Welcome, friends, to the Cirlce Skirt Sew-Along Party! I am so excited by the turn-out and the array of beautiful skirts is truly stunning (there are over twenty-five beautiful skirts in the party!). This post ended up being quite a big one, so be sure to settle in with a cup of tea (or beverage of choice) and spend some time looking through all these delightful creations. I know I’ve picked up so many ideas just looking at these and reading the descriptions sent along with the photos!
I also want to say that putting together this sew-along party was extremely humbling in a way. To have so many other sewers join in a group project like this is more than a little awe-inspiring. Thank you for continually coming back to read my ramblings and join in my little projects such as this one. I love the sense of community blogging brings and am so excited we can be scattered all over the globe, yet be brought together in one spot learning and sharing ideas. I can’t wait to host another sew-along (probably after the new year)!
So without further ado, I present to you the Circle Skirt Sew-Along Party:
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October 10, 2011 ·
42 lovely thoughts
posted in inspiration
· tags: circle skirt sew along
I am so excited to show off all the lovely skirts that y’all made for the sew-along, but I figured I should do a quick post with pictures of the ones I made too! hehe. (The group post will be up shortly!) I’m fairly pleased with how both came out; although as usual, I’d do a few things differently next time (namely add pockets to one or the other!). But I think both will get a lot of rotation in my closet and be worn a lot!
More photos here.
The first is, of course, The Bee Skirt. Inspired by a vintage skirt I saw on Etsy (but the waist size was of course an issue!), I just fell in love with the fanciful bees dancing across the skirt, and decided to recreate my own version. It took me a couple weeks of embroidery (spread out over evenings and weekends) to finish all these bees, and then another couple days to add sequins and beads. But all the work was well worth it! To protect the back of the embroidery I added a layer of tulle to underline the skirt. (Worked perfectly because it’s lightweight and moves with the blue cotton broadcloth.) The hem I decided to scallop and am not entirely pleased with that choice—mostly because it proved to be quite fiddly and add weight to the skirt with a facing. If I had to do it again, I’d just keep it a plain hem. But it’s still a really cute, novelty-style skirt!
More photos here.
The other circle skirt I made was what I like to call my Winter Nights Skirt. The fabric is a curious sort—similar in weight to taffeta and has a woven, slightly plush pattern. Surprisingly it was in the outerwear section of the fabric store, but reminded me of the fabric used in a 1950s vintage circle skirt I have (but can only wear once-in-a-blue moon as it has a tiny waist!). This was a far more simple skirt than the previous one, as I wanted to let the fabric speak for itself (though yes, I was tempted to add beads scattered across the skirt—I may eventually!). I used horsehair braid around the hem and really love how it added body and bounce, without having to wear a petticoat. This is probably one that will get a lot of wear this winter, since it looks just as at-home with my striped tshirts as cashmere sweaters!
Now that I’ve got a total of five circle skirts in my wardrobe (two vintage and three made by me), I think it’s time to take a break from circle skirts for a bit! hehe. A girl can only have so many before it becomes too many. Though putting together the CSSA Party post sure is tempting me to change my mind…
October 10, 2011 ·
85 lovely thoughts
posted in sewing
· tags: 2011 sewing, circle skirt sew along, sewing
weekly visual moodboard be sure to click on the image to view image sources.
Hello, friends! How is your weekend? Firstly, I need to make a quick announcement about the Circle Skirt Party. Because my brain has been preoccupied with other things of late (this week SH and I are both struggling with colds, and the car decided to break down and now has a costly repair… ugh!), I stated the wrong date for the Circle Skirt Party. It’s really the 10th (this Monday), not the 17th (next Monday) as I previously stated. My apologies for the confusion; and this will teach me not to try and deal with calendars when I have a cold! lol. I also wanted to let you know that I’ve bumped the deadline up to 3pm today (my weekend plans fell through, so surprise extra time to work on the blog post!).
In far happier news, I have been busy editing a bunch of photos I’ve taken this weekend of finished sewing projects that piled up! How this has happened, I’m not sure… lol. But between the two circle skirts I made for the sew-along and then another project that I’ve been tinkering with for weeks, SH has been busy snapping photos for me. He’s such a trooper with all my outfit and project photos! (Especially since he now has the cold I have… Don’t worry, I haven’t been pushing him too hard about the photos! lol.) Can’t wait to show you both the circle skirts tomorrow–the bee one is really my favorite!
- Twila Jean shares her fantastic victory roll video tutorial with tips and tricks on how she achieves the look.
- Want to make a coat this season? Tasia shares some great pointers on finding the perfect easy-to-sew coat fabric.
