Betty Skirt Tour

So a couple of weeks ago I learned I was the lucky winner of one of the Abilmente Prize packages given by Annika over at Naeh-connection (seriously, I felt like it was Christmas morning) and part of the package was this lovely bundle of Cotton and Steel "At the Zoo" from The Fat Quarter Shop.

I decided that the fat quarter bundle would be perfect to make this pieced Betty Skirt, since I get to be part of the Betty Skirt Tour.

The lovely ladies over at the Shaffer Sisters have put out this great basic skirt pattern that has tons of options. The Betty Skirt makes a great go-to skirt because it's simple to make, but the pattern allows you to personalize it to suit your needs.

I chose to do the large pleated option, but decided to make each pleat a different fabric from the bundle. This worked out perfectly because the longer width of the fabric was exactly twice what I needed, therefore the front and back pleats are exactly the same.

To get the pleats, I took the measurement of the pleat guide between pleats and added a seam allowance of 1/2 an inch, cutting the strips to the length I needed. Then I sewed them all together, pleated it (using the seams as a guide...no marking needed) and added it to the yoke.

This silly girl loves how it turned out. Even my 11 year old likes (and since they kind of wear the same size...I think she has her eye on it). The fabric was lovely to work with and such a visual treat!

As for the Betty skirt...you just need fabric and elastic (you do need buttons for the one with the placket) and that is it! It comes together fast, comes in a huge range of sizes, and has well written instructions.

Another plus...it's got great twirling factor...that means a lot in this household.

So if I've piqued your interest, you should go and check out the other stops on the tour...there's been some beautiful creations, and then go and buy it yourself with the discount code!

Now for a slightly random change of subject...this is my normal camera lens (it is just the kit lens...nothing special). It wasn't working so thanks to the invention of YouTube I thought I'd try to fix it myself. It was going to cost more than a new one (and the cost of the camera itself, since I bought it used) to get it fixed, so I thought I'd give it a go. I figured out the problem, ordered the part and all that is left is for the part to arrive and me to hopefully assemble it back together perfectly:)  I've been using my distance lens for my pictures the last little while...there's been a learning curve, but I do like how some of them are turning out.

Fall Wardrobe Must Haves

 A couple of weeks ago I had the lucky chance to test the Magnolia Skirt and Hemlock Top designed by Heidi over at Elegance and Elephants.  Just go check out her 'Look Book' for the great Fall patterns she'll be releasing in a matter of days.

First up the Hemlock Top...It's a simple knit top with a lovely little shoulder ruffle...perfect for dressing up or down. Clara loves how comfy it is (and she's excited to have a top to match mom's).

 I loved how it came together so quickly and how Heidi's patterns are so easy to follow.  Clara is already asking for more and since she doesn't have many long sleeve shirts...I'll just have to oblige her.

Now on to the Magnolia Skirt. It's a 6 paneled knit skirt with an elastic casing and it all came together in an hour.  Really a fun hip pattern that has a lot of potential for customization! I had fun alternating the sides of fabric of the knit I used to get a little contrast going.

 Again, it's going to be a great Fall staple as it can be dressed up or down...whatever your fancy. And the best thing about it according to my girls...the twirl factor. What little girl doesn't like a spin-y skirt?

 I knew Sophia would love the skirt and since she fell into the size 9 measurements, I tested the skirt for her as well.  The trendiness as well as the simplicity of it lends itself to the older set as well.  She loves how comfortable it is and is even willing to wear it to middle school...so it must look pretty good too. 

 Heidi will be releasing both patterns this week.  If you want 2 patterns that allow you to get a whole outfit done in a matter of a couple of hours, that have the possibility of dressing up or down, you really should check these out!

 She and I have brainstormed some fun ideas of what you could do to customize it...6 different panels to play with means there is a lot you could do!  

And she is still a girl at heart that loves to twirl.

Betty Skirt Times Two

 The lovely women over at Shaffer Sisters have just released their first pattern, The Betty Skirt and I was one of the lucky ones to get to sew it first.

 It is a wonderful, classic staple of a pattern with 4 variations of a yoke based skirt.  Just think of the possibilities!!! I tried out the gathered version as well as the front placket version and Clara loves both of them.

 The great thing about this pattern, besides that it is well written and helpful, is that it is so versatile. This is a pattern that will grow with your daughter, starting at 12 months and going all the way up to 10 years old. The other nice thing is that you can customize it to fit your daughter. You are not stuck to standard sizes, but can go by her measurements.

 I would highly recommend this pattern that is looking to get back into sewing or might not have a lot of sewing experience because it makes a great beginner pattern. It will teach you some skills that will be useful later on as well.

Asymmetrical French Country

Weird title for a signature look, right? Well there's a story. But first let me tell you how hard it was to get these pictures...sick kiddo and frigid weather (why oh why didn't I have the outfit done when it was 65 degrees 4 days ago?!). But we did it and may I present:

Asymmetrical French Country

 Now for the outfit and the story behind the name.  It started with a gray shirt my husband was getting rid of (this outfit almost became the one for last week). I looked at the gray fabric of the shirt and envisioned this skirt with a separating red zipper down one side. I think I've liked the gray and red color combo ever since seeing this family picture session over at Design Mom. 

