Holla Peeps! How are you this lovely Wednesday? It's finally sunny and clear out today. We'll see how long it lasts, as it has done nothing but rain everyday here, even if the morning starts out sunny. Anyway, I'm back with another post and some month old photos. Did you know I no longer have bright blonde hair? That's how you know these photos weren't taken yesterday! Ha ha! Anyway, let's get on with it.
I'm not sure how this happened, but about 2 months ago I stumbled on a new-to-me sewing blog: Nicole at Home. It must of been through a link on someone else's blog, but for the life of me, I can't remember where that was. I'm always amazed at how many sewing blogs there are out there - just when I think I've seen them all, I find a new one. We have such a great community, don't we? Anyway, when I saw this outfit Nicole made, I went a bit googly eyed. A colourful striped skirt, sneakers and a sweatshirt! I could wear that!! I kind of became obsessed with thinking about it, so I decided to give it a try.
I had this striped mystery fabric in my stash that I thought would be perfect. If feels a bit cottony, but drapes almost like rayon. It came from a giant charity fabric sale in Calgary (which they have every April and if you are in Calgary when they have it, you must go - so many great deals!! I didn't make it this year, but I went last year and came out with some amazing finds, this fabric was 4 metres for $4. You can't go wrong at that price! And it's all for a good cause). Anyway, I thought this fabric would work for a test run, and if the skirt didn't turn out, or get worn, then really, no biggie. The skirt is self-drafted with flat front waist band and elastic at the back. I used a combination of online tutorials as a guideline, but it really wasn't difficult. Basically a couple of large rectangles and a waistband.
Anyway, I'm really happy with how it came out. It has some nice gathers, but it's not too bulky. And it twirls really well. I don't really wear skirts that often for some reason, but I think this one is casual and comfy, and will get lots of wear. I just have to find a more summery top to go with it; this top is a little warm for summer.
Speaking of tops, this is the Astoria from Seamwork magazine. It's one of the best Seamwork magazine patterns that I've tried. The other couple that I have made were extremely frustrating to sew, and took me way more than the allotted sewing time. So while I enjoy the magazine itself, I write most of the patterns off now. That's probably a mistake, because some of them are probably goodies, like this one (which I have made once before). This Astoria is a straight size Medium, and while I'm happy with the fit, I think I may shorten the next one I make. I think the bottom of the band should hit right at the natural waist, and this one is hitting well below that on me. What can I say? I'm short. The fabric is a super lush cotton jersey from L'oiseau Fabrics, which I discovered is an online shop based in Calgary!! Now that I'm spending all my time in Salmon Arm, I'm finding all these lovely sewing people and shops in Calgary! Funny how that works. Anyway, this jersey feels amazingly soft and I love the mottled colour. It was a little on the pricey side, but well worth it in my opinion. I managed to squeeze out this top and a Union St Tee from 1.5 metres. It took some fussy, flat cutting, but it was well worth the extra effort to have 2 shirts out of it. It's so soft and lovely to wear.
I also just want to take a minute to thank all you lovelies for all your kind words about Quincie. I'm still really feeling the void, and I still miss her like crazy, but I'm feeling better and not bursting into tears at random moments. I'm starting to feel like myself again. Anyway, I feel so lucky to have such wonderful people in my life, both in person, but also virtually. I know I've said it before, but I think sewing people are the best people, so thank you all for your support!
I hope you are having a great week so far!