Twirl It, Baby!

What's the best part about a circle skirt? That's the twirling fabulosity, of course!! I finished my Pavlova skirt (position 1) Thursday, just in time to get to work (and wear the skirt). That means it's black, so don't get too excited about this reveal. Before I show you pictures though, how about a few details.

• Fabric is a black gabardine. A great fabric, nice and drapey, that feels lightweight, but does have some sponge-y thickness (this came into play making the "waistband")
• I was in a hurry, so the seam edges are serged.
• Hurrying continued, so the hem is the folded over twice, top stitched per the instructions in the pattern.
• The waistline stretched, and while it was wearable, kept slipping down during the workday.
• I fixed the above problem by stitching, at the waistline, a 1-1/4" wide elastic on the inside. I'll be wearing that skirt a lot!!

Now, the pictures... the pocket:

The skirt:

Looking professional (no, I can't wear the jacket at work, except to arrive. C'est la vie.):

The twirling (thanks, Ashley, for the great picture-taking!)

I've got the next Pavlova circle skirt cut out, and it's not black!! Hall.E.Lu.Jah! And I'm giving the wrap top another go, this time in a soft, thin, drapey jersey.

Days 5, 6, 7, 8

Day 5

Top: Butterick 5495, originally blogged in July 2010
Skirt: originally blogged in May 2011

Day 6


The start of the "gardenia days"...

Top: Life is Good souvenir tee shirt from York, Maine
Shorts: Seersucker, Kwik Sew 3614, originally blogged July 2011
Land's End suede flip flops
Dog: Danny
Lipstick: what was I thinking?!

Day 7

Top: Anthropologie (old)
Skirt: half a Colette Crepe, originally blogged September 2011
Hand out oddly? Trying to get Danny to come on over
What I did: worked from home plus a trip to the grocery. Fun!

Day 8

Dress: Vogue 8553, originally blogged September 1, 2011
Belt: Talbots
Shoes: Land's End chambray espadrilles
What I did: worked from home, plus Parents Support Group at Skyland Trail

Another Quick Skirt

It's just me and the dogs this week as Roland and Kyle have gone to North Carolina for a little father/son bonding, so that means SEWING! OK, well, I sew even when they're home, but now I don't have to feel guilty when I don't want to stop and cook them dinner.


I'm still doing some secret sewing, but I managed to make myself another quick yoga skirt. Not too many changes, but a few. I made this one out of ITY jersey and made the waistband a little smaller since the jersey seemed stretchier. I also made it less full, and a little shorter. And, while it seems totally foreign to me, I didn't hem it. But there's one surprising thing I added.

Well, nothing surprising here in the picture (other than it's not the usual "on me" look). But I've been wanting something to sort of "immortalize" my sewing. Quilters put labels on their quilts, kind of like signing their art, and I wanted to "sign" my creations.


So, I placed an order to Etsy seller Baby Jewels, and got me a custom rubber stamp. Woo hoo! I used it in that polka dot top, but forgot to mention it, and for that I simply stamped right on the inside back neck (where a label would go). I used a VersaCraft ink pad, and I honestly can't remember who I ordered it from so that link is just to show you the description.


For the skirt, I stamped on an ivory grosgrain ribbon and then attached it like a label.

TA DA!

The Detoured is part of the name of my other blog (that I seemed to have detoured from posting to), and I just kind of like the word. It's also my general feeling of having to take detours from the life path I'm on. And besides, having the stamp is just fun.

A New Skirt

Finally, Finally! I have so many projects going in my mind, but I don't think I had turned on the sewing machine or serger until yesterday. And surprisingly enough, it was something that I just discovered yesterday. A great friend of my, Ginny, is a fantastic artist, working in lots of mediums, including sewing. And she's recently started a blog that will cover her "adventures with clay, cloth and yarn." Go check out GinPins.


Oh, yeah. The new skirt I made. Well, Ginny posted about this awesomely fast yoga skirt that she made, and I had to have one! I think it took me all of an hour (maybe a smidge longer) to dig through my stash, do some quick measurements, cut it out, and serge away. Click here for the tutorial from Sew, Mama, Sew.


This yoga skirt could well replace what is affectionately known by me as my "after dinner skirt", and is exactly the kind of garment that is lacking in my wardrobe. The kind of thing you wear when you're hanging around the house, just wearing something comfy. I used some cotton jersey that was left over from a dress I made last fall.

I didn't wear it today tucked in, but I wanted you to see the waistband. One teeny complaint: 4 layers of cotton jersey around your waist can get hot.

One addition I made: a small "cargo" pocket to hold my cell phone.

On to Me Made June pictures:

June 21

Yesterday was one long day, but I didn't really get "officially" dressed until after lunch. I had an evening meeting, so I wore my red cowl tee (already worn), and a skirt from the now defunct Harold's. I love this skirt, and probably would have tucked in the top, but the waistband was a wee bit tight yesterday. Look at the fantastic machine embroidery (this is not the me made part).

And the outfit:

Top: New Look 6981

Skirt: Harold's

June 22

Today I wore the yoga skirt with a new top from Talbot's. It was a steal at $9. And you'll see in the picture what occupied most of my time.

Top: Talbot's

Skirt: Yoga Skirt