{skirt No. 2}

I sat down on Memorial Day, and I finally made it.

I've been planning to and dreaming about recreating this L.L. Bean Signature Collection skirt since I saw it in their summer catalog a few weeks ago.

In between the family visit, burgers and homemade ice cream, I slowly pieced together and hemmed the fabric. And in a second wind around 10 p.m., I put in the zipper and pieced together the tie belt from the pieces left.

I used a linen blend-- hence the wrinkles; I didn't bother ironing-- instead of chambray. I also nixed the belt loops and made the waist band and belt wider

I used the "Bias Skirt" pattern from One-Yard Wonders, which I could not love more, with same waistband technique that I used last time. However, to be fair, this project did take almost an entire yard and a quarter, as well as a zipper that the pattern did not include.

I wore the skirt to work and then to a party yesterday, and I loved it. It held up beautifully, and I felt proud to have made this!

{breezy}

Okay... Not the most flattering picture, but the skirt is so comfy! I made this easy, jersey skirt in under an hour the other day.

I had just gotten One Yard Wonders after failing to make a jersey skirt without a pattern. I suddenly wished I had had the book just a day earlier, because it would have saved a lot of math and seam ripping.

The skirt pattern and instructions are really simple and straight-forward. I also used a trick that I learned from my mother to make the waistband, without a seam showing!

It goes a little like this:

1. Cut two waistband pieces the same length as the width of your skirt and double the measurement you want the waistband to be finished.
2. Fold the waistband piece in half lengthwise with right sides together. Tuck one of the pieces of your skirt in between the edges of the waistband. Line the edges of the waistband with the top edge of the skirt. Pin.
3. Sew.
4. Pull the skirt piece out of the little roll, and this will automatically turn the waistband right side out-- like magic!
5. Do the same to the other piece, then sew both sides of the skirt together!

*If that didn't make much sense to you, this tutorial might be helpful!

I'm already planning two improvements to this skirt: maybe a little embroidery at the bottom and next time I might not do jersey.

I'm also thinking this might be a cut way to make a dress and salvage an old t-shirt or tank. Just cut off the bottom of the shirt and stitch the skirt to the shirt. Cute?

{thrifted, found and made}

This is going to be a pretty big post to make up for my recent absence. Hopefully, I can get back into a routine soon, but don't fear: the crafting never stops.

I went thrifting today, which was fun for me. I'm using my purchases to display a few new things that I've made. The cake stand is something that I've had for a while, but I bought the bottle this morning and found the mini stand plate in my grandmother's attic.

The rosettes-- oh, how many I've made!-- are a newer, better, I think, version of my older ones. I think the beading is a lot more delicate than the vintage buttons, and, of course, I love the coral.

I wore one to my mother's birthday party this weekend, and I got a lot of compliments-- and it perfectly matched my sweater!

I'm thinking of pulling a page from doe-c-doe's blog and using pin backs to make it into a necklace-- and also a pin! I love things that can work two ways. It's so convenient.

P.S. exciting!!-- let me know what you think of the card designs! I've gotten an Etsy shop, but just haven't set it up. I'm thinking that will be my logo-- and name.

Finished!

The snow has helped me out! I finally finished the project I have been working on... a sketchpad strap.

Instead of carrying a large portfolio for my sketchbooks, I decided to make this carrier, which is much less cumbersome, especially for someone a short as I am! I made up the pattern to be specified to my notebooks, but I'm working on a tutorial that can be adjusted to any size.

I'm really liking the way this looks, especially the retro-ish fabric, which, by the way, was a trip to sew. I'm thinking that I might add buttons over the velcro just for a little extra pop!

Christmas presents!

Yes, I am finally getting around to looking through the books I got for Christmas. Or, more like, I just got around to taking pictures of them!

I'm yearning to sit down and start on these projects; so perhaps sometime this week I'll be able to share.

But for right now, I'm still hard at work making jewelry. I finally got the posts to glue to the earrings. Success!!

OH MY LORD! It's the end of the world as I know it...

It's FINALLY here!! The first of the Penguin Classics clothbound series come out in the US tomorrow--at least according to Amazon. These books are beautiful and classic and WOW!!

I first saw these books on Design*Sponge. Some still aren't available in the US, but my favorite book, Pride &Prejudice--cliche, I know-- is available! I can't wait to get these tomorrow!!

My, oh my, baking and pie

It has finally cooled down here, and I am really enjoying the weather... and the clothes... jackets and sweaters. Yum yum. And along with the great fall weather, baked goods galore!! Here are just a few recipes and an icing tutorial-- oh, joy!

• milk chocolate cookies-- yum, yum-- from Martha Stewart via Heart of Light
• delicious-looking popovers from angry chicken
• A tutorial for Magnolia Bakery's icing on Cupcakes take the Cake
• Pumpkin Pie Bites from Bakerella
• adorable pie tins from LollyChops
• and last but not least, recipes from the new book The Happy Baker:A Dater's Guide to Emotional Baking

Simply Sublime Bags

Another library find, Simply Sublime Bags has piqued my interest. The bags are "low-sew, no-sew projects," which is very intriguing to me, considering I sewed my first purse at the tender age of seven.

Although I don't really know how I would handle stapling and duct-taping a project together-- I am very old school-- the bags are beautiful. And they seem really simple to make, provided that I could get over stapling my seams instead of sewing them...

Little Swiss Girl

I made this doll as a belated birthday present for a very sweet little girl in my neighborhood. I put a lot of work into it, and although it isn't perfect, I'm proud of this first attempt. The pattern came from Stitched in Time, the book from the lovely writer of Posie Gets Cozy.

I, of course, made things a bit harder for myself and altered the pattern from the directions. Instead of gathering the ends of the arms and legs with a whip stitch, I sewed them closed on the machine, to make them more sturdy for a small girl. The effect is not as smooth-- the feet and hands are a bit square-- so perhaps I should have rounded the ends as I sewed.

The pattern also called for the skirt to be gathered and sewn to the doll, with the ribbon added simply as decoration. I made the skirt interchangeable by making a casing for the drawstring and bringing the ribbon through two buttonholes in the front.

I also felt that the pattern directions were not as clear when it came to adding the hair, but I did my best. In retrospect, I should have almost overstuffed the head, or added the hair before I had sewn on the legs, so I could have added more filling.

However, the expression on the little girl's face when she saw her doll was enough to erase any fears about its appearance.

Preoccupied with P&P and zombies

Gladly, my lack of blogging is not due to illness or death, but to a very interesting book. I can't decide if this book is genius, or sacrilegious (for a true Jane Austen girl, such as myself). But I do believe I like it none the less. Scenes from Pride and Prejudice are interjected with world-class zombie fighting by the Bennett girls, quite entertaining and definitely funny.

The Crafty Little Cupcake Recommends: Sew and Stow

We all know about my library addiction, which is closely followed by my Amazon addiction. I got Sew and Stow from the library a week ago, and I now have the best intentions to get organized with all of the crafty projects within those pages.

Honestly, who knows how much I'll be able to get done this summer... especially with all the cute projects that keep popping up. Perhaps I'll aim for one a week... But this is definitely going on my list!