Miss Frizzle Skirt

As a kid, I always loved the show "Magic Schoolbus," and later, as an adult going in to teaching, I wanted to emulate her creativity and spunk.

Before I began student teaching, a few years back during my original dry spell, in 2013, I sewed a few garments for myself to wear in the upcoming school year. Since these fit the criteria of a post (completed after I started the blog, and something I made), I'll post them now. If I'm not mistaken, these are the last flash-back posts I'll do.

So, low and behold, I present to you my Miss Frizzle skirt!

I used a McCalls pattern, and it took be about two days to get it done. I love this skirt! It fits so wonderfully and is comfortable. The only downside is that there's no pockets!

The wind was acting up quite a bit during this photoshoot, so forgive the nature of the pictures!

In real life, the skirt is actually very seam-lined. There are pleats built into it and ironed out every time I wash it, which I suppose is optional, and it's made with basic cotton fabric.

Linen Skirt

Unfinished Skirt at Stitches

This skirt is not actually made out of Linen yarn, nor does it use the Linen stitch, but it feels like Linen to me, and I like the name and texture, so it stuck.

I started this skirt back in October, after I got some yarn from Nicole in exchange for dog-sitting.  Following the Carnaby Skirt pattern, which is gorgeous, and I had been looking for an excuse to make a similar skirt, and here was this lovely yarn!

I added 4 stitches to the skirt to increase the length by one box-stitch repeat, and did 17 repeats of the pleats, but when I blocked it, it ended up being 6-8 inches too long around the waist.

I tried to fix this by only attaching one button, hoping that it would curve out and work well.  It didn't, but I wore it to the second day of Stitches WEST anyway, because I could, but never wore it again.

Until recently!

With the advice I got from my SnB-ers at Stitches, I decided to add some extra single-crochet rounds to the top to make it fit better.  The pattern had already called for two, so on going back, I started with the third, in which I did a single-crochet-2-together stitch in the center of each pleat.

I followed this with another single-crochet only band.  Then, on the next row, I did a single-crochet-2-together at each end, and also did a chain-1 and skipped a stitch to make an extra button-hole.  Ending on another single-crochet only band, I added the buttons, and I absolutely love the result.  Fits beautifully!

Ravelry Project

Christmas Skirt!

I am unbelievably excited to show you my Christmas Skirt from this year!  I knit it on size 3 needles, using a center-out shawl pattern called Evenstar Shawl, and leaving out the center.  The yarn was 2-ply thread-weight yarn that I got at the Article Pract closing sale back in October, and it was teeny!  It took me at least 60 hours, and I am SO pleased with it!

I had originally intended to knit in the other direction, as well, to make a tank-top dress, but I love it how it is, and I'm honestly not ready to pick up that yarn again.  It was so tiny it just hurt my eyes! xD

Ravelry Project

Patchwork Skirt

A few years ago, I bought a strapless dress at a handmade craft shop on the beach in Maine.  Since then, I've grown four inches and washed it enough times that not only does my rear hang out the back when I bend over, but even the ribbons I sewed on after the elastic shot are themselves shot.  Besides, I like skirts better.

So I planned to make it into a skirt.  The only problem was that I didn't have any elastic.  Instead, I took the (shot) elastic from the top of the dress, sewed it to the (shot) elastic at the meeting betweent the patchwork and the bustline, and pinned and sewed it all the way around.  It's a little loose, and soon I'll probably cut that off and sew normal waistband elastic on, but in the mean time, it looks like this!