Skirt Audit

I took all the skirts out of my wardrobe, threw them into this basket.

And, one by one, took them out to look at them; to "do an audit".
I was surprised that I only have 1 skirt for day-to-day wear. All my other skirts are dressy or evening or dress-up.

• There are 8 skirts
• The majority of the skirts are A-Line. Which must be a style that suits me! See the benefits of doing a wardrobe audit? 
• I think that the reason I don't have many wearable daytime skirts is that they have to match tops. It can be hard to find good tops to go with skirts but also I don't like the draught that you can have at the base of your back where the top meets the skirt. With trousers I tend to wear tunic tops, or high-waisted trousers. Learning and discovering with this audit!

Skirt appropriate for work-wear

Skirt made from tweedy fabric (20% wool, 75% polyester, 5% viscose) with 'over-layer' (100% polyester).

The Crow Skirt

Bought cheaply in Monsoon as a dress, I cut off the strapless bodice and added a large waistband. It's fun as a jokey outfit. I wore it once to a garden party... but it is black! Not the most appropriate for garden parties or weddings.

Choir Skirt

This is a skirt I wear to choral performances when i'm singing. It's cotton so doesn't get too hot in a crowd and has an elastic high waistband which hugs and supports the diaphragm.

It is much admired by fellow choristers because it has ruffles/gathers but was bought as a bargain at the January sales.

Evening Skirts

"Graduation" Skirt

I wore this skirt for my graduation from university but have not found an appropriate occassion since!

Petticoat

When I was a grunger teenager, I thought it was cool to have a lacy bottom to my long skirts. Although I eventually found a lacy-bottomed petticoat and bought it, I can't remember ever wearing it.

Velvet faux-wrap

The label says "Una" but I can't find any websites for designers or skirt-makers called Una because the Marks and Spencers brand Per Una gets in the way.

There was a panel running down the side 'flap' of this velvet skirt but I found it impossible to match and have ripped it off. I think i'm going to rip the flap off entirely, and the netting at the bottom and have it as a simple A-line, 2 panel skirt.

Skirts are usually what beginners are recommended to start with in sewing classes. I made two skirts and have plans to make a few more before progressing on to more complex garments. This audit has helped me understand my relationship with skirts.

Figure 8 scarf #2

After my not-so-satisfactory first attempt... I decided to buy a silkier lining fabric for my second Anna Maria Horner Figure 8 Scarf.

The silkier fabric works really well.

Typewriter messenger bag

Another project inspired by The Village Haberdashery's blog. Quite clever really, making interesting suggestions of bags and clothes to be made from their fabrics! Very tempting.
The fabric is from Melody Miller's Ruby Star Shining collection: Typewriters Blue.

I was so pleased that cutting the fabric of the front flap to centre on a typewriter worked out! Worth the extra head-scratching! I made the bag according to a free tutorial on mmmcrafts.
Originally, I had ordered a Kona Cotton Solid in Amber which would have matched the centre stripe on the typewriter but I was happy to have changed my mind to the Coral colour. Here's the inside pocket (yep, I lined up a typewriter again!):

I loved working with the Melody Miller fabric. It felt lovely. Kind of a canvas-feel to it.

Itty Bitty Dress for Rose

I got the inspiration for this project from a blogpost by The Village Haberdashery and bought the fabrics there too. My first little niece is just 2 months old.

The pattern can be found on Made by Rae. She calls it The Itty Bitty Dress.
The fabric is by Cloud9:

• Maman – Chinoiserie
• Nursery Basics – Gingham Shell

It was my first time making piping. It should have been 5mm but I think I only bought 2.5mm (in Hickey's Home Focus in Carrickmines which have quite an impressive stock of crafts products and some dressmaking and quilting fabrics). The bias binding and the fabric for the piping should have been cut on the bias but I couldn't bring myself to slice a diagonal through the fabric and so I cut it on the straight.

I'm worried it won't fit her!

Figure 8 Scarf

The fabric and pattern for this project are both by Anna Maria Horner.

The fabrics are:

• Loulouthi Velveteens - Zagzig Garnet
• Voile Solid Pumpkin

I purchased them as "scarf cut" from The Village Haberdashery.

I am a very harsh critic... of myself more than anybody. And there are a few comments I'd make:

• is the voile silky enough?
• is the velveteen too hard or will it soften with use?
• the length I started with was 185cm (72") long and for me, who likes my scarves wrapped close around my neck, this leaves a long bottom end to the figure 8!

I'm not sure how to proceed because I have another scarf like this to make in different fabrics.

Should I 

• get silkier lining?
• cut the fabric shorter?
• not make a "figure 8" scarf but leave it as a normal scarf?

Sigh... I just don't know.

...I should add, though,... that it has been much admired!

Simple Drawstring Bag

I thought I could teach myself sewing.
Drawstring bags... I thought I could do one of them very easily.
But all my attempts were failing. Something so simple was defeating me. There was one little key that I was missing.
This winter, living with my parents in the countryside with not much to do, I went to an adult education evening class in a nearby secondary school called "make your own clothes" and I picked up some basics. And the confidence to try a drawstring bag again.
Here's the key... a nip with the scissors where the cord-casing folds down.
The tutorial I used is on winkdesigns.typepad.com.

The fabric is 100% white cotton and 100% White Cotton Gütermann thread.
You may be able to see faint little butterflies on the white fabric? They are Sukie Iron-on transfers.

This particular drawstring bag is going to be used as a travelling laundry bag! Because I'm commuting from the countryside to work and I stay overnight in Dublin one or two nights a week.

The Village Haberdashery

A bundle of fabric I'd ordered from The Village Haberdashery over the weekend arrived yesterday morning.

I have plans for 6 projects!
The exciting typewriter print is by Melody Miller.
The four interchangeable fabrics on the right are pre-cut scarf lenghts. The patterns are velveteen and designed by Anna Maria Horner.
The pinks and gentle pattern on top right is by Cloud9.

In greater detail, here is the information:

1. Loulouthi Velveteens Scarf Cut - Clippings Amethyst 2. Voile Solids Scarf Cut - Plum 3. Loulouthi Velveteens Scarf Cut - Zagzig Garnet 4. Voile Solids Scarf Cut - Pumpkin 5. Nursery Basics - Speckle Shell 6. Maman - Chinoiserie 7. Nursery Basics - Gingham Shell 8. Ruby Star Shining - Typewriters Blue 9. Kona Cotton Solids - Amber

Thank you to Annie at  The Village Haberdashery  for her help and kindness. They say old style customer service can't be found in shops today like it used to be, well that is not true about this online shopkeeper!