Stitchin' in My Kitchen

I don't know how I feel about maxi skirts.  I haven't worn one since I was 22 probably. I was intrigued by Sewaholic's new Gabriola pattern, so I decided to roll the dice. I was intrigued by the yoke design. I decided to make in in this chartreuse, laser-cut microfiber fabric I found at Gorgeousfabrics.com This is my high-fashion inspiration. Maxiskirts are fabric hogs, and this was no exception, plus the lasercut fabric is peekaboo, so I had to line it. I used some white cotton voile. 3 yards of each! So I basically made it twice, and it was fairly time- and fabric-consuming (and cash consuming!) I cut a size 6, which is what I always wear in Sewaholic skirts and dresses.  I cut, and cut, and cut out pieces forever!  I sewed the green shell with my machine and just sewed the lining with the serger.  It was easy to sew, no real issues other than there are a lot of pieces. I attached the waistband, inserted the zipper, hung it up for 2 days to let the bia...

I know I said I didn't need any more Colette Ginger skirts....but then I had to move my fall/winter ones to the back of the closet. So I needed a spring/summer one! I decided to use the Ginger pattern for this linen fabric I bought from Gorgeous Fabrics; Meee-Yow! Suit Weight Linen from gorgeousfabrics.coom It's a medium weight linen, kind of heavy for pants or tops, with a pretty repeating animal print.  I never buy neutrals, other than black an animal print! I made a size 6 as usual, plain waistband, no boning this time, and I was feeling brave so I made almost the entire thing on my serger! The linen frays and I'd have to finish the edges anyway. Other than installing the zipper and ditch-stitching the waistband down, it's all serged. Nothing revolutionary this time, although I did stabilize the zipper with organza. Lesson learned from before. My favorite thing about this version is that the linen has some stiff body to it, and it really results in a very ...

Having started this back in March, I finally had time to finish up my first attempt at the Zinnia skirt by Colette Patterns. the Colette Zinnia skirt I chose version 3, the pleated and lined version (although I ended up not lining it). But I preferred the pleated look of Versions 2 & 3 to the gathered look of Version 1. I cut the size 6, which is what I wear in the Ginger skirt also by Colette.  My fabric was this satiny abstract print that I found precut on a table of miscellaneous stuff at the Fabric Outlet in SF. I think its just a poly satin or something (but its not very shiny, more matte). Purple, pink, some blue, white. It was fairly easy to cut and sew. The instructions are excellent as always. I like that they warn you about being careful with the pleats - there are 16, so if you make each one too large by 1/8", it might not fit you at the end! So I brought out the sewing gauge. The pleats are time consuming but simple. The only dislike for me was the extende...