My New Standby

Nevermind that I was wrung out from the intensity of the all-consuming task that is costume-making (thanks for all the costume-love, y'all!). Nevermind that I still had 1/4 of a shawl left to finish for a wedding I'm in. I needed this. And I needed it now.

I found this fabric tucked away on the shelf with the corduroy, which is what I went to the fabric store for. This isn't corduroy but it was simply too lovely to pass up. A chocolate brown cotton with pale blue, velvet-y flowers embossed on it. Gorgeous, and super-cheap. I bought a pile of corduroy fabric that day, at a huge sale at Joann's, with big ideas of everything I was going to make - jackets for the boys! pants for me! skirts for me! etc.! Me likey the corduroy. So far, none of that has come to pass. But I couldn't resist banging out this little number.

pattern: simple size-zip A-line skirt, from Sew What? Skirts
fabric: brown cotton with pale blue velvet embossed flowers, super-cheap
notions: zipper, pale blue piping. PIPING, people! I LOVE THE PIPING!
made: in an afternoon last week, after I finally got the boys' costumes off my machine
modifications: This book is really a guide to making your own skirts based on your own measurements, so there really is no such thing as modifications. I will say that I woke up the morning I was going to make this, with a very vivid vision in my head of light blue piping on the trim. I really think it makes the skirt, and was so pleased to have thought to add it.
verdict: I'm sure you've figured out by now. I LOVE IT. These super-cheap, super-quick, super-cute A-line skirts have become my new standby. Before this year, I always tended towards very long, slim skirts, primarily in neutral solids. Making my first knee-length A-line skirt, from Sew U, in January was a real departure for me. I made another one from that pattern in April, and felt so-so about it. But once I got my hot little hands on the Sew What? book, I was hooked. My little orange print skirt and cherry print skirt became my quick favorites, and they never fail to elicit compliments, mostly from people who don't know that they are handmade. More importantly, I just plain enjoy wearing them. So I thought I needed one for fall, and I couldn't be more pleased with it. I cannot recommend this book highly enough to anyone who has been considering trying to sew but has been nervous. This book offers such a simple, straightforward approach, and the results are so immediately gratifying. It has taught me, among many other things not to be afraid of installing a zipper (but if you are, the book offers many no-zip options).

Soon, I will venture on to try a few other skirt styles from the book. But it will be tough, given how much I have fallen for the look of a knee-length A-line. There is something just so kicky about it, wouldn't you agree?

Hello, Fall!
At last!