Skirt Finished

Here it is. I even posted a Pattern Review if you want to read all the details. (I added a PR widget in my sidebar too. Seems to be working.)

Here's a side view. I didn't have to make many adjustments except for shortening it. I have what's called a tilted waist (lower in the front than the back), so I cut an inch and a half off the front waist. It has a little dip in it, just like my tummy. Also I shortened the bottom section (just above the flounce). It looked kind of weird to me at first, but I knew I would be dwarfed by this thing if I didn't shorten it substantially.

I used a scrap of batik fabric (this was ds' baby sling fabric, ah the memories) to make a facing instead of lining it. The invisible zipper went in like a charm and I even managed to match up the back yoke seam across it.

Here's the model wearing hers.

I think this is the Spring 2007 issue of Burda Plus. Burda now Archives World of Fashion, but not Plus. Anyone know if they're available anywhere?

This is my reward for finally cleaning out the sewing room. I haven't felt like making anything because the mess was overwhelming. Now I have all the fabric tubs out of sight and I'll start working on some curtains and seat cushions for the sewing room soon.

Skirt

So the kids and I TRIED to go letterboxing, but 30 seconds after this photo was taken, ds got his foot wet in the creek, cried like it was the end of the world, so we had to go home. I managed to log one box anyhow. We were there for about 30 minutes.

Since that activity was blown, I worked a little on a skirt.

I have some lightweight black denim that I made Ottobre capris out of last spring, and had enough leftover to make a skirt. I think the weight is going to be perfect, it's really light and will have some swing to it.

The pattern is from Burda Plus E952, a Spring issue, but I don't see a date on it.

It's cut out and I've got the facings and pockets prepped. There will be a lot of topstitching and I'm a bit out of practice, you can see some feathering on the pocket flap, but I'll charge ahead anyhow. By the time I'm finished with the skirt, I'll be up to speed on my topstitching. . .

Revisiting the Main Line Disaster

I posted about this disastrously pilly yarn a while back. I think the worst feeling in the world is spending hours of your time and a fair amount of money (not a lot, thank goodness) on a sweater only to wash it and have this happen. I remember I swatched, but I guess I didn't put the swatch through the washer and dryer.

So, I'm getting up, dusting myself off, and trying again. This time using Lion Brand's New Cottonease. I've made two sweaters from this yarn (one with the old and one with the new) and I know it holds up and washes well.


Here's the swatch, which has been machine washed and dried. Looks fine. I haven't done a shrinkage check yet, but I traced it on a piece of paper before I sent it through, so I just need to do a comparison.


This is what I've knit so far. You start at the neckline and work down to the yoke, making raglan increases on the way down. It's definitely a boring, TV project, but I know the finished result fits so well that it's worth it. My mom made this for me about ten years ago from a yellow acrylic and I wore it so much that it's nasty looking. Maybe this time it will work out. I would love to have a soft springy-looking pullover to wear next month during the cool mornings.

In letterboxing news, the kids and I planted our first one on Monday. Now I'm just waiting for someone to find it. It's actually sort of thrilling, but I was reading on a letterboxing message board about box placers getting nasty emails from boxers who couldn't find a box, stuff like *your directions are bad, we got muddy, what a waste of time!* etc. I guess I hadn't considered the possibility that people would get ticked off if they couldn't find it. It's supposed to be a fun hobby, after all. Ah, people, you gotta love 'em. . .

Curtains

Velvet curtains, that is. We redecorated dd's room as her Christmas gift from us. I bought the bedding from Pottery Barn Teen, didn't bother trying to make anything for her bed. The old folding doors that go into this closet are long gone -- they were so broken and messed up that we tossed them out. So, I've been covering the opening with curtains instead.

The fabric is Liz Claiborne velvet that I bought for half price at JoAnn's. It has a tone-on-tone leaf design embossed onto it, not sure it shows in the photos. I can't believe how hard it is to find a solid white fabric that isn't sheer (and I didn't want silk since this is so close to a window with afternoon sun).

Closeup of the ribbons at the top.

The ribbons are supposed to coordinate with this patchwork fabric that her bedding is made from.

I lined the curtains with regular Roclon drapery lining, and made a facing at the top to enclose the ends of the ribbons. Whew, I'm glad it's done. Home dec is simple, but I don't like working with such large, heavy pieces. The only other word of wisdom I have if you're doing a project like this -- Walking Foot.

Hearts

I'm back to embroidery again. I found these Kewpie Towel Kits at Mary Maxim. I also got some terry bath towel kits that show the Kewpie in the bathtub. I have quite a collection of Kewpie figurines -- I used them in dd's nursery when she was a baby along with a bunch of framed vintage baby prints. I'm thinking about crocheting some lace trim to go along the bottom hem of this one.


I was playing around with this free pattern. for some reason, only the one on the left came out looking nice, the other two are lopsided and weird and I even reworked the one in the center a couple of times.

I love this little tiny heart. It's supposed to be a refrigerator magnet, but I'm not sure what I'll do with it. It would make a great American Girl applique, you could put it on a hat or a bag. . .

It seems like the past two weeks went by like a blink in the eye. I'm starting to feel a bit better, so I hope to get my mojo back soon. I really want to get some closet curtains sewn for dd's room this weekend. We'll see.

Modern Quilt Wrap

I've been down with the flu (or a cold? I can never tell) for a week, still have a sick kid home today, so that means lots of knitting time.

I finished the Modern Quilt Wrap. It took 9 balls of Rowan Kid Silk Haze. I substituted a couple of colors (pale pink and dark green for yellow and bright blue) because my yarn shop didn't stock them. I think it's nice to change it up and make it your own a little bit. I used a size 7 Addi Natura bamboo circular. It took me a little over 3 weeks (which included a long weekend holiday of no knitting) to knit it and about 3 days to weave in the ends.



Here's the back side, so you can see the ends. What a job.


This is a shot of the whole thing blocking to give you an idea of the finished size, I'm guessing it's about 90 inches long.


So now I've moved on to crocheting some little valentine's things. I've got a huge cone of pink thread that my mom gave me and it is perfect for some lace.

Gatlinburg

We had a fun time in Gatlinburg. Friday morning was rainy, so we decided not to ski that day, and went to the Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies. I don't typically associate quality with the Ripley's brand, but the aquarium is very nice.

Sea horse.

Jellyfish.

Cuttlefish. I took some good photos for a change.

We also went to the Believe It or Not museum and the Haunted House. The kids got airbrushed Tshirts too -- talk about a blast from the past.

Saturday we skied, but I didn't really take many photos because I needed all my concentration for the matter at hand. Dh and I had the place to ourselves while the kids were in ski school, yay! We got in a bunch of runs before it got crowded. Today I can barely walk, of course, but it was fun.

This is a shot of one of the ski slopes taken from the scenic lift. Dd and I went up there to find a letterbox, and I forgot to bring my clue, so we never found it. I only found one letterbox in Gatlinburg, because there was only one we could walk to. We didn't have enough time to drive to any of the others.

On the way home I started feeling bad and now have a fever and cough -- seems a little better today though. Off to rest. . .