A Lacy Shirt And An Almost-Failed Skirt

  It's been a terribly long time since I've said anything here... I just haven't felt like talking anymore about those time-consuming boleros I've had to sew! And since I hadn't sewn anything but those until this week, I had nothing else to talk about. I finally finished the boleros, so I've allowed myself a small sewing break and whipped out a few things that aren't wedding-related.

  First, I had the exciting opportunity to be a pattern tester for Jessica at Craftiness is Not Optional. I'll share more about that in another post, but here's a teaser photo:

  Today what I want to show you are two (Two! Really!) things that I've sewn for myself... both of which were surprisingly quick sews.

  Remember this pretty grey suiting that I've been using as a tablecloth?

   I mentioned that it's only temporarily there since I wanted to use it for a skirt. Well, our 4th anniversary was this week, and I just couldn't bring myself to wear one of the two worn denim skirts that still fits me out on a date with my husband. I almost had to anyway though!

  I started out with a half-circle skirt, and added a dip in the front to make room for Beckers, then added a knit waistband with extra in the front to fit the dip. Unfortunately, it was way too big! I guess the dip added more width to the waist than I was expecting. I ended up taking out a total of 8 inches from the back center seam, tapering into the original seam. I didn't worry about a fancy interior on this skirt, just serged off all the seams (I love having a serger!) and did a narrow rolled hem on my sewing machine to finish.

  So it doesn't look like much, but it is a tremendously versatile addition to my wardrobe... so far it works with every top I've tried it with. =)

  It was simple enough that I want to try it again and see if I can't figure out how to get the measurements right on the first try. If I do, I'll be sharing that here. =)

  The other thing I made was the shirt I'm wearing with it. I found a pretty lace curtain at a yard sale a while back, and decided to make something with it this week. It had a little bit of horizontal stretch, so I treated it as a knit and underlined it with basic white knit. I wish I'd had another color to put underneath, because you can't really see just how delicate and beautiful the lace is when it is paired with white.

  I mimicked the first thing I posted on this blog, a high-waisted shirt with a slightly a-line skirt to it, and lettuce edging on the hem and sleeves. I changed things by making a simple round neckline, then adding a touch of elastic at the center front for a little detail. It was feeling a little loose, so I added ribbon ties to cinch it in a little under the bust, and a bit of elastic in the back.

  And then I tried many times and failed many times at taking decent photos. All grainy and dark, no matter which settings I put my camera on, and all of the time having to use the self timer since my remote is out of (the very oddly sized) batteries.

  But I'll share them anyway, since I feel like grainy photos are better than no photos! =)

  I used a pretty scalloped-edge, plush-backed elastic instead of a binding or facing at the neckline, and top-stitched it with a twin needle. It's a nice little detail that most people will probably never notice, but will still be there for me to enjoy.

  Did I mention that I have quite a lot of the grey suiting fabric leftover? I have a different skirt in mind to make with it, but I may wait until Beckers has arrived, because I feel the design is more suited to a fitted waistband than a maternity one. Hopefully I won't get distracted and you'll get to see that design in a few months. =)

  Anyway, I'll show you more of the tester photos and tell you more about the pattern I tested soon, and then it will be back to wedding sewing... only two more things to finish: the alterations on my dress, and the flower girl dress. And only 3 weeks until they have to be done! Eep!

Thanks for stopping by,

Linking up at The Train To Crazy