Yesterday, while wondering what to do with myself, I decided it was the perfect day to sew a skirt. I can never find skirts I like. Ever. So, I decided to pull out my mom's old sewing machine and look up a pattern on etsy.
I hadn't touched a sewing machine since last summer, when I inopportunely decided to make a dress on the eve of flying to Rome. So, there was some relearning to do (like, how to wind a bobbin). The most difficult part, however, was that the pattern wasn't really a pattern, but a template from which you draft a pattern yourself. So, I ended up spending a significant amount of time on the floor with newspaper. There were also no directions, so you had to channel your inner 50's housewife and magically know how all the pieces fit together, how to make a waistband, where to put the zipper, etc.
The end result was definitely worth it (it sits at the natural waist and has pockets!). The technique for drafting the pattern allowed me to make it precisely to my measurements and it helped me learn a little bit about pattern drafting. (Next, I hope to make a pattern from well-loved clothes that need to be retired.)
I also made matching Hardly Alice-inspired gloves with some random lace and ribbon I had in the closet.
