Corduroy Skirt, Cynthia Guffey style

I'm finally back to sewing some clothes for myself.  The first outfit I completed is this corduroy skirt and coordinating tee.  The skirt pattern is Cynthia Guffey's princess seamline skirt with graduated pleats circling the hem of the skirt.  This is the second time I have made this skirt; the first version was done in denim.  I decided I wanted a deeper pleat for the second try so I altered the pattern to achieve this effect.  There are a total of eight pleats.

The fabric I used is a very soft and drapey baby-wale corduroy.  I thought the fabric could use a little extra body, so I underlined it with a charcoal gray silk organza I had on hand.  This organza has a soft hand, more like lawn than the typically crisp organza you normally find.  It had just the right body for this project.  I machine washed both before starting and cut both layers at once, layering the corduroy over the silk.

Here are the two layers pinned together as one.

On the denim skirt I made previously, I serged the cut edges before starting.  This was a little tricky down in the hollows of the pleats.  For this skirt I decided I wanted to apply a Hong Kong finish to the edges, which I did before I started the construction phase.  To accomplish this I did two things:

I rounded off the inside corners to make applying the bias strip easier (the pattern is still in place in this picture with its squared off corners); and

I cut about a mile of 1" bias strips from some lightweight silk crepe I had in my stash.  (An aside:  I try hard to keep my stash full of only colors I will wear but occasionally I bend that rule and keep something that I think might come in handy for a lining or bias strips.  Such is the case with this dusty purple silk, a color I could never wear.   I never feel very reluctant to cut into fabrics like this for some reason.)

I bound each edge with the bias strips, a task that took quite a while but was ultimately worth it.

With the exception of finishing these edges, this skirt is actually pretty easy to construct and doesn't require as much fabric as you might think.  The pattern piece fits on the width of a 45" piece of fabric which means you need two skirt lengths (plus some extra for a waistband if you wish), about the amount required for most skirts.  I decided to finish the waist with a bias strip of the corduroy fabric (remember to remove the upper seam allowance if you choose this method).  I hand picked my lapped zipper and used a hook and eye to close the top of the waist.  I'm very pleased with the results.  I'm hoping the underlining will keep the wrinkles to a minimum.

The top I'm wearing deserves its own separate post since it was a great learning experience, so I'll write about that in a day or two.  I'm already underway on my next project and will have pictures of that soon, too.  Thanks for visiting.

Moving On

Well, this post seems a little anti-climactic.  Given how long it has taken me to have anything to post you would think I'd have a great picture and an exciting story.  Instead, I'm posting a picture and details about the project that has been holding me hostage for the last four weeks I have just completed to justify why I have been so absent and in hopes that I can now move on.

This curtain (and it's twin) are hanging in the choir room at my church.  The curtains needed to be fire retardant and there seemed no affordable way to accomplish that except for "someone" to make them.  I can't say I got much joy from this project (I whined about it in my last post) but am certainly happy that they are finished.  I still need to anchor the lower hem (to keep the preschoolers from getting up under them), and they need a steaming to eliminate some wrinkles and reset the lower hem.

Since then I have moved on to a more gratifying project, but one that is not quite ready for sharing yet.  Here's a little sneak peek:

I am also working on some Halloween costumes that have to get done this week.  I hope to have some more interesting posts coming up soon.

I spent a lovely Saturday with some of my favorite sewing friends.  My ASG Chapter held its Annual Meeting and, in addition to the necessary business, we also enjoyed a high tea, door prizes, socializing and a great make-and-take project led by Chapter member Lorine Mason.  She released creativity in us all, even those of us who were sure we didn't have any.  I'll post pictures of the project and one way I plan to use the skills I learned in an upcoming post.  Until then. . . .

Hanky Flowers

Hello friends.  Boy, am I tired.  Three sets of company in two weeks along with two little boys' birthday parties has worn me out.  I've really been burning the candle at both ends.  I am on a mission to finish a project in my sewing room so I can get on to something I want to sew.  Reading my friend Jane's blog post about home dec sewing made me realize I'm not alone.  I'm currently working on curtains for my church's choir room, not a particularly inspiring project.  Additionally, I'm working with just barely enough fabric, so there is no room for error.  Did I mention that the two windows are each 150" long?  There's not much about this job that makes for an easy night's rest.  I'm also really anxious to get some sewing done for me before I leave on a trip in about a month (not to mention two Halloween costumes that need to be sewn before then).  I've also been keeping busy with planing and preping for my oldest son's birthday party tomorrow, and am planning to share a new recipe I tried for cake frosting after I snap some pictures.   All of this to say that I've been too busy to blog!

