Surprisingly On Trend

Once the shawl was far enough along to see how it looked, I added cable extenders, stretched it out, and wrapped it around Millicent. It didn't look so great. On the off chance that this would be the time I came out ahead, I wrapped it around me and... not... neither sophisticated nor elegant. The triangle shape wasn't long enough to throw over the shoulder and stay and by the time it would be long enough, the point would be far too long. As you can see...

...it's back in ball. I'm frequently teased for my propensity for ripping out knitting projects although I'm not sure why - LOL - as it's certainly one way to amuse yourself for cheap. I'm in good company.

Costco is selling this skirt for $18.99 which I won't say is less expensive than sewing it since most of my fabric is bought inexpensive HOWEVER, it's a price worth paying especially as it's neatly sewn and has a wonderful hand. Yesterday....

... while I was digging in the stash, I came across this check fabric. I'm not a person who pays a tremendous amount of attention to what's in style which makes me surprisingly on trend. The fabric is virtually...

... identical. It's basically a dye lot difference. It's a rayon, polyester, spandex blend with a soft almost flannel finish. Very drapey. Flattering. The waistband is...

... a wide, smooth, elastic. The casing is sewn on. As easy as it is to fold down and stitch in place an elastic casing, that method doesn't work the best for my figure. The back of the skirt will ride up and the front drag down. Waistbands and I have a history what with my tipped waist and fluctuating waist size. After trying this and that way of working, my conclusion is that an elastic waistband that's snuggly fitted with a zipper that allows the waist size to be smaller than the hip size gives me the best fit. If there's an elastic casing...

... sewn on is best with the zipper coming to the top of the elastic as it does with the black and white version of the V8499 skirt. Just yesterday, I was reading on one blog about needing a wider elastic because the width of the one used wasn't strong enough to support the weight of the fabric. That's a concept I had never come across. I typically use a narrower elastic because I'm extremely short waisted with barely time to indent between the bottom of my rib cage and the top of my hips BUT THEN...

... last night when I was attempting another version of the Tablecloth Skirt, I found exactly that. This fabric is a lightweight, rayon challis and even still the combined weight was stretching out the elastic which in this case isn't going to be a problem because the resulting skirt - even though I actually paid attention to the paisley print this time - isn't appealing. I'd planned to wear it to coffee with a friend this morning and instead wore...

... the bell shaped blob for the second day in a row. I WAS WRONG - highlighted for those of my family who will want to record this admonition for posterity - the skirt is fabulous, comfortable, with just enough texture - but not too much - to work well with other garments. It's a goes with everything just like jeans kind of skirt. Add upper garment interest and heels of some kind and the shape balances out beautifully. I imagine I'll be wearing it frequently. With the paisley...

... there's lots left. The tablecloth skirt takes about five meters, there's a meter and a half left, and I've already sewn a garment with this fabric once before which leads me to believe I had bought ten meters. I know it was $2.00 a meter so that makes sense. I'd have "allowed" myself twenty dollars worth which even so would have been substantially less than retail. It might sound a bit ridiculous but this is inexpensive enough to experiment with, fabulous if the experiment works, and cheaper than broadcloth if needed for muslins. That works for me.

And - bonus - I now get to play with it and see what I can come up with inspired by the pleats and tucks of this Vogue 8637 Marcy Tilton skirt. That's another thing I've really noted this year. I actually like "mistakes" because when the garment doesn't go as anticipated, it's an opportunity for me to sew in a way that is reminiscent of how I used to create textile pieces, which is a way of working - start, do one thing, and see where it leads - that I really enjoy. It gives me energy, something my friend noted this morning when I was telling her about moving into jewelry design next year. She said it's good to hear the excitement in your voice again. Yes.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - that I'm not running around in a frenzy. I'm sewing in my studio, one of my favourite things to do.