I know this seems like such a tiny thing, one that people might think is a bit quirky, but one of the reasons I took up sewing is because I wanted to learn to make my own clothes. More specifically, the kinds you would find in hippie shops and stands at folk music festivals, like patchwork skirts. Of course, the kind I wanted is the more frilly kind, which is full with lots of fabric and perfect for sneaking in a twirl here and there. I know there are all sorts of styles and takes on it, and this was probably for those who had extra fabric to spare - otherwise, you could probably make two simple ones out of this one. I wanted one that is long, that nearly reaches the floor, but not so long that I trip over it. In other words, it had to be perfect.
It seems so silly, and so simple, yet it took me years to not only find the courage but also make it happen, despite having made other clothes already, like my comfy rayon sweats that are loose and lightweight. I normally opt for natural fabrics like linen or cotton, but all the materials for those sweats were sourced from the remnants bin, which would have ended up in the dumpster anyway.
I even made frock with french seams, with my own made bias tape! Something that was far more complicated than tearing a bunch of squares and sewing them together. In fact, the fabric for this came from the leftover yardage of making that. But for some reason, throwing together a patchwork skirt, something so simple that families everywhere made them from random scraps, that was intimidating.
Well, not anymore. I've unleashed the Kracken, and I fully expect to add more of them in the near future. Also, I have enough fabric leftover to make a shorter 2-tier one for my daughter, who wears skirts almost exclusively.
My inner hippie is finally happy. It also gave me an excuse to pull out my overlock machine, because that really makes quick work of projects like these. I didn't line it, but I am sure once I knock out a few more, maybe a few prairie skirts too, I will start to play around with patching together frills and lace and maybe even crocheting some of my own, because that is something I know how to do.
Maybe I'll manage to get some better photos of myself at some point without having to resort to the cliché mirror photo, so the one I shared will have to do.
Ps. Ok it is also not finished yet as of the time of this writing, because I was testing out how it feels to have it wrapped around my body, and determine the perfect length. It will be finished today.