Today I want to share some pictures of one of the projects I made at the Sewing Expo I went to a couple of weeks ago.  Barb Callahan taught us to make lovely little posies from vintage hankies.  Barb's classes are always fun, and her laid-back teaching style is mixed with plenty of humor.  She provided us with the pattern and all of the materials we needed to make two little pins of different style.

Everyone's flowers had distinct personalities.  It was really fun to see how differently each one turned out.

I need to put some finishing touches on the second one, which reminds me of a dogwood.  This is a lovely way to use up some hankies you might have, especially those with sentimental value.

I'll report back with more details about the latest cupcakes if I survive partying with 22 four-year-olds tomorrow!

Pig Cupcakes and Musings on What to Wear

My youngest son celebrated his third birthday this week and requested a farm animal-themed party.  I'm all for catering to my kids' wishes when practical but I am not one to spend long hours creating the perfect birthday party.  What I want is something quick that has some visual appeal.  These cupcakes were certainly attention grabbers (particularly amongst the three-year-olds who were delighted to eat the ears) and took only minutes to make.  Start out with regular cupcakes and a batch of pink icing.  The ears are pink wafer cookies cut into triangles, the snouts are pink mints and the eyes are mini chocolate chips.  Simply ice the cupcakes and press the facial features into the icing.  Done.  Big success at the school birthday party.

Since I didn't spend hours in the kitchen making elaborate birthday party fare, I had more time to spend on my real passion, sewing.  Thanks to the generosity of grandparents, I was able to escape for a couple of days this week to the Sewing Expo which is held in my area annually.  I had plenty of time for some classes and for browsing (and spending) in the vendor area.  I've taken some pictures from my classes which will become blog posts in the near future, so stay tuned.  And I'm always so filled with inspiration and the desire to sew after time at the Expo that I spent about 2 hours today cleaning my sewing room in anticipation of some serious garment sewing in the near future.  But during all of this excitement I had a bit of an epiphany which I think many of you will identify with.  I came home with some much-needed (not!) fabric and sat down to write out some ideas I had for the various pieces.  And what I thought about during that note-taking session was the frustrating time I had getting dressed that morning.  I always like to try and wear something that I have made to these Expos (it only seems right) and I must have tried on at least 8 different combinations of garments that morning.  Nothing worked.  With time running out and my hair still wet, I finally threw on my Anniversary Dress and a pair of knee-high black boots and called it quits.  When I thought back on why I had so much trouble I realized that it had to do with separates.  I have several great jackets that I love to wear and a number of skirts that I really like, but none of these seem to have something that coordinates with them.  I think this is one reason I like dresses so much:  you put them on and you're dressed.  So one of my new "resolutions" is to try and create coordinated pieces that work together so I don't have such a frustrating time in the future.  I'd love to hear your thoughts on this and ideas on how to solve or prevent this problem.  Please share.

Happy Anniversary or How a Scrap of Fabric Transformed a Dress

My husband and I are celebrating 10 years of marriage this month.  One way we celebrated was by going on an overnight trip without the kids (for the first time ever), staying in a B&B and having a lovely dinner together.  Several weeks before that event I decided I wanted to make something new to wear, not because I didn’t have something to wear, but more as a symbolic gesture.  I wanted to feel that I could still find the time to sew for me, especially for a very special occasion.  With my limited time I realized this would have to be something super simple and something that did not require much fitting.  I quickly decided to use my Pamela’s Patterns Perfect T-Shirt pattern (which I wrote about here) and lengthen the design to make a dress.  I used a buttery smooth knit for the dress and planned to trim the neckline and sleeve hem with a solid black fabric.  When I went looking for that fabric I also came across this one:

I picked up this novelty knit at a fabric exchange (I think at my friend Jane S’s house).  What you can’t tell from the picture is that the space between the wide ribs is actually sheer.  I’ve kept this small remnant for years with plans to make an evening wear shell.  I decided it would add a lot more interest to this dress than the matte black fabric I had originally planned to use.

I very much liked how the neckline turned out.  When I sent two friends pictures to see what they thought about the overall and sleeve lengths, one of them suggested using some of the same trim down the center front to add some more interest.  Here’s a picture of the dress before the extra trim was added.

I cut two long ribs from the fabric and simply zigzagged the strip to the front of the dress.  I then hand-sewed some dark gray, oval beads down the center space between the ribs.

I love wearing this dress.  It is as comfortable as a nightgown and looks stylish but not too overdone.  I think the trim really elevates this from a ho-hum garment to one with some style.  The pattern is a great one and sews up super fast.  Once it is fitted you can create dozens of unique looks.  I’m heading to the annual Sewing Expo held in my area later this week and I’ll be on the lookout for a piece of knit to make another one of these dresses.