A leopard never changes it's skirts....but I do #junglejanuary
I really need to thank Annie at Pretty Grievances for running a second annual Jungle January, forcing me to finally to put down the paint brushes (I've been redecorating my Sewing Lair and the master bedroom for the last few weeks) and get back to sewing something other than curtains or poorly teddy bears.
I heartily recommend you heading over to Pretty Grievances and checking out the huge collection of wonderous animal print creations made throughout January by sewists all around the world.
Here are my two contributions. Both using fabric that's been sitting in my stash for over a year, so once again Jungle January....thank you.
If you've been following me for a few years now or know me well, you'll know I'm never good mentally in January, it's the shittiest month of the year for me.....so though I managed to make some stuff, I wasn't really in the mood to do any elaborate photoshoots.....so here's what I did manage. Forces face into a smile....
Actually smiling whilst wearing this new skirt isn't that difficult. It's so comfy and used to be a dress I bought from ebay years ago, but ruined when I was first learning to sew by trying to create a new unstabilised neckline. Since I ruined the dress, its been languishing in pile of fabric I couldn't bear to part with in the stash TARDIS.
But the best thing about this skirt now is ...... I PUT IN POCKETS! The dress didn't have pockets (another problem with it).
I love pockets. When I first started making clothes I didn't bother with them and I've noticed doing spring cleaning recently that if they don't have pockets, they don't get worn. So every thing I make from now on shall have them.
She shall have pocketses wherever she goes.
What does she have in her pocketses? Her iphone playing Kermode and Mayo Film Review podcasts to prime her on her Oscars nominated movies watchalong.
It was a pretty simple remake. I chopped off the bodice, unpicked the side seams, cut 4 pocket pieces from the bodice and sewed them into the side seams. Then sewed the whole thing onto a thick band of black elastic.
The second skirt was a little more work.
It was a single curtain panel I picked up at my local Goodwill a while back for $2.99 (£1.89). I made the skirt using Simplicity 2154 which I've used twice before but this time did something daring.....I didn't make any of my usual adjustments, I made it EXACTLY as the instructions instructed in a size 24. The past two versions I've made (this being my most worn since) I ended up making lots of adjustments to and still haven't been perfectly happy with the fits. So this time, I thought I'd try making it to one size.
Actually, saying I didn't make any adjustments isn't totally true. I added front patch pockets and pegged the bottom in an inch to make it more of a wiggle skirt.
I can't do anything totally by the rules.
