A Black Mini Skirt for Tripping the Light Fantastic

A week or so ago, my DD told me about "The Weekend of S..."  "S" being DD's very good friend and fellow college & professional volleyball player who would be celebrating a big birthday with a full weekend of activities.  One of the events will be an Irish-themed pub crawl, and since "S" is a native of Ireland, she has asked the guests to wear green.  I think most of the female guests will be 6'+ tall volleyball players, so I think they will be quite noticeable!  DD planned to wear her green RTW top (shown below), but what she really wanted--and asked if maybe mom could help--was a short black skirt that would be great for going out and dancing. 

I was tickled that I could make DD just what she wanted!  It's a McCall's 3830, size 12, in black double knit.  I underlined the skirt with black tricot for opacity and to give it a little more heft, and other than that, the only other change was to use an invisible zipper.

DD  came to my house tonight to try on the skirt before heading over to Berkeley for the first "Weekend of S..." event.   This outfit will be for tomorrow night's dinner, pub crawl, and dancing in San Francisco.   Sounds fun, but exhausting to me!  (Et moi?  Oh, I think I'll be curled up on the couch with a good book!)

It only took a few hours (over the course of several nights) to make this skirt.  And best of all?  DD loves it!  

Here's a snap of "S" and DD at DD's birthday dinner at the Buckeye Roadhouse in Mill Valley (one of our favorite restaurants).  DD's wearing another mom-made dress (McCall's 5974).  

Next up?  I've finished two new tops and am almost done with a new skirt.  Pix soon, I hope.

Hope all is well with you!  Until next time, happy sewing!

~ Peggy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sewing with a Plan? Kind of...

I’ve never participated in a SWAP before, but I do sew with something of a plan.  My plan is usually outfit by outfit, rather than a multi-piece wardrobe—as my DD would say, that’s just how I roll.  (I really like the idea of creating a multi-piece wardrobe, and I may just do that someday.)  My idea is to make sure I have the skirt, shoes, accessories, etc. to go with a piece I want to sew, and if I don’t, I start hunting for the necessary ingredients to make my sewn piece(s) part of a complete outfit. 

For instance, I saw this outfit on the Fifty, not Frumpy site:  

I love the pieces and the color combo, so I want to replicate the look.  I already have black slacks, a long camel cardigan, several black bags to choose from, and gold bangles, but I need to make a raspberry top, and I didn't have leopard boots (but now I do!).  I found these booties on sale for $40 on the 6 p.m. website and they arrived on Thursday:

In real life, the background of the print is a bit more golden than what this photo shows.  I chose these boots for the price and the heel height, not to mention that they had a size 11!

For the top, I'm still undecided on which pattern to use, although I might do another shawl-collared Vogue 8323.  I'm going to paw through my stash and see if I have a raspberry knit.  Once I make the top, I'll have a complete outfit ready to go!

I also want to make some more skirt and top sets.  The skirts will all be McCall's 3830 (with my modifications: extra darts at the waist and an added waistband).

First outfit:  an above-knee skirt in this black/white houndstooth double knit from Gorgeous Fabrics, paired with a scoop-necked Vogue 8323 in "Barbie Pink" knit, also from Gorgeous Fabrics.  This will be worn with black suede boots, black belt, and black tights.

 2nd outfit:  New Look 6150 top in caramel rayon knit from Stonemountain and Daughter paired with "Tribe Vibe" stretch moleskin animal print from Joann's.  This skirt will also be above the knee.  This will be worn with black tights and either black suede boots/belt or dark caramel equestrian boots/belt:

3rd outfit:  Another above-knee skirt in blue-on-blue corduroy print which was given to me ages ago by my friend, Cuyler.  With it, I have a blue sweater knit from Fabric.com, but I haven't decided which pattern to use for the top.  I'm envisioning a turtleneck, but those can get pretty hot.  This outfit will be worn with the equestrian boots and belt:

4th outfit:  A navy blue double knit McCall's 2401, with either long- or 3/4- length sleeves.  This will be worn with a scarf, gold chain belt, and camel suede pumps, or possibly with the equestrian boots and matching belt.

I might also do something with winter white and emerald green, but that's still percolating--and I don't have the fabrics in my stash.

So, this should keep me off the streets and out of trouble for a while!  How about you--what's on your cutting table?

Until next time, happy sewing!

~ Peggy

New Skirt for the New Top in the New Year!

Here's a new skirt to go along with the new dusty lavender top (blogged about here).   (There is some discoloration in the photos because of the dappled sunlight--there really aren't any spots or stains on the pieces!)

 The skirt is a modified McCall's 3830, and the top is Vogue 8323.

The skirt is made from gray RPL purchased from Joann's about a year ago.  It has a nice hand and was a dream to sew.  

I inserted an invisible zipper, but first I added fusible tricot interfacing in the zipper's seam allowances to stabilize them.  I used the same tricot on the waistband--which, by the way, is not included in McCall's 3830.  I did my usual skirt prep--that is, I finished all seam allowances on the serger prior to sewing any seams.

The other changes were to add two more darts to the front, and two more darts to the back.  I hemmed this skirt by hand instead of blind stitching on my machine because my thread wasn't quite the right shade of gray (my thread collection does not include, um, 50 shades of gray), and I didn't want the thread to show on the outside of the skirt.

Being silly

I'm pleased with the fit of this outfit--and both fabrics (top and skirt) are super comfy!  Not much in the closet went with the gray boots, so these two pieces are a good addition! 

I LOVE having time off for many reasons, including having lots of time to sew!  Yay!  So far in 2013, I've made this skirt and top, a shell, an infinity scarf, and I'm currently working on a hot pink top.  I probably can't keep up this pace once I go back to work, but I sure am having fun in the meantime!  How about you?  Are you getting some sewing done?

Until next time, happy sewing!

~ Peggy

Vogue 8323 in Dusty Lavender

I decided to ring in 2013 with a new top!  This is my second version of Vogue 8323, view A, but with long sleeves.

Very shocking putting this on the dress form--static electricity!

The fabric was purchased online from Fabric Mart, and it is a dustier/smokier/paler lavender than shown in the photos.

 

I love that this pattern has princess seams!  I also love the shawl collar.  The top looks good on its own or layered under a jacket.

I made very few changes to this pattern--just lengthened the sleeves by two inches, sewed the sleeves in flat, and coverstitched the hems.  All seams were sewn on the regular machine and the seam allowances were trimmed and finished on the serger.  I also made 1/2 inch hems instead of the 1-1/4 inch hems specified in the instructions.

The photo above shows a close-up of the coverstitched hem.  IRL, the thread matches the lavender background quite well.  The photo below shows the inside front.

I had a little bit of fabric left over, so I whipped up my TNT shell, Kwik Sew 3740.  I might make a matching infinity scarf.  We'll see.

I hope you all had joyful holidays!  I've been enjoying reading the "best of 2012" compilations on lots of sewing blogs, but I think I'm too lazy to get a list together!  

May this year bring you peace, love, good health, and prosperity.  

Until next time, happy sewing!

~ Peggy