Wink Designs

Simplicity 2226

I joined in the Simplicity 2226 skirt sew-a-long hosted by the lovely Anna at Noodlehead recently but haven't until now gotten around to posting my pics of the finished skirt.

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed sewing something for myself and finishing the skirt has given me the inspiration to add more projects for my own clothes to the summer sewing list.

I made a couple of modifications to the pattern.  The first was eliminating the back gathers.  I found that even the smallest size skirt was way too full for me and, whilst I love the gathers at the front, the ones at the back just didn't work.  Partly this was because the cotton I chose tended towards a thicker weight and was quite stiff to work with.

The other thing was that I did a simple centred zipper rather than the lapped zipper that the pattern specifies.  I found this was way less fussy and I liked the finished look better.

I made the option with belt carriers (which may be hard to see in the photos).

The other thing that I'd mention about the pattern is that in order to show off the detail around the waistband you really need to wear a tucked in top. I'm not a big fan of that look but managed to find this top at Country Road which is short-ish and so doesn't hide all the waistband detail when worn out.

Thanks to Anna for hosting this and for all her fabulous tips on making the skirt. (P.S. I couldn't find this pattern at my local Spotlight but managed to find one listed by a local seller on ebay who shipped really quickly.  Yay for ebay!)

Roxy Longsocks

Lisa of theredthread recently asked me to test a new doll pattern & kit for her and as a result we have two new members of the household.  

I tried to keep this little duo under wraps for possible inclusion in the Christmas stockings but Roxy Longsocks is no shrinking violet and she made herself (all two of her!) known around the place:

 

Although it looks here like Miss Wink has claimed both the Winter and the Spring Roxy, this is not the case.  She has graciously agreed to surrender Winter Roxy to her big sister.  But it was a perfect Sunday afternoon to play with both new friends in the garden.

 

As usual, Lisa's pattern and kit is a delight to make.  This one had comprehensive and beautifully laid out instructions plus some excellent tips on stuffing (I finally managed to make a softie with no crinkles around the head - yay!) and a clever little tute on invisible ladder stitching.

Highly recommended as a super-duper handmade Chrissie gift. Go Roxy!