Miaou

I love clothkits, they are so cool! Both the original stuff and the new relaunched version. I was commissioned to make up a kit for a friend who couldn’t sew herself but was desperate to have a clothkit skirt.

(I wish I had thought to iron it first before I photographed it!)

This is the Big Birdie skirt, in fabulous purple corduroy. It was great fun to sew up.

I even managed the zip ok, despite not having a zipper foot (it seems impossible to find the right one for my machine, I have bought a few “wrong” ones now!). I like the attention to detail on the back of the skirt too, not just the front.

And there was a very funky lining for the inside!

I had quite a few bits of material left over, so I couldn’t resist making this little pouch out of them:

And I LOLed a lot at the spelling mistake and felt I had to immortalise it on the back:

(please excuse the wonky sewing on the back, it was v. late when I finished it!

Anyway, the skirt has been sent and the recipient is delighted, so I am a happy person! (Am secretly hoping that I get to make another one soon!)

Way back in the mists of time (December actually), I won a prize from Mee Crafty , but until now I haven’t got around to posting a picture! Sorry about that. So here it is:

The little box is made of padded fabric and the pattern is just delightful! I love the rose brooch too - I am knitting a grey cardigan at the moment and I think it will be just the thing to jolly it up. Although you can’t tell from the picture, the threads are all glossy - gorgeous! I am keeping them in a safe place until I can think of something special to use them for! Thank you very much Chloe, it is a lovely prize.

OK - now for the tute. When Caitlin wanted to dress up as a Victorian Match Girl for Halloween last year, I bought this brown corduroy skirt from a charity shop for £3. We sewed patches all over it and she was very pleased with the result. I was rather pleased with the skirt and thought I might wear it after she had finished with it! However, being somewhat, erm, vertically challenged, I looked like I was dressing up in my mother’s clothes. It almost reached the floor! A perfectly good look for my daughter, not so good on me.

So I decided to shorten it. However, what to do with all the leftover material? I decided to make a feature of it and turn it into a flounce. If you want to have a go too, just follow these instructions!

Step 1: Find your skirt

Step One: Find your skirt! This one is very long and cut on the bias. This would work equally well with a shorter skirt, but the fuller it is the fuller your flounce will be.

Step 2: Cut off the excess

Step Two: Cut 24cm evenly off the bottom and cut it into two. Make the upper piece slightly wider than the lower one to allow for adding a hem. The pieces above are 13cm and 11cm wide. Cut each piece at the side to make two long lengths.

Step 3: Oversew the edges

Step Three: Using a zigzag stitch on your machine, oversew all the raw edges (top edge on the lower strip, top and bottom edges on the upper strip).

Step 4: Turn the hem

Step Four: Fold up and press a hem on the upper piece cut from the skirt. Sew neatly using a medium length straight stitch. Sew both strips together at each end to create one large loop.

Step 5: The gathering stitch

Step Five: Using a contrasting thread, sew a running stitch through the top of the fabric as close to the edge as you can.

Step 6: Pin evenly

Step Six: By folding the skirt, find and pin the centre of each panel; pin each side then place pins in the centre of each section (eight pins altogether).

Step 7: Pin the flounce

Step Seven: Pin the length of fabric in the same way. Then line up each pin and, with right sides facing, pin both fabrics together.

Step 8: Pull up the gathers!

Step Eight: Draw up the contrasting threads, carefully arranging the gathers evenly along each section. Pin at small intervals.

Step 9: Sew to skirt

Step Nine: Using a medium length stitch and a heavy duty needle, carefully sew just below the contrast gathering stitch, rearranging the gathers as necessary.

Step 10: Finished!

A close-up of the flounce

Step Ten: Remove the contrast stitching, press if you need to, then wear with pride and wait for the compliments!

Sadly I have no-one here to take a pic of me in the skirt, but I must say that the flounce works really well, and swings beautifully as I walk!

I love this skirt. Nick handed me four shirts that he didn’t wear any more and I just couldn’t bear to part with them. The fabric was good quality and I loved the colours. So, I made a skirt! It’s really simple, just a load of triangle shapes, cut as long as the shirt would allow, with a contrast border. I took care to oversew all the seams at the back and it’s lasted really well (I made it about three years ago now).

The bottom of the skirt is full, so when I walk you get a real flash of red swirling round! I wear it with shoes in summer and boots in winter. A simple elasticated waist means it’s so easy to wear too!

Here is the wrap cardigan I knitted from that lovely mohair wool for Eilish - she is so pleased with it (and didn’t want to take it off after I took the photo!). Apologies for the quality, I forgot to use the flash, she doesn’t really have big bags under her eyes, poor soul

It was supposed to be finished off with a cream ribbon tie, but as there is one on the dress she is wearing it with, I felt that would be a bit OTT, so we have just stuck with poppers to fasten it. It is soooo soft, I want one!

And here is my skirt in progress -

I just love that fabric! Artfully placed in the picture is my little sewing holdall (and as you can see from the way it bulges, is really is “holding all” at the moment!), made for me by Leah at Sew to Bed - see I do use it! I love the vintage fabric, and in fact it compliments my skirt fabric rather well I think! I was zooming along, got three panels sewn tonight! I might have managed more but then my brother called me (see Henry, this is what I was up to when you rang!!)

In the corner of the picture you can see my elderly, clunky sewing machine. I think Nick is taking pity on me - when I came back through from the kitchen he informed me he is watching several new ones on ebay! What a star.

Aren’t grobags expensive? I looked at replacement ones for Euan and decided I could make one myself for far less money. Nearly finished it but had the “bright” idea of decorating with French knots. I was about half way through the first side when I realised that I would have to make about 200 of them …! I should think before I start these things!

Bit blurry, but you get the idea!

Next on the list of things to do is to make me an outfit for my brother’s wedding. A friend gave me some lovely pale green wild silk, which I am going to turn into a jacket and skirt. I chose these designs because I felt I could wear each item separately afterwards. It’ll be my first time sewing with a proper pattern for about twenty years and I’m a bit nervous about it! I tend to just hack and guess usually!

(I am making the three button jacket but without the pockets, and the purpley coloured skirt - which, incidentally, will be about mid-calf length on me as I’m only small!)

And finally, another project for my brother’s wedding: Eilish is having a dress made for her by my mum (a much better dressmaker than me!), and I decided to knit her a co-ordinating wrap cardi in cream mohair so she won’t be cold:

As you can see, I haven’t got very far! I have two months to complete these projects. Plus I am taking part in a Doll Swap  over on Mee Crafty (there is still time to sign up - doesn’t close until this Saturday!!!) Helllllp. I need at least an extra week!