentally made ankle length rather than mid-calf...it turns out I'm potentially worse about following directions than I ever realized) to the open ballroom dance last night and LOVED it. Daniel did more turns with me than usual - and that is saying something - because he liked the way the skirt twirled. Next weekend we're going to a 1940s style fundraiser for the Air Museum in a neighboring town (some will try to convince you that it is a suburb, but they seem to not realize that Champaign-Urbana does not quite meet the requirements for having suburbs) where there will be several live bands and dancing, so I plan to wear my other skirt there. Unfortunately, these skirts turned out to be a little warmer than I originally suspected, so they might not be making the trip to Belize with me. The white skirt will be accompanying me to Atlanta though, and will be part of my rehearsal and bachelorette party outfit...isn't it lucky?
And not on the schedule - I made myself a little travel documents organizer to bring on the honeymoon. The questionable quality of our internet service has slowed me down considerably at work, but Friday afternoon I had a plan. Since it took ~10 minutes for any page to load, I would click, draw out some plans, click again, keep drawing, etc. So by the time the "weekend" rolled around, I had a "sample" drawn out on paper and pattern pieces drawn and cut out. I wouldn't say there was a coherent plan by the time I went to sleep Friday night with my pieces of fabric cut and stacked (or by the time I started pinning Saturday), but I was excited and ready to hit the ground running on my new experiment. Well, I really wouldn't say there was a coherent plan at any point during the process. There were an expected handful of "should have thought that out better" or "changed my mind" or best, "I just made the same mistake, AGAIN" moments, but before we left for the dance, I had a completed project being squished under some boards to make the fabric stretch and fit the plastic backing a little better, but I'm quite happy with it today. If I make more, there are a handful of things I would do differently (use thinner fabric so the layering isn't so convoluted, mark out where to sew rather than eyeball it, etc), but I'm actually very proud of this trial. It also reinforced the probability that I'm better without a pattern.

So, I've actually finished everything (plus some) a week and a half before my deadline - I bet Mom is dumbfounded. Now I'm just trying to figure out my next project and goal (yes, they're quite necessary). I considered making more of those travel things and seeing if they'll sell. Would you buy one? I'm also toying with the idea of getting some stretch knit fabric to make the pull on, wide leg pants since I have the pattern already. Sounds comfy, right? Perfect for a plane, I'd say...