5.30.2011

sew weekly sunday: move a rubber tree plant


someone went blind making this.  but look how preeeetteeeeeeee!  the pink and red lines are strands of thick yarn stitched down with metallic thread, the coarsely woven fabric is hand stamped in blue, the base is embroidered and there are several yards of handstitched lace and ric rac, just for kicks.

no, i did not make this. sis-in-law wore it to le park today, which was fortuitous as this week's sew weekly challenge was all about embellishments taking center stage.  she bought it years ago in the village, and now that i understand what went into making it... DUDE.

i wore my completed project.  i have promised not to compare it to the above fabulousness, but let's just say there is not quite as much embellishment.  big ups to the maker of this skirt.  sis-in-law has sworn never to give it away (except to me, of course).


i had high hopes for this challenge.  braided yellow gold trim, twine, and silk.  yeah, silk.  ten bucks a yard.  since i rarely do a muslin, i try to cut wide seam allowances, baste, adjust, all that jazz... but somehow the perfectly adjusted pattern was two inches too slim after i put the tiny for reals stitches in.

it's currently in the ICU.   i'm trying to save it with an exposed zipper.  but it could go at any moment. 

grabbed the man-made you see pictured above next.  this poly-osity has a border print, which i cut away and used for the waistband & bottom panel of a tiered gathered maxi skirt.  should this have been easier than making a silk pinafore?  yes, one would think.  one.  would.  THINK.


it had a nifty fringed selvedge that in my mind was its own embellishment.  lucky that, because after six hours of sewing this shiny shit from east hell, i abandoned my idea of rickracking each of the four tiers. instead i threw some piping in at the waistband and called it done.

SLACKER.

you can't even see the red piping for the flowers, but i'm seriously pleased with it.  it feels like summer in a skirt. i'm pretty sure you can click on the pic to enlarge, should you so desire a closer look.  but, you know, just imagine a five foot chick covered in flowers from le waist down.  the sales ladies at sephora loved it (did you know they call each other cast members now?  what the fa is up with that?).  

did i say sephora?  that must mean i'm buying TRAVEL SIZE!!!  we're flying to the mountain top next week, hence the recent oona-free zone, but soon!  more posts!  more sewing!  more wise ass comments on your blogs as i slurp a cliffhanger and catch up on y'all!  and... a very cool announcement! 




fabric: something flammable. ($5 yd)
pattern: simplicity 4420 from miss magpie shinies. thank you kimberlee!
year: i love the 80s. and so do the cast members at sephora.
notions: invisible zip ($1), piping ($1 yd)
time to complete: six hours
first worn: today
wear again: yeah yeah yeah summer skirt!
total cost: $12.  i gotta get me back to that five dollar sweet spot.

21 comments:

  1. Very very pretty, love it.

    I am off to burdastyle to see what it looks like when you are standing up...

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  2. Well, for a slacker project it certainly turned out beautiful. :-)

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  3. Its gorgeous! *sigh* really envying your skirted, perched-on-a-blanket-in-the-park self. Its so coooold here right now.
    That's hilarious about the sephora 'cast members'... i know at the disney store they used to refer to the shopfloor as being 'onstage' and the storerooms as 'back-of-house'. pfffffffft. shakespeare said all the world's a stage, but...
    Have missed my daily oonas, and am looking forward to your coola nnouncement.... mysterious!

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  4. Good thing you brought the shades!

    "cast members" ? someone at Sephora corporate is playing the role of Supreme Doofus.

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  5. FABULOUS! Have fun on your trip! And can't wait to hear the surprise!

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  6. saro: eek! good call normally, but you won't find them there yet. i'll snap a standing shot on vacay :)

    hana: thank you! i'm pretty enamored of it.

    emilykate: oh, disney... they sincerely drink the koolaid. i fell off the post wagon-- i haven't even had time to check if you've posted!

    big in japan: the shades are useless. they bow out at the middle. but they sure are pretty.

    debi: i'll drink something for you!

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  7. Fabric like that is totally its own embellishment. I so hope your CPR on the silk works, though, that'd be a tragic loss.

    Way to get me all worked up about your announcement, too...

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  8. yeeey to the mountain tops and adorable bright colored skirts
    ..
    just stay away from the open fire :)

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  9. I love the colors on this! It is tres fabulous. The length is spectacular, and those cast members at Sephora have good taste (but yeah, cast members? Are we putting on a production now???).

    I envy you sitting outside on a picnic blanket because Chicago is totally sucking my life force right now. Soak up the sunshine for me!

    Word verification: sprobbi. A sprocket bobbin used in Jane Jetson's sewing machine. Dig it.

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  10. love the skirt. want one now.

    excited about announcement!

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  11. Damn that's cute! I love that skirt, it's like you're lost in a field of flowers, but only below the waist! Le quiero!

    Maybe they call each other cast members because they are all on some insane show only they know about? In their minds? I don't know, really, I love Sephora but their employees give me the creeps. Too much eyeshadow, even the men....

    Have fun in the mountains!

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  12. That is freakin' adorable. So summery! ^_^

    http://megsraggededge.blogspot.com

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  13. I do love me a wild and crazy skirt. ;)

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  14. As usual, I like it despite what you say! I am lacking in summer skirts for sure.

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  15. I would never have thought to put those 2 patterns together, but they totally work! Aah, you and your genius eye...

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  16. I want the cool announcement, please!!!!!

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  17. @ EVERYONE: thanks y'all! and, ermm, haah, i hope this announcement is as cool to you as it is to me!!

    mokosha: ruggy hates when i wear poly, specially on a plane, i mean, like we'd have a chance in hell should the thing go down in flames...

    meg g: NICE word verification.

    leah: they DO.

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  18. But you look damn stylish even in poly! And I went shopping had a handful of love in my hands, nothing matching and I thought Oona would not let this stop her…the load went home with me, thank you very much.

    At Target you are a "guest"…

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  19. parental units need a pre-announcement whisper!

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  20. cathe: FABULOUS!!!! i am an enabler!!!

    e: oh, no worries. not that kind of announcement.

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  21. You know, I almost just bought that very skirt, the first one, a while ago. It was in a shop window and I FELL IN LOVE.
    Turns out it's made in Laos, by the Hmong people up in the mountains (around Luand Prabang, for example), if I don't remember incorrectly.
    I still regret not buying one. It was a kids version, and it would have looked LOVELY on my niece 1, and then on my niece 2.
    Your skirt is also VERY pretty, I do hope you could rescue it!

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i thankya truly for taking the time to comment, i love a good conversation-- and hope you know my thanks are always implied, if not always written!