Meghan Peasant Dress

Just in case you were wondering I still sew things on occasion.  It seems like forever and a day since I've had any sort of completed project or work in progress to show you because the last few weeks were....well....shall we say kind of chaotic and there wasn't much time for FUN!  But I managed to make this Meghan Peasant Dress (PDF Pattern) by Sis Boom in ONE AFTERNOON a few weekends ago and now I'm finally getting around to showing it off using a fabulous iPhone self portrait......

This was my first time making a Sis Boom pattern and I've got to say I'm in love.  The directions are well written, there are tons of diagrams, there are tons of sleeve length and skirt length variations and there are no zippers or buttons in this dress.  And you know how I tremble in fear when a pattern calls for zippers or buttons! 

But don't freak out like I did the first time you see that a Sis Boom PDF pattern has about 200 pages!  You only need to print off about 20 pages to get the right pieces for your size and sleeve length. 

And don't you just love the fabric I used for my dress?!  It's Seaside Madras Patch from the Shore Thing Collection by Michael Miller.  I feel like it's very preppy and nautical and studious all at the same time which is why I've been calling this my "back to school dress."  Because even grown ups who aren't in school should still get new back to school clothes, right?!  But wait.....I'm taking an intensive Illustrator class so I kind of am in school, aren't I?  And speaking of Illustrator.....we got into a huge fight yesterday so I'm kind of scared to take my next class today.  Fingers crossed that Illustrator and I will be on speaking terms again today and that our love affair can continue!  Wish me luck!

Hugs,
Jenny

Athena Skirt - Take Two

Here is my second attempt at making an Athena Skirt. On the evening of July 3 I decided that I needed a new red, white and blue skirt to wear on the 4th of July and this is what I came up with. I used fabrics from the Flights Of Fancy Collection by Paula Prass for Michael Miller.

Again, I left off the 4th tier and I left off the ruffles in between the tiers. And this time I took about 4" off the width of Tier 1 (that's the tier with the birds and circles on the white background). I'm really happy with a less voluminous Tier 1.......which means there's less volume right over my hips and thighs! And here is my fabulous self-portrait.....
I have ideas for about five more Athena Skirts! I could just live in these skirts all summer - they're quick, easy, cute and comfortable. Oh.....I just realized that if I make five more skirts I'll have a total of seven.....one for each day of the week! Yay!

Happy Sewing,
Jenny

Pattern Review - Athena Skirt

Well, I finally got around to making the Athena Skirt after months of thinking about it. It's a pull on skirt with an elastic waist. I used fabrics from the Eden and Soiree Collections by Lila Tueller. Overall, I am really happy with this skirt and I definitely recommend this pattern.
The skirt was very easy to make and I barely looked at the directions. I followed the cutting measurements and just went from there. The skirt pattern calls for a yoke and 4 tiers (the longest section is actually tier 1, not the yoke). I ended up leaving the 4th tier off. I'm short (5' 2") and I realized that I had more than enough fabric on my body after I added the 3rd tier. I also decided not to add the ruffle trim in between each tier. I think with all the different prints that there's enough to look at and the extra ruffles aren't necessary.

Oh, and I wish I wouldn't have picked such similar fabrics for the yoke and tier one. Next time, I'm going to make sure there's more contrast between those two layers.

I will definitely make this skirt again....but next time I might take a couple inches off of the width of each tier and see how it looks with a little less fullness. I won't take any inches off of the yoke though.....I wouldn't be able to get the skirt on if I did that!

Here's one of those fabulous self-portraits in the full length mirror.....
I'm gonna go roll up my skirt and stick it in my luggage now. Oh, did I mention that we're going to the Bahamas on Friday? And my new skirt is just crying out to me that it wants to have Pina Coladas on the beach. And I won't let her down!

Happy Sewing,
Jenny