godsakes, not the paisley.

do you know what i've found helps me immensely in my sewing?  tequila.

no, no, actually, this is a much more recent development than my love for the beverage alcoholic.  i've found that when i'm stumped on a project, if i take a break and work on a UFO, i finish said UFO, and i get an ahah! moment on what i took a break on!  that's a win WIN, baby!

(this revelation came to me during my three day birthdaycation last year, when i was working on no less than three projects at all times while ruggy poured wine for me.  i wore something new out every night.)

i'm five minutes away from finishing my sew weekly challenge, but of course i made a very simple one-seam pattern freaking Einstein Harder than it needed to be and i was stumped.  so i drug out this here little number. this is the bottom half seulement to that simplicity pattern i showed y'all last week.  you guys, the project runway patterns rock.  you get like ten patterns for the price of one.  find them on sale?  that's a win WIN, baby.  

the fabric for this came in great big flowered square panels, surrounded by a paisley border, surrounded by white.  i loved this print so much i was afraid to do anything to it.  so i cut away the white, sewed what was left together and made a cape.

so not a good idea.

(yeeeaaahhhh purple invisible topstitched zip!)

i ripped it up one day and embarked on this skirt.  only at first, it was a mini skirt.  umm, i was in a phase, a micro mini phase in the middle of winter, no less; i really don't know what that was about.  having snapped out of it, i realized i would not ever never wear the skirt in its hoochie mama condition, so into the bag it went.

however, i had my scraps.  i ALWAYS have my scraps.  and i had plans, BIG plans, i tell ya, to use the floral scraps to extend the bottom of the skirt.  not, i repeat, NOT the paisley scraps.  they were deemed unusable, since i had already used that pattern for the waistband.  too matchy.

then we celebrated our friend's birthday with a big ass surprise fancy dinner and i used up the flower scraps to make a temporary table runner.  she loves flowers.  and purple.  she was so in love with it, she immediately exclaimed, oh my god and i get to KEEP this?!  so all plans for seam ripper and extra skirtage flew out the window.

but today, stumped by the sparkly thing on the ironing board (oh yes, i cut into the burnt gold stuff), and going for my UFO break, i thought, why not use the matchy paisley scraps?  what's the worst that could happen? so it'll be an occasional wear, as least it'll be finished.

YOU GUYS I LOVE THIS FRIGGIN SKIRT SO MUCH IT HURTS.

(ruggy walks into the apartment to find oona jumping around the living room, singing along with ben folds at the top of her lungs.)

ruggy:  what's goin on?

oona:  I MADE A SKIRT!  and i had to take pictures!

ruggy:  oh.

oona:  do you LIKE it?  it's my most favorite skirt EVER!

ruggy:  it's kind of hard to tell, what with the yellow shirt.

oona:  .

ruggy:   but i love it!  seriously, babe!  the yellow just gets in my way!  it doesn't match!

ah, matching.  my roadblock in the first place.  we just never went for matching in kalkatroona.  possibly because we drink too much and our judgement is impaired.  matter of fact, parental kalkatroonans left a voicemail about grabbing a marguerita just as i was wishing for a reason to wear this out tonight.  i missed the message.  

that's a lose LOSE, baby.

but as it is cinco de mayo-nnaise, i'm off to imbibe anyways.

you didn't think i'd forgotten, did you?

cheers, peeps!  in lieu of raising a glass, share some drunken sewing tips with me if you got em!