Finished Objects: Miette and Skirt

Well, I finished these projects in the previous weeks so, I decided to do a quick post on the details.

Miette is a free cardigan pattern by Andi Satterlund. It is worked from the top down and can be a super quick knit. I worked on mine off and on. It is a fairly easy pattern but, it does have some details that make it interesting. For instance, the lace pattern and ribbing that is made by working through the back loops.

I chose this orange color simply because I don’t have a cardigan in orange. The yarn in Knit Picks Brava in orange. I got gauge so, I used the Size 7 (4.5 mm) and the Size 8 (5.0 mm) needles.

The cardigan is very versatile. I have worn it 3 times already since I made it. I love wearing it with high waist skirts and dresses.

Now, let’s talk about the skirt…

This skirt is a variation of the one-hour skirt from Sewing in a Straight Line. I added lining, lengthened the skirt, and added pockets using this tutorial. The tutorial really helped me and it wasn’t hard at all. I noticed when re-reading the instructions for the skirt that I did not do french seams. (I didn’t do it for the yellow skirt either.) Despite this mistake I still adore this skirt and I love wearing it. The owl print is so cute to me and I am so grateful my mom found this fabric for me. Well, that’s all I have to say about these projects.

I’ll be posting about my Week 4 of Me Made May tomorrow.

Finished My Yellow Skirt

Well, I finished my skirt and I am so pleased with the final results. As mentioned in the previous post, the instructions for this skirt came from Brett Bara’s book Sewing in a Straight Line.

I didn’t have any major problems with the making of this. I just wish it would have turned out a bit longer. Well, I plan on making another in red and hopefully that skirt will turn out a better length.

While I simply adore the color, the lining is what makes me love this skirt. It gives the skirt a nice weight and I look forward to wearing it in the colder months with my tights and not have to worry about the skirt sticking to it.

I do plan on making another skirt using these instructions in red very soon, hopefully. Though now I am looking to challenge myself a bit more with my sewing skills. I want to do a skirt without an elastic waist, add pockets to my creations, and make a dress. I’ll keep you posted on how those turn out.

Making A New Skirt

After I made my last skirt, I was really excited about starting a new one. I immediately went and picked up some fabric and lining the next day. Then, the fabric sat on my desk for over 2 months and I never touched it. So, when I was starting Me-Made-May ’14, I realized that I only had one sewn item to add to the mix. And that was that one skirt. That skirt is wearable but, it definitely isn’t a favorite. I really am not a big fan of the length and I hate that it doesn’t have lining.

So, last night I picked up my fabric and started making the One-Hour skirt from Sewing in a Straight Line by Brett Bara. Well, I started cutting at 6:00 p.m. and stopped sewing at 10:00 p.m. So yeah, it obviously took me more than a hour. 😉 And I still need to finish the bottom hem and insert the elastic. I also used the instructions from Emmely of Infectious Stitches on how to add a lining to a skirt. Thank you, Emmely! The going went much better than my last skirt and I am already so in love with it. And the best thing is that I am sewing so much straighter!

I am making a yellow skirt because yellow is such a pretty color yet, for some reason I don’t really own much of it. I got the fabric from Walmart for only $2.00 per yard. If you look at it really closely it has the cutest little dots. I am also really pleased with the feel and movement of the fabric.

I added 2 inches to the length of the skirt and I hope that it falls at least right above the knee or right at the knee. I did take the measurements and it seems to be falling in line. However, with my previous skirt I took the measurements but, it still came out shorter that I intended.

I plan on finishing the skirt tonight. I’ll update you with finished pictures in a post.

Finished My First Skirt

In the previous post, I talked about wanting to sew a skirt. I had never made a wearable before and I was anxious to give it a try. That Friday night as soon as I got home, I got to work. I started at about 5:30 p.m. and finished at about 9:00 p.m. I am so pleased with how it turned out.

One thing I wish I knew how to do was put in a lining. I like linings because they don’t stick to your tights. So, it is necessary that I wear a slip with this skirt when wearing it with tights. So, I put a slip with it and it wears beautifully.

I actually wore the skirt on Saturday (the very next day) to get a feel for it. I wore it a bit more casual with my cowboy boots and Elsa jacket. Today, I dressed it up just a bit by putting it with my ankle boots and Hortencia cardigan. (OAN: I wear this Hortencia cardigan so much! The black makes it so versatile. It comes second as my most worn wearable. This red cowl comes first.)

Let’s talk about the issues I had with the project. My main issue is, I can’t sew straight. I would start at a the correct point and then the line would just start to veer off course and end up at the edge or off the skirt completely. I had to rip back my first seam and start over. It’s funny because I didn’t have a seam ripper so, I just used a very small steel crochet hook and it worked like a charm. Once I continued to work on the skirt, I got better at it. I learned that I do better when I hold both hands on the work. At first, I was just using one hand. I feel with practice I can overcome that feat.

This fabric was purchased at a thrift store about a year ago and it is 100% cotton.

Well, here is the finished product…

This tutorial for this skirt can be found HERE.

Sewing a Skirt…

I have always wanted to sew but, sometimes I get a bit intimidated by the process of it all. When it  comes to knitting or crocheting, I feel like I am the one in control. But, when it comes to sewing the machine has a major part in the process.

I dabbled at sewing in the past. I made a wonky potholder, which I keep just because it was the first thing I sewed. I also made a mini quilt, which I adore. It is still displayed in my living room. I also hemmed a skirt and mended a few.

The ladies from the Untangling Knots group on Ravelry really inspired me with their handmade dresses and skirts.  Also, I adore Jennifer Lauren‘s handmade dresses and skirts.

So, now I actually want to make a wearable from scratch. I looked at YouTube videos, read books, and bought the very easy patterns but, it still seemed mind boggling to me. Then, I found this tutorial. And after looking over it, I figured I could give this a try.

So, tonight I plan on giving this a go. I looked through my fabric stash. Even though I don’t sew I had a few choices because I had “plans” to make a skirt for over a year now. I debated but, I settled on this fabric because it matched a lot of items in my wardrobe.

I will let you all know how it turns out…