Waiting for the Paint to Dry

Thought I'd post a few of the things I made late spring/early summer. I wear skirts and dresses often because I love them. I think I've loved them since I was a child.

Here's a suit I made in the spring which I didn't wear at the time because the knit fabric was too heavy for the warming weather. It was almost perfect for today when I had occasion to wear it to appear in traffic court to beg for mercy for my very first e.v.e.r. speeding ticket. The judge did give me mercy, but in this state, that entails an 8-hour driving school course. At least I'll still have a pristine record. My mail carrier was in traffic court as well - don't you just love small town life??? Julie is a great gal and we agreed to attend driving school together. She got a speeding ticket while delivering mail on her rural route. Talk about having a bad day at work!

The jacket is made in the same knit but - - - I forget which pattern. I'll have to look it up and edit this post later. It came out perfectly and I'm thrilled with it.



I drafted the skirt using the tutorial by Jennifer Sterns called How to Draft a One-Seam Skirt in 30 Minutes. I've made this in 3 renditions and love them all. I'd like to add a back kick slit to this pattern.

The two other renditions are below:

The faces skirt is a knit I found at Waechter's. It was too wacky to refuse. I added a band of doubled double-knit at the bottom to weigh down the very thin and light-weight faces knit, though I did not line it. I've worn it a few times and not one person has given me feedback yay or nay. Maybe you can see the purple lips if you double click to get a larger image.

The green stripe is linen. I think I bought that at Hancock's.




Next up are my two favorite skirts made with McCalls 7316, view C. I bought the fabric, same fabric in different colorways, at Kashi's Metro Textile during my trip to NYC last spring. It's a stretch canvas of some sort and is extremely comfy to wear. Yes, the fabric is a bit heavy, but with the a-line, it didn't matter because there was plenty of air circulation. Buttons bought at M&J Trims.




The next is a zebra strip poly I bought at our local quilt shop. I had promised to buy a bit of it if Jeanine bought a bolt and so I kept my promise (hoping she'll get in more fashion fabric). I had made this pattern previously: McCalls 5430, but instead of the bow tie at the waist, I used a button closure. I got the idea for that from a review I had read (lest anyone think I'm that smart). The fabric is light as air so I needed to weight the edge down and bound it with some stretch black poly knit. I stretched it a bit near the bottom and, as you can see, it twists a bit. It's not so bad when I'm wearing it as it has movement and isn't quite so noticeable. I don't like to wear my fall colors (browns, blacks) during the summer, so this didn't get any wear, but I will be wearing it in the upcoming weeks, I'm sure. Since we are past Labor Day, summer colors are waning and fall colors acceptable. And since our days are still warm, this skirt will work well.



Last photo of the day is me now, after that whirlwind raid of my closet to show you some things. The t-shirt is Pamela's Patterns and one of the first I made. It seems subsequent tops I've made with that pattern don't fit me as well. And I can't figure out why! I won't give up, however. This top is comfy!