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!

Ginger Skirt

While cruising through my local fabric store the other day, I found some khaki colored, cotton bottomweight fabric for sale.  I realized that I didn't have any good, 'basic' skirts that I could wear into the office.  That's where Ginger came in handy.  

I quickly looked up the yardage (I had the pattern already waiting to be used at home) and bought my fabric.  I hadn't even opened the pattern yet, so when I arrived home I was so excited to find that it was only four pieces.  Woohoo!

Gertie skirt and my Pendrall blouse from a few months back.

Fabric: Cotton Bottomweight. Used just less than two yards.
Pattern: Colette Ginger Version 2
Notions: Invisible zipper, boning.

I whipped this skirt up in about three hours, from cutting out patterns, to hemming the last seam.  I did include boning as I remembered Gertie had posted a tutorial as part of the first Ginger sewalong.  The boning really helps the skirt waistband to keep it's shape.  I'm definitely keeping this technique in my pocket for future projects. Also in that pocket? This skirt pattern! So easy and with great results!  I can't wait to find more fabric to use for this pattern.

Marie Skirt Sew Along Progress

I've been working on the Marie skirt sew along - for once actually close to on time with the sew along progress.  It's coming along really fast and luckily I didn't add pockets (it looks like there were some hiccups in the original plan to add pockets).

Assembled the pattern and ready to cutout the fabric

I just need to pickup a zipper but then I'll be ready to finish off the skirt and hem the bottom.

I still need to press the pleats

I really like the shape. I was worried about the 'bubble' aspect at the hips, but it's pretty cute.  I'm going away for the weekend (Disneyland!!!) but I'm hoping to pick up the zipper and finish it off next week.