A fast breezy skirt

I had avoided the maxi skirt for a long time.  But last summer started enviously noticing them on other people.  I have the skin type that should be covered up from the sun, freckly and fair and so the idea of a skirt that covers my legs but allows me to stay cool is very appealing in our current hot spell.  Other days I just slather on the children's factor fifty.  

I used a length of light cotton sent in Alessa's parcel.  I had been mulling over a maxi skirt but thought I had no fabric till it dawned on me last friday to use this fabric.    I simply seed up a rectangle adding a side pocket on one side and a casing at the waist for elastic.  Then I tried it on and decided it was too wide so I sliced about four inches off one side and resewed the seam.  I hemmed it and the whole process took about an hour.
Since completing it I have worn it three times in six days as it is so practical for hot days.  BUT I have to confess around the house I keep hitching it up and even hoisted it into my knicker elastic!  So maybe I am not a natural ong skirt wearer.  I am not 100% certain if the maxi looks good or bad on me, and as I am quite short I am not sure if I look  even shorter in a maxi.  But I think it is partly getting used to wearing a different silhouette and length.  My goto, default skirt is a low waisted A line hitting the knees and I must have made about 5 of these plus I have a couple of old RTW ones too.  Do you have a default style skirt? And have you stepped out of your skirt comfort zone with success?

On my sewing table

Except I don't really have a sewing table.  More accurately, on my ironing board and on my dining table....
Burda 7018.  I decided to make a jacket using the remaining denim left over from my V1246 skirt.  
I browsed my patterns and hesitated for weeks over what jacket to make but finally opted for this one as I wanted to try a jeans jacket.  I bought it in the half price Burda sale last month at Jaycotts. For some reason Blogger keeps rotating the photo below, so please excuse this.  I am making view A, shortish with a waistband.

So far, sewing this jacket has been fun.  It is the kind of step by step construction that I like and making it has made me think about the construction of RTW jackets.  I have sewn the curved front seams, the fake pocket tabs, the side and shoulder seams and the waistband.  Plus I have added side pockets as I know I won't get much wear out of a pocketless jacket.  

And then there's the topstitching!  Twin needle time. (A new twin needle was among my birthday presents from my lovely friend Emma, **Hello Emma**) I spent about three weeks thinking about what colour to do my topstitching.  I kept checking out any denim jackets I saw.  Finally I decided last week to do the top stitching in red. 

The frustrating part is I have to sew the construction in blue threads, then changes needles and threads for topstitching.  To have two machines like Sonja would be brilliant for a project like this!  If you haven't tried twin needles for top stitching I recommend you do - it is fab.
I am expecting this project to take quite a while to finish as it is now school holidays.  But for the first time in ages I am really enjoying the sewing journey rather than rushing to the end product.  What is on your sewing table?  And is it really a dedicated sewing table?  Or does it share functions with other people, eating, other crafts....?

Lovely things from lovely peeps

Oh, sweep away the cobwebs from this blog. I didn't intend to stay away from this place for so long.  Real life just got in the way, various minor illnesses and too many other events.  I kept wondering if I will lose all my readers by being so neglectful. Maybe?  I hope not.  This post has been languishing half written for at last a month.  So I pulled myself together, left the dirty dishes in the sink and got typing.

I was very lucky and won some great sewing goodies.  Firstly this pattern, Butterick 5612 from Philippa.  She didn't tell me in advance so it was a lovely surprise when it dropped through the letterbox.  I have already sewn up view A and still have to blog about it.  

Then I received a handknitted cardigan from Jessica that she had offered as part of
Spring Cleaning Swap Meet.  I still have to photograph the cardigan.  She was generous enough to include some fabrics.  There is a black knit fabric, some stripey jersey and this cute cotton.  Hmmmm......my mind is whirring with ideas.  There is enough of the black for a pair of jersey trousers - and I have several pattern choices.  I just have to choose either a drapey flowey (is that  a real word?) pair or a more fitted style.  The stripes I have earmarked for a top if I can figure out cutting and pattern placement.  I was thinking of using the japanese doll cotton for a skirt for Little I.

Next I won the "white bundle" in Alessa's giveaway.  There is a large piece of the grey/pink floral striped cotton.  It is a really nice light weight and I was thinking of a dress.
The other pieces are smaller and I am planning to use them for my little girls.

This black and white cotton was also in Alessa's bundle and I have used it already.  Do you want a peek of what I made?  Well, here it is...

...it is  the Butterick top from Philippa's pattern.  I will witter on write a constructive review soon about it.  I have doubts as to whether it suits me greatly but I have worn it lots anyway as it is so light and ideal for summer days when I don't want to have arms out.  Oh and please feel free to laugh at my unfortunate bad haircut. Happily it is now grown out a bit.  It was cheap and sometimes you gets what you pays for.  A lesson learnt. I have to say a big thank you to Jessica, Alessa and Philippa.  

So a big thank y