Pretty in Paisley Skirt

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This skirt was a great afternoon sewing project.  My sweet husband kept the kids (mostly) out of my craft room to allow me some glorious (mostly) uninterrupted sewing time.  I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, especially since my skills are a bit rusty.  There are lots of little (and big) imperfections, but it's totally wearable and I think it's cute!

I used New Look Sewing Pattern 6354, view F, for my pattern.  I did make a few changes.  I added a lining, so I cut two of each of the skirt pieces.  I also didn't add any ribbon detail around the waist.  Another minor thing that I added was some top-stitching around the very top, it looks more finished and it helps keep the elastic in place. 

The pretty paisley fabric came from the Walmart clearance section.  As did the turquoise material used on the yoke.  (I can't remember where the tan fabric that I used for the lining came from; it was probably on clearance at either Walmart or Joann's.)

There are no visible raw edges on the skirt.  I dislike raw edges, because I think they make a garment look a little frumpy -- even when the wearer is the only one to see them.  (It's a personal thing, and believe me, I don't mind them on other people's stuff!)

Here's the inside of the skirt, where you can see the lining. (You can also see some of my very messy seams, oh well.)  The lining's right side is facing in (towards my legs), making the wrong sides of both fabrics face one another.

I hemmed the lining about an inch higher than the skirt.  For this hem I simply folded the material over, ironed it, then folded it once more to hide the raw edge, ironed again and finished it with a zigzag stitch.  The skirt hem I folded, ironed, zigzag stitched, then folded again and did a straight line top-stitch.  

I made a reversible skirt with this same pattern a couple of years ago. 

 

Rachel: The Philosopher's Wife

I will be sharing this at various parties around the web, including these!

The Reversible Bucket Hat

Do you ever have something that you've been meaning to share with someone, but for some reason just keep forgetting?  That's what happened with me and this cute Bucket Hat!

I made this hat at the beginning of summer (in early June, so I suppose it was spring technically).  Catherine needed a pool hat -- something that could get wet and still keep her head shaded.  She has *ahem* a large head and had outgrown the hat she wore last year.  These pictures were taken just this week (in early December), so this is how the hat looks after a summer of sun and chlorine.

The pattern is The Reversible Bucket Hat by Oliver + S.  (It's a free download!) I cut all of the pieces then constructed it per Jessica's instructions over at A Little Gray. Her method is pretty easy and eliminates the need for hand-sewing.  I will be the first to admit, I didn't do a perfect job: the seams don't line up perfectly and my top stitching is a bit wonky.  I still really like the finished product though!

This is a great project for those super cute fat quarters that you have laying around.  (Because we all have some of those, right?)  I also love that this hat will be something that I can make "boyish" for when My Little Man arrives.

This hat is fully reversible, and personally I like both the fabrics that I chose for Catherine's hat, however, she is quite adamant that the pink side is the "right" side and thought I was super silly for taking pictures of her with her hat "inside out"!

I love sharing my crafty projects around the blog world!  

Check out my Crafty Links page for some of the places I party as well as the following:
The More the Merrier Monday 

I was featured at Homework: Today's Assignment: Be Inspired 

Super Easy and Cute Fabric Headbands

I've been itching to make fabric headbands for a while.  I scoured the internet (O.K., mostly Pinterest) and found this pattern by Jessica.  I loved it at first sight! 

The pattern is super easy, even if you only have minimal sewing skills you should be able to do this project!  It also is a great use of all of those super cute "fat quarters" or other random scraps of pretty fabric lying around.  I used a variety of patterned fabrics and made each one reversible and unique.

As always, I did tweak the pattern a teeny bit.  The first headband (pictured below) that I made I thought was too wide for my head, so I played around with mild width adjustments for all of the subsequent headbands.  

I also followed the link Jessica provided to Mrs. Pea's blog for the child sized headbands.  (I hope I got the name right, my Google Translator only seemed to do a so-so job translating the German.)  I had a bit of trouble with the sizing of this pattern.  My daughter, Catherine, has always had a rather large head.  I added over an inch to the top part and had to add almost three inches of elastic to get this pattern to work for her.  I do like the width of the re-sized headband, but will be playing around to get the pattern just right.   

  

In closing, a Mother & Daughter shot, sporting matching headbands.  

PS: Can you help me reach my goal of reaching 5,000 Facebook fans this summer?  Thank you!!!

I love to share my projects around the blogosphere, but especially at these and these:

My Merry Messy Life, Fine Craft Guild, Project Stash Link Pary, Fine Craft Guild Linky Party, Keep Calm and Link Up