So, as everyone can see, I’ve kind of been on a skorty kind of kick lately.  I thought I’d share a bit what pattern I use and how I do it.   In order to show what they look like without the panel change I usually do, I made today’s skort exactly according to pattern width (I still lengthened them because we really don’t “do” shorts around here and they’d definitely be shorts otherwise.)

Ingredients:

Simplicity # 2910

Pattern- Simplicity “It’s So Easy”  2910

Fabric- Well, it’s either lightweight twill from fabric.com a couple of years ago or from Baby Nay fabric I bought on an eBay buy a couple of years ago.  I’m starting to doubt myself.  If anyone knows, I’d love to correct myself.  The selvedge isn’t very um… illuminating.

Fabric of slightly unknown origin

And from those, I made…

Andra’s new skort set!  As I said, the skirt flap is exactly to pattern.  I added 7″ length to the pattern, and cut out left over fabric to applique onto the shirt.  It looks really cute.  Now the flap, on Andra, goes all the way to  the side of her bum cheeks so it is well covered but I’d prefer it almost hitting the side of the shorts.

Panel widened 3"

So, normally, like on this picture, I would add 3″ to the width of the panel in order for it to come around the sides a bit better.  And, as previously mentioned, on both girls, I added 7″.  Jenna needed more like 9″, but I was running out of fabric so I decided the world needed to see her knees.

I also didn’t have enough fabric for a back flap on Jenna’s but I did on Andra’s.

Back flap present and accounted for!

The back flap looks like this.

Now, seriously, these are the fastest and easiest things in the world to make.  I didn’t take step by step pictures but I can give step by step instructions.

1. Cut out all three pieces according to the pattern.  If preferred, lengthen the skort to just below the knee (much longer and it really does restrict movement a bit requiring more alterations than I want to go into right now.)  Also, if preferred, on the front edge of the panel, widen 2-3″ all the way down that side keeping it STRAIGHT.  If you want a back flap, cut 2 instead of one like they say.
2. Serge and hem or just hem the straight side and bottom of panel.
3. Sew the front and back crotches.  Remember that the deeper one is always the back.  Mark it if you’re afraid you’ll have trouble seeing it once the panels are on.
4. Serge those crotches.  (That just sounds so wrong but I’m tired and hot and not about to rethink how to word it.)
5. Sew the panels to the front and back along the side seams and the top where the waist is.  Serge or finish the seam in some other way.
6. Sew the side seams and finish the edge.
7. Sew and finish the edge of the inseam
   

   Ease of activity!

8. Hem the bottoms of the shorts.  I always start at the side seam, stitch around to the other end, and stop just short of the flap.  I hand whip a bit if it has more than 1/4″ of open seaminess.  (That also sounds just so… seamy.  Wow this is a racy blog.  Oh yeah, the boat fabric.  Regatta.  Gotcha.)
9. Serge the edge of the top (or stitch down 1/4″ and 3/8″ from the top and use pinking shears to stop fraying.
10. Fold over 1″ and sew close to the edge leaving at least 3/4″ for the elastic.
11. Thread 3/4″ elastic through the casing.  Overlap the elastic ends, zig zag and then straight stitch well, and stitch up the opening.  I prefer to stick a smidge of grosgrain ribbon in there in order to show which side is the back.

Voila.  One finished skort.  Enjoy!

Ok, it’s a lie.  I confess.  I hardly use pins, don’t like them, and find the whole thing a bit of a nuisance.  However, needles need a home and so I made this “needle cushion” for my new Craft Nook  (blog forthcoming).

Ingredients:

Ice Cream Dish-  Purchased for $1.50 from Rite Aid in their “Dollar Dayz” type aisle.

Steel Wool-  I used super fine.  This is to sharpen your needles as you put them away.

Fabric-  I used a piece that’ll match my duvet cover and my Roman shades since this corner is in my bedroom.

Thread-  Lorna kept bringing me more “fun” colors, but I stuck to plain white.

Button- Purely ornamental and therefore, optional.

Alene’s Tacky Glue-  Or any other craft glue to keep the cushion stuck to the bowl.

Directions:

First, assemble your ingredients.

Draw a circle on your fabric.  I used a salad plate… at first.  Use a DOUBLE thickness of fabric so the steel wool doesn’t come through.  Cut out the circle.

