Bad Blogger

Every time I sign-in to update my blog, I'm surprised by how long it has been since my last post. It never feels like it has been so long, but the dates don't lie. Why is it that the weeks and months are passing by so fast? Maybe it's because there are too many things happening at once. The arrival of spring only makes it worse. Now I'm trying to balance my time between planting and yardwork, all of the sewing/stitching/knitting/etc. that I want to do, plus all of the regular stuff around the house. And now, on top of all of that, I'm trying to ready my condo for sale, while living nearly 100 miles away. I guess it's no wonder that the days are going by in a blur, while I'm not spending much time online.

At any rate, I have been sewing. I finished two tops yesterday. I don't have photos of either one yet, so those will come in a later post. I've also finished this skirt. Sorry there's no pic of me wearing this one. Believe it or not, I didn't have a single top to go with it. Well, none that fit, anyway. I fixed that with a quick shopping trip yesterday, but no updated photos... yet.

The pattern is B4461, a simple a-line skirt with facings and back zipper. The pattern shows six variations-- all the same skirt, but with different trim options. I decided against any trim or embellishment since the fabric is so busy. I tend not to add trim to most things. I see lots of other sewists who have a real flair for choosing embellishments, but I don't trust my own judgement enough to do it myself. I'm always afraid that I'll end up with something that looks like "Crafters Gone Wild" rather than a stylish garment. That is probably due to the memory of some of the clothes that my mother sewed for me as a child. Her sewing skills were wonderful, but too often, the results were just too different from the clothes other children were wearing... and I just wanted to fit in.

At any rate, I love the results I got from this pattern. I wanted something very simple, so that I could really show off the fabric, and this pattern was exactly the right thing. (I really need to take another photo-- the fabric is a much brighter blue than shown here. It really "pops" in real life.) As an added bonus, it is really fast to make, since it is so ridiculously simple. The only issue I had was the length. As drafted, the hem was going to hit right at the middle of my knee, which is not what I wanted. I opted to go just a bit longer by adding wide hem lace to the bottom edge. The resulting hem ended up exactly where I wanted it. :)

The full review is here.