The 'Anchors Away' Skirt

The Facts

Fabric: 2 1/2 yards cotton ~$20

Pattern: Colette Ginger, 3rd time making

Year: 2011

Notions: White invisible zipper $2, red piping ~$2

Time to Complete: 3 1/2 hours

First worn: January 29th, 2012

Wear again: Yes!

Total Price: $24

This fabric was originally up for consideration for the Meringue skirt, but as I mentioned in that post, I was so hesitant to work with vertical stripes.  I had always wanted to do a striped version of Ginger. I love the illustration of version 3 on the pattern envelope, with the stripes going in a Chevron shape.  It wasn’t a hard decision to use the fabric for this skirt instead.

This is my third time making this pattern, and it just keeps getting easier.  The pattern pieces are already cut to size, and I know how it fits.  This time I decided to mix things up a bit, and add some piping.  I think piping may be my new favorite sewing notion.  It’s so easy to add to a garment and can completely change the look.  I went with a bright red, that matched the circles in the fabric print.

I love the red piping and thread with the print.

From cut to final hem stitch, the skirt only took me 3 and a half hours to make.  It would have been even less if I omitted the piping, but I love how it looks.  I’ll be wearing this all Spring and Summer long.

I'm also wearing my Now Voyager necklace from Lauren Blythe Designs.  It's one of the first items that I purchased from her and one of my favorites. The skirt feels very nautical to me, so I thought this necklace was a nice fit.

What are your go-to patterns? Things that you know you can whip up in a short amount of time, with little effort?

What I Watched:

French Kiss (1995)

Once (2006)

Ginger, Belts, and Self-Stitched September Days 5, 6, 7, and 8

After a weekend of dancing and one extra day off, I was excited to spend more time in my sewing room. I took the time to get a few projects wrapped up and to work on the belt to go with my previous Rooibos.  In order to keep things nice and organized, let's go through the next four days of Self-Stitched September, and I'll address my new items as we get to them.

Day 5:

What I wore:

Labor Day! I wore my Lemonade at Lunch MTL dress.  The weather was beautiful and I was off to a couple of BBQs with friends.

Day 6:

What I wore:

This is where my new Ginger skirt comes in.  I had some leftover grey suiting from the Rooibos sewalong, and it was just enough to make another Ginger skirt.  After reading Colette's recent 'Snippet' on ways to sew faster, I realized that I really hadn't re-used any patterns.  Ginger was still fresh in my mind, and a great addition to my work wardrobe, that I decided to make another skirt.  Here are the details...

Fabric: leftover grey suiting from Rooibos

Pattern: Colette's Ginger

Notions: Just a zipper. I didn't use boning this time.

I have to say that I am loving this suiting fabric.  It hangs so nicely and is so easy to work with.  I didn't use boning in the skirt this time, just to mix things up, and it still has a great shape at the waistband.

For Self-Stitched September, I wore my new Ginger skirt with my previous Violet blouse.  

Day 7:

What I wore:

My Colette Sencha Blouse.  I hadn't worn this recently, just because I've had so many options in my closet, but I do love this blouse.  And to be honest - I really just threw this on, with some jeans, for a dentist appointment. I could have stayed in my workout clothes all day, but I forced myself to put myself somewhat together before going out in public.

Day 8:

What I wore:

My recent Rooibos creation with... (drumroll)... my new belt!  A shout-out to reader, Lynn (and the others who commented and emailed me), who reminded me about where I saw it: A Fashionable Stitch.  I had it in my head that it was a brick-and-mortar store, but once I saw her site, the light-bulb went on.

The belt was really easy to put together, just time consuming (as Sunni warns on her blog).  The little Flash image slideshow on her blog walked me through the belt, step-by-step.  

Unfortunately, I didn't have the tool to fasten the eyelets into place, so I just used the round 'eyelet' feature on my sewing machine to make the notches in the belt.

One of my favorite parts of the belt/coolest part to assemble, was covering the actual buckle with my coordinating fabric.  Sunni's kit provided a double-sided adhesive and clear instructions that made it so easy to put together.  I think I may have actually squealed when I finished.

So there you have it! Days 5-8.  So far, Self-Stitched September has been easier than I imagined.  Tune in for more outfits, and details for the next giveaway!