You can always count on a skirt

You can always count on a skirt to help lift you out of the depths of sewing stagnation! And what's so great about this is that a skirt allows you to have a new garment that should fit well into your existing wardrobe, with the least amount of effort, especially if you are using a TNT pattern!

So I am back! I finished two skirts this weekend. One from the blue twill referenced in my "Randomness" post and the other from this really wild linen blend that I found in my fabric closet. Both of these skirts come from fabrics from the collection so that also makes them extra special. I mean besides the fact that I am actually sewing! Yes, the world has tilted back onto its axis and things are right again in my world! *LOL*

To the skirts:

The first one is from a blue rayon twill that I purchased from where else, Fabric Mart, several years ago. I bought this fabric because I had wanted to make a coat that I saw advertised in the September 2004 issue of W. The fabric looked similar to the coat fabric on the website but when it arrived it was considerably thinner. At first I thought about trying to beef the fabric up with some batting and then add a lining to it but it was one of those thoughts that never went anywhere, so the fabric languished in the fabric closet. Now the amazing thing about this fabric is the color - bright and beautiful and the price - 99 cents a yard. I bought three yards and I probably only used 1.5 yards for this skirt. The rest will go back into the fabric closet for another day!

I couldn't leave well enough alone and added small pearl beads to the center of the flowers. It gives it a different look and I really like it. A TNT pattern in a pretty fabric with an unusual twist.

The second skirt was made from a wild linen blend from fabric.com that was purchased over five years ago and probably longer because the tag that was on the fabric says it was from "Phoenix Textiles" and its been some time since fabric.com was called that!

When it fell on my head (yes the closet is just tooo stuffed!) while I was looking for something else, I realized that a skirt from this fabric would be hot. So, out of the closet, onto the table and wahlah! A great new skirt. I don't know what I was thinking when I bought this fabric because I have four yards of it! Four yards...can you imagine!!!

But it was only $2.65 a yard and hopefully it was an order filler! C'mon you guys know all about order fillers....those pieces that are marginal but you buy because you need to hit a magic number to make the right amount to receive a discount, or to make the shipping and handling charge worth it! I know, I am not the only one who does this! *LOL*

So with two wonderful new skirts under my belt and two great new outfits to wear to work this week, I can work on something a little harder. So I have already cut out and just waiting to be sewn is Vogue 8118 - View B - the top with the tie.

I got the idea to try this one from Debra H. on Patternreview. She did a review of it a couple of weeks ago and I really liked the top. So it is cut out from this funky rayon border scarf print that I found at H&M Fabrics on 35th Street in NYC, for the grand price of $1 per panel! If it works and makes the really kewl top I hope for it will be worth it! And if it doesn't work and ends up just as a muslin for a new pattern I am trying then that's alright too because it was only $4 for the piece.

Pics of the fabric is below and more pics can be found in my Yahoo Photo Album.

So those are my weekend sewing adventures and I'm back! Yes!