This skirt must be shy because I had a heck of a time trying to photograph it!

I think it has to do with the color or perhaps the fabric (err, or both).  Overall I’m happy with the quality of the construction but the camera picked up wobbliness in the fabric that I cannot see with my own eyes.  Is my stitching too tight or is that just the way the camera captured the light reflecting on the fabric?  Eep, oh well.

I’ve made this skirt a couple of times before, you can see my first version here.  It’s a great vintage pattern, Simplicity 8418, c. 1969:

This pattern works really well in lightweight denim.  I made another denim skirt after the first one that is a bit longer and with rounded pockets (and navy sailor buttons) that I wear ALL the time.  I don’t have many work-appropriate skirts (2 to be exact) and thought I should make one myself as the ones I’ve been seeing in the stores lately are boring ol’ pencil skirts that are overpriced and do nothing for me anyway.  (I need the slight flare of the a-line skirt to give me shape.)  I wanted something bright and happy!

Like the others I’ve made from this pattern I omitted the waistband.  And in this version I took out some of the flare (just a little).  Also, I lined it as this fabric is a little sheer and perhaps the tiniest bit scratchy (since it’s wool).  The spring-summery colors inspired me to draft some tulip-like pockets:

This photo has been lightened so you can see the details better.

I actually have another skirt cut out, ha!  It’s Kelly green corduroy with baby blue and white gingham-lined pockets.  (Notice a theme here?)  Perhaps I’ll get to it this weekend.

Speaking of this weekend, all of L.A. (OK, the media that I know of) is talking about Carmageddon; this is where part of the 405 freeway is shutting down tonight through Monday.  Shut down a freeway in Los Angeles and it’s the end of the world.  Good thing I don’t drive much.  I’ll be sewing or drawing (and very likely, cleaning!) anyway.  Do you have any fun plans?

You may remember this dress from a post earlier last year.  I loved how it turned out but found it too skimpy for me to wear outside of the house.  Problem was, I didn’t have any more vintage hankies in the same colorway to add to it; I really think the key to this dress not looking too patchwork-y or hippie-ish is limiting the hankies to a common color palette and design theme (florals with a lot of white space).  When I finally found a few more hankies that fit the bill I removed the 3-hankie skirt.  I added a 4th hankie to make the skirt fuller then added a smaller tier of 3 hankies (which were cut down to 4″ tall) on top.  Now it’s much, much better in my opinion!  To complete the look I tied an olive green silk satin ribbon around my waist to give it shape; the un-belted view sort of has a ’20s vibe to it which is nice too.  (By the way, I’m wearing a vintage white slip underneath since it’s still quite sheer.)  I think this crocheted cardigan would look nice on top for when it gets a bit chilly in the evenings.

Hi dearies!  I hope you all had a wonderful week.  The Thanksgiving holiday was very mellow and I enjoyed working on little projects here and there and eating an ample amount of leftovers.  With my nose in a book or armed with a needle and thread (repairing an old ’30s dress, for example) I nearly forgot to mention I had added some cheery recipe cards to my Etsy shop…so here they are!

Oh, and they’re printed on recycled paper with soy inks.

Which reminds me, if you’d like to print your own recipe cards (plus bakery tags, background papers and more) there’s my Blackbirds kit in the shop:

Two very talented ladies (“very talented” doesn’t even begin to describe them, actually) are coming out with new craft books this year.  I’m very crafty myself (um, yea?) but I don’t own very many craft books.  Nowadays I tend to only get the ones I really, truly want; too many craft books in my collection have ended up on the local library steps (figuratively speaking) and that can get expensive (although I’m always happy to donate useful things).

And the books I’m referring to are about two of my favorite things: embroidery and paper dolls!  Both so dear to my heart, perhaps because they remind me so much of my childhood art-making.

My friend Alicia’s “Embroidery Companion” is such a beautiful book, due out August 10th.  I mean, look at the cover!  Sheesh, I love that skirt.  I want that skirt.  We need to embroider more, don’t you think?

Emily Winfield Martin (I just had to mention her middle name, as it is the best ever), also has a book coming out on November 2nd called “The Black Apple’s Paper Doll Primer.”  This book looks like so much fun for both little and big kids (I.e. moi).   I bet you could get lost in it (which is fine by me, especially if that sweet little white bunny led the way).

Both books are available for pre-order if you want to make sure you get a copy.  And don’t forget to click the above links to find out more info and see some sample projects!