romper with room

last week we housed 5 adults and 2 children for 24 hours.  

AND ALL I GOT WAS THIS AWESOME SILK CREPE DE CHINE THINGAMAJIG.

one of said adults, the six-foot-fifty-eight one, was sporting a fabulous, flowy, silky pants-thing that had holes for your footsies and shirring at the top.  this dame, let's call her The Diva, wore them because she knew i would specifically be fascinated by them.  indeed i was.  i made her take them off that evening so's i could study 'em.  

with two screaming nutjobs in the house in various states of undress, it wasn't weird at all.

come the morning, the happy horde left in a hot rush, and my reward was deciphering this design on a mysterious-but-famous designer silk crepe de chine panel print from mood fabrics.  this birdcage yardage had been sitting on my table since spring-- after failing miserably on an anna sui print, i didn't want to ruin it more prettiness.

so of course i took a whack at it while my brain was still intoxicated by wining and wailing.

hours later, i threw open the bathroom door, revealing a towel clad ruggy (what is it about this tale and states of undress?) and shouted I DID IT!  arms thrust high in the air over my head, goooooooal!!! my glee turned to absolute euphoria as ruggy slowly raised his eyebrows and declared.... i like it.

Y'ALL THESE ARE BASICALLY DROP CROTCH PANTS AND RUGGY LIKES THEM.

apparently, a lot of men like them.  i get the most intriguing catcalls in these.  older gentleman look at me with an appreciative, respectful eye.  younger, not-so-gentle-men bring their remarks down to a hushed tone: GOTDAMM I LOVE YOU, said one as i walked in search of a quiet spot to shoot.  a truck tooted his horn with the lightest of taps, three times, as i strode across the crosswalk.  toot?  toot toot?

hey man, you know what?  sometimes it's nice to get a whistle or two-- especially when one has dressed 80% of one's body in voluminous drapey folds.

that said, there is some saran wrap going on in the form of shirring, about 20 or so lines of 1/4 inch shirring, to be exact.  THAT TAKES FOREVER.  this is the part that makes it possible to wear it as a romper or as a "skirt."  

and IT. TAKES. FOREVER.

the eternity of which you can experience yourself at the end of the month when i'll be sharing a tutorial for these! once you get past the shirring, it's three seams, yo.  seriously, no flaking on this promise, as it'll be part of simple simon's lovely skirting the issue tutorial hop.   i've worn the two i've made more times than i can count-- breezy and cool, and you can lounge around in them with no fear of showing yo' lady parts in a gust of summer BBQ wind.

because sometimes it's good to be dressed.

this breezy, silky, wear-it-all-the-time thingy was made using my monthly fabric "allowance" as part of the Mood Sewing Network.