New Casual Skirt: Burda Mag 5/2012-118

Burda 5/2012-118

I decided that a good transitional piece would be a kakhi skirt.  I had a large scrap of cotton twill with just a touch of spandex floating around my dining room.  My dear, sainted husband is good enough to suggest that we need more storage furniture, rather than we need a major clear out.  So, this recent Burda pattern seemed like just the thing.  I had enough fabric for it, the right kind of fabric, and it appeared to have a yoke, which I am learning is very helpful for fitting wide hips and a small waist.

Burda's line drawing.

I made the longer version and omitted the welt pockets in the back.  With side pockets, I am good,  no need to fuss around with unnecessary welts on something done mostly to whittle down a growing stash of unlikely fabrics that threaten to engulf my family.

It was an easy sew, but I didn't get the sizing right.  I made the waist a little too tight.  Usually the opposite is my problem.  I also did not allow enough room in the back.  It's the kind of thing where I can almost wear it.  It nearly fits.

 Front view

Another front view.

Side view.

I am swimming four times a week now.  So maybe this will fit in a month.  On the other hand I read that people gain an average of 5 lbs when they start swimming, so I won't hold my breath.

Next up for me is a few long sleeved tshirts.  I'll try and knock out more than one before I bother posting.

Baby Quilts

A dear friend of mine had twins.  Over a year ago.  I started to wonder, whether these baby quilts might end up becoming graduation presents.  

I was very taken with Sarah B's Windy Days quilt pattern.  I thought it looked simple and attractive.  I used my own scraps rather than charm squares, and I used a different sized square to her charm squares.  Let's just say thing spiralled out of control.  I messed up the pattern, but, for me, in a quilt anything goes.  I don't worry about messed up patterns, confused designs or puckers so big they look like design features.

I loved it, but I got it all messed around.  I think it's OK, even with the errors, but I couldn't face making a second one.

So, when I finally finished the first quilt, I decided that a much easier, all right angles coin quilt was the way to go.  It certainly went together quickly.  I think it is just as pretty and just as effective, too.

Much simple to patch together.

Just goes to show that effort doesn't always correlate closely with final results.  Shhh, don't tell my kids!

Meanwhile, I can now think about other sewing.  My house needs some freshening up, and the only thing holding it back is me.  I am too selfish with my sewing time to want to make pillows, curtains, blinds etc.

Perhaps with an easy to sew, easy to wear winter uniform I could manage.  I ordered my first StyleArc pants.   Their Cassie Stretch Woven Pants  won me over.  I can imagine them being comfortable and working well with chunky sweaters and knee boots in Autumn/Winter.  Of course, I tried to put out of my mind, just how difficult my lower body is to fit, and the fact that they will not send a multisized pattern.  This could be an expensive mistake.  Here goes nothing!

Style Arch Cassie Pant