In the midst of our crazy week last night, and on a night when I wanted to curl up in a ball and cry myself to sleep, I went to a sewing class and made this skirt for my daughter.
I love fabric and I love to sew, but I’m scared to death of making clothing. Oh, I’ve known for a while that I really ought to learn to make skirts at least, especially with five daughters. I also know how difficult it is to find skirts that are long enough to be modest. Yet I’m intimidated by the patterns so I haven’t done it.
Two weeks ago I was in a fabric store for some thread and overheard several women talking about this fabric. I decided to peek at it, and it was gorgeous. Gorgeous in several different colors. I listened more and discovered they were talking about making skirts with it. I asked a question and they pointed above my head at the sample hanging from the ceiling. The class was less than a week away and they still had an opening. On a total whim, I bought fabric in four different colors and signed up for the class.
I started with a skirt for my two year old because I could pick my favorite color, the vintage aqua that I love so much. I enjoyed learning more about how to deal with this particular material, which is tricky with the ruffles. My machine and I had to do some fiddling to figure out the best settings for slippery fabric since all we usually do is cotton quilting weight material. I also got to learn about using a double needle to attach the thick elastic waistband to the material. The double needle allows the elastic to stretch without breaking any thread. I didn’t know that before Thursday night!
Really this is such a simple skirt that I shouldn’t be bragging about making it, which is exactly why it was a good first project for me. I plan to make one for each of my daughters in the next couple of weeks. It happens that both of my little ones fit this skirt and it’s made me smile to see them taking turns wearing it.
It always feels good to learn something new, doesn’t it?
