Taxes are done!

Well, it seems forever since I have sewn something!! We had a week of spring break vacation in palm springs, then a week back to get my taxes done! Finally, some sewing time. I am still on my kid kick sewing. Although, after a week in palm springs by the pool....I figured out that I need to have some new suits! Anyhow, I decided to continue on my skirt saga and make another one for my oldest dd. This pattern is Portabellopixie - Gracie, View D, the tiered skirt. This was not a hard skirt to put together, a little time consuming with all the gathering and piecing together. It turned out to be longer than I had envisioned in my mind. Although, it looks like the photos in the pattern! I got this fabric from fabric.com and it is by Patty Young designed for Michael Miller, Flora and Fauna collection. I picked out 9 different coordinating fabrics. This skirt actually incorporates 3 of them. The skirt has a top waistband piece, a top tier, a middle tier, and a bottom tier. I used the same fabric for the top and middle tiers because it was a border fabric (with the flowers in the border), and then polka dots between the borders that ran along the selvage. You can't see the waistband fabric that well in these pics...but you could try clicking on the photo to make it larger.

My dd seems to like it, but declared today was too hot to wear a long sleeve tee and long skirt and changed back to shorts fairly quick.

It definitely has twirl factor! All in all I like it. I hope it doesn't look to "folksy" or homemade. I may shorten it up and try again for a more stylish length. Or am I out of it and long is in?? I have always been more of a fan of knee length or shorter skirts probably because I am 5'1" and long skirts don't look right on me! What's up next?? I am feeling the need to summer sew! I just received my latest issue of Ottobre. I perused it really quick and wasn't that inspired......I have a need for shorts. I will probably just by those, though. I am in that nomad space where I am not inspired by much.....not fabric, not patterns, not rtw things. Oh well, I am sure it will soon pass! I am looking forward to reading about what inspires everyone else!

Cupcake pincushion

This is one of the new patterns that I recently purchased! I bought this little pincushion kit from Portabellopixie website. It came with the materials to make the pincushion and the pattern. I absolutely love this little pincushion! The instruction booklet that came with this pattern is phenomenal! It is a 20 page full color booklet with pictures and illustrations for every step of the way making this pincushion.

My dd was really excited watching me make this. She couldn't wait for me to be done with it. As a matter of fact.....I haven't got to hold it since I finished it! This was a fun little project that took me about 2 hours (with lots of distractions) start to finish. The pattern comes in two sizes, a "high calorie" size and a "low calorie" size. The kit had the supplies for the low calorie size. I could definitely see making the "high calorie" size too. Especially since I am not sure when I am going to get this back!! What a great gift for fellow seamstresses too!