The Clouds are Lifting...

Well, not the real clouds, but the clouds in my head. Maybe it has to do with the return of the mojo or maybe I am just in a better place now. Maybe it's the Premarin kicking in, who knows? Whatever it is...I am grateful. As for the mojo, I finished the Erin Old Navy tulip skirt knock off in one night. That was a great project because I took a skirt she loved, but was too short...copied the design and made it longer. I apologize for not taking any pictures of the process, but I have been so in the zone, there's no time for a photo shoot. I will try to catch Erin wearing it someday and then snap a picture of her! I'm sure she'd love to be featured in my blog...NOT! The skirt was a simple faux wrap done in a cotton knit. I made my version with a nice black jersey that is dressy enough that she can style it up or down depending on where she's going. The rounded shape of the hem give the illusion of tulip petals in the front. The front and back are gently gathered. I drafted the pattern by laying the skirt out and tracing around the hem edge. I moved it up 7" and pulled the gathers flat the best I could to guesstimate the waist measure. I cut out my pattern pieces and went to the cutting table...wait a minute...this jersey is wide enough to cut the front and back out all together...who needs side seams??? So that's how I proceeded...one large U-shaped skirt piece. I basted a 5/8" hem and then ran it through the coverstitch...worked like a dream. I overlapped the front pieces and gently gathered the front and back, leaving the hip area flat. The waist band on the Old Navy skirt was just a four inch strip of fabric folded over with this funky elastic sewn in that didn't even fit the casing size...WTH??? I measured and cut my waistband, experimenting with different ways to stabilize it. In the end I went with the fold over method, but opted to omit the funky elastic and used Lastin clear elastic in the waist seam to give it some stability plus stretch. It was one of those dream projects that did not require ripping out. I loved it! The next night I whipped a skirt out for me from a knit I picked up at the Mill End during PR Weekend using New Look 6901 The skirt whipped up super fast...about an hour, which was perfect for an evening alone after work. Then last night I attempted the T-shirt with the cowl draped neckline...total wadder! I think it was a combination of my fabric choice...a thin tissue knit with not enough body to support the style...and cutting too large of size. I went with the size according to the pattern back and it was GI-normous!!! Then when I tried to cut it down the serger decided it was hungry and tried to eat it...was not a pretty site! So I gave up for the evening and revisited the studio this morning. This time I pulled out a similar style that I had great success with and compared. I chose a knit with a little more body and cut the smaller size...Half hour I had a winner to go with the skirt. I still had a little time to kill so I started on the retro hooded caftan/bathrobe...project going well...I may make it an late-nighter to finish it. Pictures and reviews to follow...I promise!