Summer of the Skirt

This summer might just be the Summer of the Skirt since I can't seem to stop making them!

 Burda 9442 is my latest favorite for making a stylish, easy summer skirt. A plus for this pattern is that the envelope contains sizes 2 thru 9: perfect sizes for all the little girls in my life.

  The dropped waist style sews up in an afternoon. An elastic waist band means no zippers and an easy fit. I even cut the skirt out using my acrylic ruler and a  rotary cutter since all of the pieces are rectangles!

 Lining a skirt adds a designer quality, I think, and is simple to do using the same pattern pieces as the skirt itself. I used some Kona cotton that I had on hand and made the lining about an inch shorter than the skirt.

 The large bow is just pinned on so it can be removed for washing or for wearing the skirt with a longer shirt. Adding a label to the back is handy for the girls when dressing themselves.

 The pattern includes a double ruffle version which we will have to try next. This pattern is definitely a keeper!

The fabric for Jane's pink skirt is Briar Rose by Heather Ross. She loves the little bees wearing bonnets!

 Lula's skirt features an Art Gallery fabric called Sweet as Honey. Aren't the little deer adorable!

Oh, how I love sewing for little girls. Sigh!

 P.S. It started raining during our photo shoot but the models, though made of sugar, didn't melt!

Something New

Sometimes a girl like me just has to start something new...

 Actually, I've been thinking about this one for months now. The Kaffe fabric, on the left, was my inspiration for the color scheme: low volume fabrics in pink, aqua, lavender, peach, yellow and white, all against a grey background. Maybe I'll use this Michael Miller Spot On that I have in my stash. Course, I don't have enough.

 I've never made a Dresden Plate block before. The directions included with the EZ Ruler were easy to follow and included tips for stitching everything together as well as a chart for making various sizes of blocks.

 Mine will be large: at least 20 inches as the Dresden is 18.5 inches across.

 Each block has 20 spokes. I'm doubling up so needed 10 fabrics. That's fine with me 'cause you know how I love all that scrappy goodness! No two blocks will be exactly the same, of course.

 I'm pretty happy with my experiment and think that I'll continue. Sewing the block was not difficult and fairly quick, really. I enjoyed making it a lot and look forward to creating 19 more!

 This week I've also sewn up a dress. Another little grand daughter needs a new one made by her Lolly.

 Again, I used the Jump Rope pattern by Oliver +S, this time in a size 2, for Lois. I'll try it on her today and maybe even get a picture!

 The fabrics are from the Briar Rose line by Heather Ross. I love sewing up this quick and classic pattern. I wonder how many more I'll make before I'm done!?

Do you sometimes like to start something new right in the middle of sewing on other projects? Or am I the only one?!