I finally got a chance to sew on Sunday. Saturday was another busy, busy day, in which we bought a new table. The Thomasville store near us was closing, so we got a great deal on a new kitchen table from there. “Great” being all relative when talking about their prices. 😉 It was probably at least 60% off, though. The chairs have an upholstered seat. Oy. That was the only downside. They are going to be a PITA to re-do when the time comes. Because with small children you KNOW we will have to reupholster those chairs.
Anyways, I have been wanting to make another skirt like this one:
I made that skirt in junior high, I think. I re-purposed a suit that my aunt Judy had made for herself when she was younger. The skirt was too big and too long, so I hacked it up. It has stretch to it, so amazingly it still fits me. Yes, it is probably a wee bit tighter and shorter on me now than when I was in junior high. But it STILL FITS. That’s all that really matters… 😉
I traced out the shape and added a bit more space around the edges and some length. This is a heavy knit (double-knit?) hounds-tooth fabric. It took maybe a half hour to make it from pattern tracing to being done. Easy seams and an elastic waist. A very comfy skirt.
Then I wanted to make a wristlet to put in my HUGE purse that I bring to work. That purse holds my laptop, about every lipstick I own and various other things that I apparently need to bring with me to work. I wanted something I could take in and out when I have to just run into a store for stuff. This is a really, really soft leather with a silk lining.
FYI…ripping stitching out of leather is not fun.
What really helped in sewing the leather was using tissue paper to help move it through the feed dogs. I figured that out after I had to rip out the stitching. It was sticking and not moving very fast. It ended up being bigger than what I needed it to be. It’s basically a small purse LOL! Oh well, it will work for what I need.
Then Leah and I traded craftiness. She wanted a newborn hat to take pictures of a friend’s impending newborn, so she made me some jewelry in trade. I made her two hats, and hopefully they will work well for her photos. These have actually been in-process for a month and I finally got them finished and mailed out last week. I’m nothing if not punctual. 😉
I am hoping to get some more sewing done in the next few weeks. I want to sew…finding time is just hard right now. Plus we are having a Superbowl party on Sunday for the Packers. Woot! Go Pack!
Love the purse! Did I miss why you had to rip the stitching out?
Great new skirt and purse, too. that purse is fantastic and the colors are great.
Love the skirt- the fact that it is comfy is added bonus too. I have been wanted to try sewing leather, but I am afraid my puny machine might get very angry with me. Your purse turned out really cute. Your hats are always super cute!!
Ahh, if only I could fit into my junior high clothes! But growing another 2″ after high school scrapped that. Well, 2″ taller, and *ahem* a few inches out.
Love the look of your wristlet!
Wow. Impressive. I think I would have to make something three times bigger to fit into it!
I guess the sewing posts are ok, but what I really like are those recipe posts….*grin*
just saying….
That whole new skirt ensamble *wolf whistle*, I LOVE it!!!!!! Very sophisticated. I can’t believe you made it in half an hour!!!! You are gun.That’s a cool tip re leather and tissue paper. I wonder if that would help with other heavy fabrics?? Like denim.
[…] skirt pattern, that is. I used the pattern from this skirt to make these skirts. One thing I did differently is that I made the top part into a double-lined […]