Full Floral for Spring

It’s time to play Guess How Many Pattern Pieces Are In This Very Simple Looking Skirt. Ready?

If you guessed 17, you win no prize whatsoever, unless you’d like to laugh at my insanity.

I suppose I could have achieved this sort of swishability with a gathered circle skirt– and gotten to that achievement in a much timelier fashion– but I really had a hankering to play with some godets! I mean seriously...I JUST WANTED TO ATTACH GREAT BIG BUNCHES OF ISOSCELES TRIANGLES TO SOMETHING.

This stretch twill hails from Mood Fabrics (sidebar: it was my May offering for the network, but the post mysteriously vanished from the MSN site, which is partially why I almost always repost! I like to have my stuff over here at my joint. Plus I'm *kind of* a control freak. Moving on.) The fabric is on the thin side, and wrinkles easily. It's a bit translucent in full sun, so I attached a half slip lining to the inner waistband. 

I gathered every other panel, just to incorporate a few more invisible elements into this “simple” skirt. HA. And, because I just can’t seem to stop tinkering with it, I am 100% going back in to that waistband and using a stiffer interfacing! Or maybe some petersham. The soft fusible I used just isn’t enough support, as you can see by the crease line running horizontal. No bueno.

This hasn’t stopped me from wearing it as a floral talisman against the never-ending drizzle that is Spring…and getting some appreciative comments to boot. In fact, I went full head-to-toe floral yesterday, and got smiles all around. If only I'd stumbled onto that combo for these pics...but luckily I made Rob document the floral explosion on Instagram. Poor Rob. He doesn't quite get my reinvigorated passion for wearing ALL OF THE PRINTS. I blame it on Man Repeller (which is living up to its name nicely, considering my husband's bemused demeanor) and the general state of the world. Sometimes, you just need to wear all of the flowers.

Simplicity 8013: Sanity Sewing!

YOWZA. I'm back from a shoot in Pittsburgh and playing catch up! I've been rabid to show you this dress since I finished it a month ago, so I'm going to give myself a pass on creating my usual, slightly incoherent paragraphs to go along with it.

Or maybe I have a couple of things to say.

I DO NOT DO WELL AWAY FROM ROB. That would be the first and main thing. Although I had a wonderful time with the people of Pittsburgh (the phrase "salt of the earth" is not only applicable but proven there), don't let my wackadoo grin fool you: when apart, we simply wilt like plants that need sunlight. 

Also, we make questionable choices. Anyone around here remember Rob's One Man DIY Bathroom Renovation of 2013?*  Well, a month ago, when I careened through this dress, it was Rob who was out of town, and me making bad choices. While none of them involved a sledgehammer, I got drunk on a heady mixture of power and loneliness, and rearranged the entire apartment into my sewing domain. 

The kitchen table was shoved out into the middle of the room, fully extended, covered in rulers and blades! Rob's desk was commandeered, all flat surfaces held a sewing machine! Small mountains of Ankara were piled on sofa and chairs! Lamps, railings, drawer pulls, ANYTHING HOOKABLE was repurposed as hanging racks for a dozen or more projects! Stitch centric podcasts blared! (with the occasional break for King of The Hill and Jill Scott.) It was a creative war zone, made to keep my sad brain occupied. But in the end, my war zone only reminded me that I was filling up all the space that Rob wasn't using, which just made me miss him more.

I've got three finished Ankara maxi dresses from that week to show you, and all of them are evidence of questionable choices made when apart. On this diddy, ooooo, take a gander at that back view! That's not just twinning, that's quadrupleting! The passerby might not mind it, but it makes my right eye do the boogie woogie--and not in a good way. 

Nevertheless, I obviously feel good in it! (And I did make the very good choice of packing up some dresses to shoot during my downtime in Pittsburgh, as evidenced by the ever present remote in my right hand.) I'm happy to be back home and together, and happy to give myself a pass on a happy dress sewn to ease a state of sad brain!

details:

Pattern: Simplicity 8013

Fabric: Anakara from AKN Fabrics --a VERY early birthday gift from my girl, Carolyn!!💕❤️

Changes: 

Reduced the width in each skirt panel, eliminating the gathers at the waistline. 

Used only the "flat" side of the bodice

Straightened the front bodice side seam by adding 1/2" width, tapering to nothing at armsyce

Shortened the sleeves, and added a 1/2" horsehair in the sleeve hem

Added a box pleat to the back skirt panels

Cut the CF panel in 2 to make the faux wrap appear less faux

Cut a deep V back 

Added twill tape to the V neck , front and back

*Rob: I LOVE THE BATHROOM.