Sew Sunday

I took a break from knitting today and instead took up my needle and thread and hand finished the skirt I started some months ago...

Apologies for the naff photo - it is draped over the trunk in my living room here.  I used a vintage 1990s pattern for this A-line, drawstring waist skirt, hand stitched the black lines around the hem, with black knitting cotton and knitted a black cotton corsage out of the same yarn to decorate the waist - I sewed a large black coat button, reclaimed from an old coat, in the centre of the corsage.  This skirt is based on one I saw in The Guardian's weekend style pages some years ago, and I always thought it wouldn't be too hard to recreate, and would look nice with a black top and black boots.  I have a theatre trip next weekend, and might just wear it at that, if I can make it work.  The white fabric is embossed curtain material, and it's lined with a light cotton.  I have tons of this white curtain fabric, and am dreaming of making this out of the rest:

This is Amy Butler's Rainy Days pattern; although there are a few other trench coat patterns out there as well that I am considering, as I find AB's patterns rather overly-fiddly.  I am a fairly beginning sewer, and rather unorthodox as I use a vintage machine and lots of hand sewing, so I asked my big sister for advice on the phone today, and she suggested making a lightweight shirt first - a good suggestion which I think I will do.

Following completing the skirt, I worked for a while on my quilting project - a wall hanging t-shirt quilt of my husband's many travel t-shirts.  I only did a little on this, as we took advantage of the fine autumn afternoon to do a little gardening, and take a walk out in the fresh country air.

This weekend I can also report that I picked up my spindle again, and spun a little, although knitting has been slow.  I am rethinking my yarn choice for my current WIP - the Northampton Neckerchief - as the wool yarn is very scratchy against the skin and the neckerchief is designed to be worn, of course, against the neck.  So that project has stalled, and instead I am knocking out another Classic Beret, from Jenny Lord's Purls of Wisdom for Karina's mum, who saw Karina wearing hers and loved it, while thinking about what to do next...