The Skirt Of Many Names

The Four Hour Skirt: because that's how long it took me to go from drafted pattern to finished skirt.

The Maxi Skirt: because that's what it is!

The "I Give Up Skirt:" you know, the skirt you can wear when you haven't shaved your legs in a few days and you're still expected to look semi-decent even though you don't feel half alive.

The Mermaid Skirt: this is the name my husband has given it, because he thinks it makes me look like a mermaid. Maybe I should make myself a seashell bra next?

Here's this skirt of many names in all its glory

I made up the pattern myself.

I wore it to a Relief Society activity and had a number of sisters ask me where I bought it. One of them even asked me if I would make her one!

And this is why I sew.

Why My Husband Is Awesome

Well, there are a lot of reasons, but here's a really good one.

My dear husband is not a fashion aficionado. He wears clothes, but doesn't care much what kind of clothes they are (as long as they're not girl's clothes. And they should be comfortable. And not make him look like a gangster.)

So there we were today, chatting about some needed updates to his wardrobe when he comments that for the sake of our budget we probably shouldn't buy Armani clothes.

Wait, did he just mention a designer by name!?

Yes, yes he did. I got kind of excited.

He remembered Armani's name from a discussion earlier about my "Armani shoulders." And that's why my husband is awesome. Because he remembers things that I care about. Even if he doesn't.

Go Sox!

Once upon a time, I had a Red Sox shirt. It was one of those ringer T-shirts where the body and sleeves are white and then the neck and sleeves are bound with navy blue ribbing. And it had my favorite logo on it; just the Sox. Eventually the shirt grew to be too small. It was a sad day. But when you're showing a good 8 inches of undershirt beyond the hem of your T-shirt, it's time to move on.

I couldn't quite bring myself to bring the shirt to Salvation Army or to give it away. I liked the logo too much. So, like a true crafter, I cut the logo off the shirt and told myself I would find a project to use it for. And there it sat in my fabric stash for a couple years. Waiting. Until this project came along....

This Spring term I look a knitwear and swimwear class. I decided this was the time to make use of my saved logo. So I bought me some navy blue and white interlock and made a new Red Sox shirt. A navy and white raglan baseball shirt (fitting, right?) which I sewed my logo onto. It turned out pretty snazzy if I may say so myself. Why don't you take a gander and tell me what you think?

Snazzy, right?

Here are some of the details.

A blurry picture of the vents. I found a stitch on the sewing machine that looked like the stitching on a baseball (it's called a faggoting stitch, it's a decorative applique stitch) so I used it to sew up my vents. You can also see my awesome double needle work on the hem where I used blue and red, because that's a lot more exciting than topstitching on white in white.

Here you can see my less-than-amazing skills at zig-zagging on the logo. You can also see the color difference between the old silk screen and the new interlock.

Another look at my awesome topstitching and the neckline.

If I use this shirt pattern again, I'll probably adjust the armhole depth some (it's a little breezy under there). But the length is just right, after I added two inches to the original pattern! I'd also like longer sleeves, but I didn't buy enough fabric, so I'll have to be more careful next time! All in all, I'm rather fond of it.

So there you have it. A project finished. Check.