- This gorgeous, gray 1955 Dior suit on the FIDM blog made my heart skip a beat!
- Via the Craft blog, how to make simple fabric repeats.
- I found this on Pinterest: a list of homemade versions of pantry staples.
Have a lovely Sunday!
October 9, 2011 ·
14 lovely thoughts
posted in links
· tags: weekly inspiration
I fully intended to finally put the ideas of making your own petticoat that had been floating through my head into an actual tutorial for the sew-along. But the general busyness that seems to have taken over my life the past two months pretty much pushed a lot of my sewing to the wayside. So for now, my sincere apologies that this tutorial never reached fruition (though eventually I’d like it to—I’ve filed away all my notes for later!), and I decided to round up a number of links from around the web on making your own net petticoat.
Petticoats are one of the quintessential components of 1950s dressing; and if you want to add a bit of authentic “pouf” to your circle skirt, are a much. (You don’t have to wear a petticoat with a circle skirt though—I wear mine without all the time to no ill effect!) You can generally find them online (Ebay is a great place as well as the many vintage reproduction stores online) and in costume shops. But if you have a specific hue, length or size in mind, then making your own is probably the way to go. Let me just say here as someone who attempted to make a petticoat years and years ago: you can not be afraid of dealing with miles of netting. These garments use a lot.
This tutorial at Sugardale is probably my favorite out of the bunch, and approaches petticoat-making in a similar way I would.
BurdaStyle has a pattern you can download for a net petticoat. I haven’t downloaded and looked at it, but it looks nice from the picture and several members have made it.
Someone sent me this link ages ago, but it has a few loose details from the 50s on making a petticoat and how to achieve a very full, fluffy effect.
If you have access to it, the June/July issue of Vogue Sewing Magazine had a how-to on creating a net crinoline petticoat. I bought the issue and was impressed with the article (though like Gertie, I thought the resulting petticoat was a bit short for most of my 50s dresses and skirts—but easily adjustable!).
Speaking of the amazing Ms. Gertie, she also has a pretty fantastic petticoat tutorial here, using organza or organdy instead of net. (Also less scratchy!)
For a less poufy look, check out this how-to on BurdaStyle for making a petticoat from a sheet.
I think these links cover the various methods of petticoat-making out there! Best of luck for those of you tackling the project (wish I could… but again it’s the specter that is looming of late called Time. lol.)
Don’t forget that the Circle Skirt Party is this coming Monday! I’ve already received a handful of entries (and will be emailing you back to confirm shortly). Don’t forget to send yours if you haven’t already! I’m also extending the deadline to 12pm Saturday afternoon as well, so that gives you a bit more time!
October 6, 2011 ·
13 lovely thoughts
posted in sewing
· tags: circle skirt sew along, links
Apologies for the lack of a post yesterday; I had intended to put the CSSA Petticoat tutorial round-up post online, but I am feeling quite under-the-weather (I suspect a cold is the culprit!), and managed to loose all my energy halfway through the day. I’ll have that petticoat post up later today though!
Before and after the cut. I had a few more layers put it to lighten the thickness of my hair.
I got my hair chopped earlier this week! A much-needed cut too. It has been well over a year since I had it cut into a proper “Middy” cut, which while I enjoyed having super-long “mermaid” hair, it was getting too long to even do a Veronica Lake ‘do. For a short while (maybe a weekend) I toyed with the idea of getting it cut very short (at least for me) so I could do a more 50s look, but in the end, my beloved Middy won out. How good it feels to have a bit of a lighter load and not feel like I’m wearing a carpet on my head! hehe.
Trying out Victory rolls!
I got several requests from readers to include some before and after pictures, and I was happy to oblige! I got about 7 1/2” taken off the length, and it was cut into a modified Middy. A proper Middy cut is essentially a cut all one length across the back with a slightly rounded shape, and then angled up the sides to the front. However, because I have so much hair on my head, I always get a few extra layers put in—otherwise my thick, naturally wavy hair ends up too poufy!
The results of a quick dry-to-damp sponge roller set.
Of course, having a new ‘do means playing around with hairstyles! The first I did was simple Victory rolls and a half snood I made. I rather liked the look, and putting on a snood was so much easier with shorter locks, I have to admit. I tried a quick dry-to-damp set with some Lotta Body and sponge rollers and achieved a fairly good curl. Every new cut presents a bit of a learning curve to get the set pattern just so; I am hoping to have the time to do another set (overnight this time) soon. But I do like how this came out!
October 6, 2011 ·
80 lovely thoughts
posted in beauty tips
· tags: hair