Well the skirt evolved a little to include pleats and the natural curve of the back of the shirt and a button with a little bling that Clara picked out from my button stash. 

I've always had a thing for the French kids clothing companies (my favorite is Bonpoint). And as my outfit evolved, it seemed to fit what I saw in their lines, so hence the French Country look.

 The thing about me is I'm not really bold when it comes to my sewing. I rely on the little things to grab your attention. Instead of bright colors or bold patterns, I go for the subtle eye grabbers. That is where the asymmetry comes in. I wanted the zipper offset to the side. I wanted to yoke to meet at the side of the shirt, so everything became asymmetrical.

And as I sketched out the outfit, I thought about how asymmetry draws your eye in and how that works really well for this little gal of mine and here is the story. When she was born, she appeared to be cross eyed, but as she grew the next couple of months they noticed that although she appeared to be cross eyed (especially in pictures) she didn't test for being cross eyed. Finally they measured from the middle of her nose to where her eye starts and it turns out they are not symmetrical. The flap of skin is just a little wider on one side when compared to the other. What does this mean? Nothing except she appears cross eyed in pictures and people are drawn to her big blue eyes. Turns out we humans like symmetry and when something is just a little off our human brains are then focused on that. Her big blue eyes will always get noticed because of that (not sure if that will be a good thing when she is a teenager:). And this little outfit, will hopefully catch your eye as well.

 The outfit consists of 5 things:

1. Gray skirt from men's button up shirt with red, separating zipper---makes it seem like a wrap around skirt in a way.

2. Simple, self drafted peasant top from red and white striped shirting (JoAnn's), with gray piping, off set buttons and off set pleat.

3. Blue knit leggings self drafted from another pair of her's

4. Knit hat from my own pattern with cool yarn that had sparkly sequins

5. Leg warmers from a sweater that didn't get used for last weeks look

There is definite mix and matching potential with a lot of things from her wardrobe.

 And here are a couple more pictures of this cute gal of mine as well as some close ups of the outfit. 

 She really wanted a picture where it looked like she was holding the suitcase like she was getting ready to leave. 

And there you have my signature look for Project Run and Play.

It's 'Flip' Time Again

 

 This time I flipped a pants pattern into a skirt and Sophia was the lucky recipient. If you want to read more, go check it out at Frances Suzanne!

Mad for Plaid and Color Block Cardigan

Hop on over to Sew Cool for the Tween Scene to see my how to on this skirt and color blocked cardigan.  You can also see how well you know me and my reason for loving plaid.

A Little Something for Me

Well I finally finished it...this skirt that has been on my mind since I bought (fell in love with) this fabric over a year ago. I bought the fabric at the 1/2 price sale at Textile Fabrics and it was a big splurge even at half off, but I loved the simplicity of the design and the softness of the fabric.

It's just a simple A line skirt with a waistband and invisible zipper on the side...nothing fancy, but perfect for me. 

Here's a quick rundown of how to figure out an A line skirt. Get a low waist line measurement (since you are adding a waistband) and a hip measurement and then I add a couple of inches to each because I don't like my clothes too snug. Take a waist to hip measurement. Now you are set to "draw" your pattern out on your fabric. Make sure you take your fabric and fold it in half twice (you need the front and back piece). Take your waist + 2 inches (blue line) and hip + 2 inches (red line) measurements and 1/2 them. Now take the number you now have for your waist and measure then mark it on the top of your fabric (blue line).  Take your waist to hip measurement (green line) and mark it down from your waist measurement. From the fold take your hip measurement number and mark it at the bottom of your waist to hip line (this becomes the red line).

With me so far?

Now just figure out how long you want your skirt(purple line) and mark that, measuring from your waist. Then all I do is gradually extend the line from the end of your waist measurement line to the edge of the fabric.

Once I get it cut out, I finish the right side, add the waist band, add the zipper and finish the left side. After that I fold down the waistband and finish it off.

For the waistband, I simply take the waist measurement and add 3 inches (you have to have room to put the zipper in) and cut out a 4 inch band to that length, line it with facing and add it to the top of the skirt. Then I'm ready for the zipper.

Not the best pictures of the skirt, but at least you get the feel for it. My kids were my photographers...my 12 year old took the one on the left and my 5 year old took the one on the right.

Now for some pretty pictures.  I've always wanted a "cutting" flower garden and something that would attract a lot of birds and butterflies.  And I succeeded this year.  Here's some of the results:

Sewing for Me

I don't normally do a lot of sewing for me, but sometimes inspiration strikes. Such was the case with this skirt...I felt the fabric and just knew that I had to have a long, flowy skirt from it.  It's a knit/spandex combo (can't remember the %s) that I picked it up at the summer sale at Textile Fabrics, while shopping with the lovely ladies of francessuzanne.  Really it is out of my range of understated, calm fabric patterns, but I love it!

 The skirt is just the width of the fabric, serged up the one side. I did leave a slit to my knees just to keep the range of movement a little more free.  The waistband is just a simple yoga type waistband with a little stretch type stabilizer.  I serged around the bottom too and the hemmed it using my double needle.  That's all there was to this skirt.  Nothing too fancy but it is super comfortable!