I absolutely love vintage shapes in skirts. I especially love flirty, knee-length skirts.

That pretty much sums up Vogue 8882.

Kellie sent me this pattern last spring and, as perfect as it is, I've been reluctant to get going with it.

The main reason? It requires a whopping five yards of fabric! That's a heckuva lot of fabric!

But, this past week, I decided to stop procrastinating and start making.

Originally, I thought that I'd use a beautiful embroidered border fabric. Clearly, that wouldn't work here because this is essentially a circle skirt.

Instead, I decided upon some pretty pink-dotted swiss that I've had in my collection of fabric for about 8 years.

I actually had five yards of this on hand... I'm not really sure why... big sale, maybe?

Anywho... It was way too shear to use on its own so I did have to make a fabric purchase - four yards of lining fabric. The lining was the only alteration that I made to this pattern.

 So, now I have nine yards of fabric in this skirt. In this knee-length skirt.

That's a heckuva lot of fabric!!

It still needs a bit more pressing, but all came together without a hitch...

...except the hem. It's lined in crinoline (which is definitely not the same as tulle, as I've been informed). Have you ever lined the hem of a garment?

I'm not saying it was hard to assemble, but the blind hem was a bit tricky to put in. Especially considering the volume of this skirt.

A little bit of puckering here and there has me debating over tearing it out and starting over.

I'm wondering if this lined hem is even necessary with this shear-ish fabric. What do you think? My inexperience is showing...

Overall, this was a simple pattern. I would definitely make it again, but with a more substantial fabric. Something with more body. I was glad to use the dotted swiss for this and free up some space in my studio.

Next on my list is Simplicity 1877, Dress B.

Once the weather warms and I can get outside, I promise to model a few of these new frocks so you can see the fit and styling of each. With snow still falling, I'm completely unmotivated!

After battling a long and very hard winter, we were blessed with a blissful day of sunshine and 50 degree temps on Friday.

It was a welcome reminder that spring is on the way! Spring means camping and lots of time outdoors. It also means pretty dresses... flowy tops... bright prints... All things that I've missed all winter and things that I LOVE to sew. Naturally, I was inspired to dig into my vintage fabric collection and break out the sewing machine.

 My pattern of choice was the Anna Tunic by Amy Butler.

This is the second time I've made this pattern. I made the dress version back in 2009.

I decided to go with a tunic this time. I am so pleased with the results! I think this top actually turned out better than the dress. Maybe it was due to my prior experience with this pattern.

I made minor changes to the pattern by omitting the body lining and the belt. I also added a bias trim with the yellow print to the yoke.

While I'm in no shape today to model the top, I plan to style it with a wide leather belt.

What makes this top special are the fabrics. They belonged to my grandmother. Because of their age, I was a bit apprehensive about moving forward with them. Would they hold up? I laundered them first and they maintained their body so I plowed onward.

With the completion of this project, I feel like I'm back in the swing of things. I'm planning to start this skirt, Vogue 8882, this week. I have a lovely pin dot cotton with an embroidered border that was made for a flowy skirt like this.

So looking forward to warm temps, fun fashion, and bare legs. Spring can't get here soon enough!

My oldest son had to tag along to work with me on Friday.

Poor guy...

I sent him out for a walk and he promptly returned carrying a four leaf clover that he found.

He was so excited! He spent the rest of the afternoon telling everyone about it and dreaming of the many things he might wish for.

Even though this clover has seen better days, my son still wanted to preserve it. We decided to create a charm for his backpack. A "lucky charm."

I pulled out a few trusty supplies... a 1.5" glass dome, cardstock, bails, lobster clasp, findings... We added a penny for a little extra "luck."

To seal the clover behind the glass, I  followed the same procedure outlined for my Happy Magnets. Check out that post for full instructions (and another fun project!).

After patiently waiting for it all to dry, we were anxious to put it all together and...

Ta-da!

Imagine how cute this would be with a GREEN four leaf clover!

As always, the best part about this project was collaborating with my son. I'm constantly challenging him to think creatively about materials.

I could be shaping a creative genius or manic hoarder.

He's actually been taking weekly art classes with a local arts alliance and he's been so inspired. He's learning to weave with plastic bags... printmaking with Styrofoam plates... the importance of daydreaming for the creative process...

Here's one of his printmaking projects. His house is the one in the immediate foreground, followed by his classmates' additions. I just love this!

What thrills my heart the most are the conversations we have after class. He is always so proud to learn new skills and discover new talent.

"Mommy, art class is awesome!"

I wholeheartedly agree.

It was a rickety, dated-looking, nasty carpet-covered mess.

Of all of the projects we've tackled in this home, the entry-way staircase has really been a challenge to complete.

It was in such bad shape that we simply cut out the bottom post to get some of our furniture upstairs when we moved in.

{We won't contemplate any plan of action for moving furniture out right now, okay?}

I really wanted to open the wall to expose the treads and update the overall look with wrought iron.

We decided that this was too big of a task to handle on our own. We wanted it done right so we started interviewing contractors in March of last year. I repeat, March of last year.

We had four different contractors come out to look at the job and no one called us back to give us a quote! When the fifth contractor came, I made him promise (out loud and with a pinky swear) to call us back.

Nothing.

Same story with the sixth contractor.

The seventh contractor called us back, but presented us with an astronomically high number.  Like, I'm-sending-you-a-passive-aggressive-message high number. Thousands more than we budgeted.

I get it, I suppose. It's a small job. No one wants to tie up their time on a small job. But extend the courtesy of telling us that, rather than disappearing all together. I've never been so frustrated with a home renovation project.

But that's quite enough whining from me!!!

Just when I thought we'd never get this job done, we met Mr. Snyder. Not found via the internet or phone book, he came highly recommended through a local hardware store. He was truly a God-send.

He worked alone for the better part of two weeks and accomplished what we thought was going to be impossible.

Take a look...

The quality and craftsmanship is really astounding. 

We count this project as a major victory, especially considering how hard it was to get it going.

We're wrapping up the master bathroom this month. I can't wait to share photos of that renovation!