Sew a running stitch all around the edge of the circle.

Shred the steel wool pads to look more like polyfill stuffing.

Stuff  “steel fill” in the circle and draw up around it into a fat ball.

Sew on the button…

Isn’t it cute!

Try it out…

At this point, I thought it was a little small in there.  So, I cut out another circle the size of a dinner plate.  It was a little too big, but I stitched around it a bit until I got it fitting nicely enough.  Then I grabbed the trusty glue…

Swirl some around in the bowl… keep it low enough that it’ll hold the cushion without showing above it though!

Pop the cushion in, put something heavy on it for a bit, and voila!  A very inexpensive pin cushion.

Now you can do this with any kind of dish or container.  It’d work great with a tea cup, sundae cup, old tiny varnish can (clean well though)… seriously, anything small enough not to be cumbersome that is closed on bottom and sides but open on top will work!

No, this isn’t the most adorable  pin cushion on the planet.  You can buy boutique quality pin cushions that are absolutely stunning.  But, if you want something cute, to match your decor, and in a next to nothing price range, this’ll do the trick!

One of the Hearth Keeper daughters told her mom she wanted to learn to embroider.   Mom asked the Hearth Keeper crafters where to start and I suggested a stitchery.  Then, I decided to do a step-by-step stitchery lesson to help her get started.

Lesson One~

The Ingredients:

Cotton Batting:  (I used Fairfield’s Traditional poly batt because I was out of what I really like)

Washable Marker:  Dritz Blue Marking Pen 

Muslin:  I used 100% cotton from Wal-Mart but I love the look of the tea-dye they carry.

Embroidery Floss:  DMC 3799 and a green I don’t have a number for… and I’ll find a red and yellow and name them later.

I wrote the quote, “Pray and let God worry.” by Martin Luther.   I chose it because it’s a fun quote, short, and sweet.   When you write your quote, don’t make your printing perfect.  Try to make it a little sloppy but don’t let the letters be too narrow.  Especially all rounded ones.  It’s easier to work with if the letters are roundish and if you make them a bit sloppy, they add to the character of the piece.  (And hide little stitching goofs!)

Then, I drew dashed lines all the way around the outside of the written part.  A solid line is better but I can write a “straighter” line if I do a dashed one when I don’t have a ruler handy and in this chair, I didn’t.  I recommend solid lines.  I drew a few “lazy daisy” flowers on the bottom corner.  A second lesson will show more flowers but this will give a sense of accomplishment while teaching four common and basic stitches.

The Running Stitch-  For further instruction, click HERE

The Back Stitch-  For further instruction, click HERE

The Lazy Daisy- For further instruction, click HERE

The French Knot-  For further instruction click HERE

These are the stitches we’ll cover in this project.

Ok, once you have your fabric and your “quote” written on it, make sure you add your lines and flowers and then cut a piece of batting the same size as the back ground.  I generally hold them together with several (say small safety pins but I was stuck in this chair so I improvised.  I basted it together with sewing thread which works just as well.

Ok… I work with four strands of floss.  For a little girl you can use two strands, doubled.   It’s easier for them because they don’t have to worry about the “tail” slipping out of the eye of the needle.  Knot well (this is appropriate for a batted back) and pull the needle to the front.

Now, what you’re goig to do is take several stitches (if her hands are strong enough, otherwise, just have her do one in and then up again stitch)  What you’re trying to learn here is how to rock the needle between the layers (this is exactly what you do with quilting BTW) evenly.  Let her stitches be uneven.  It’s part of the charm of the piece, but have her work at trying to do make them even.  This is one reason we don’t work with an embroidery hoop yet.  This type of stitching works without a hoop and it’s easier to get a rhythm without it.

See how you can fit several small stitches on the needle?  I work at trying to make each stitch just a little less than 1/4″ apart but more than 1/8″ on stitcheries. 

Voila… see?  Do this all around the outside of the stitchery.

When you finish, or run out of thread, take one more stitch, pull the thread to the back, and tie a knot near the fabric.  Run the rest of the thread through the top of the batting and away from the knot and then trim.  Little girls will often find it hard to get the knot near the back of the fabric so practice yourself until you get the hang of it and then show them.

This was the running stitch.  Tune in Thursday for the “Backstitch”.