On a recent browsing of my local, Queens fabric store I came across a compellingly strange remnant. I couldn't decide if it was hideous or awesome and am now leaning toward hideously awesome. I made it up into a quick, A-line, summer skirt.
To all outward appearances, the fabric is a cotton/poly brocade.
Pattern is based on New Look 6843, though I reshaped the side seams and deleted the front darts.
Making this skirt has renewed my appreciation for technology. I heard a radio program recently about how devices such as phones and cameras and mp3's and the like are marketed with tons of features that people think they want but then become overwhelmed by the directions and can't figure out how to use. The program was about the divide between what we think we want (complex) and what we really want (simple). Well, I fished out the users manual for my cell phone, turned to page 180 (out of 248!) and figured out how to use the timer on the camera setting. The trickiest part was balancing the thing inside a drinking glass propped up with two eyeshadows and a pad of post-its as a makeshift tripod to elevate the viewfinder to human being height.
In this photo you can sort of see the flat felled seam. I put those in because the seam allowances were scratchy where the stiff polyester contrast threads stuck out(!)
Making this skirt also renewed my little love affair with my sewing machine. I finally replaced my old 1972 Singer See & Sew machine, much loved, with a Bernina Patchwork about 3 years ago. I bought this machine because it made beautiful buttonholes and my old zigzag stitch buttonholes made on the Singer were always crappy and made my beautiful suits and dresses (I used to sew more before discovering knitting) look like dorky home-ec projects. This fabric was super easy to work with and when I put in one single gorgeous buttonhole in the back I just had to sigh over the prettiness of it and take a photo.
Isn't that lovely?
