Aubrey in Stitches

(Amy ... I totally stole your line!)

As in, the joy of sewing. I began sewing again recently; I started small. I needed blankets for Maria that were extremely lightweight. She needed to be wrapped up often to keep the breeze off, or to provide a little more warmth but not the warmth that flannel or fleece gave her. Sometimes, she just needs a little sun protection. I bought a yard each of six different fabrics (started with three but discovered that she spit up on them regularly) and hemmed the edges. Simple.

While I was in the midst of this project, my 30 year old Singer hand-me-down kicked the bucket. The shop said they could fix it for $130 or I could buy a new one.

My sister-in-law Carrie lent me her sewing machine while she was in Mexico/California so I could finish my projects. Thanks, Carrie! Using Carrie's machine for a few weeks showed me how easy it was to sew with a newer machine (even though she said hers is nearly 20 years old).

While I had Carrie's machine, Jeremy spotted Madeleine swinging on the swing outside in a long pink and orange skirt (as pictured) from Gymboree. He commented on how beautiful she looked in her skirt and how much he liked it when the girls wore long skirts. But the skirt cost $28 and that's a bit steep for a skirt.

I wanted the girls to please their dad and he was right: they look so feminine and pretty when they wear skirts. At that moment, the things I learned from my mother came flooding back to me. She began teaching me how to sew when I was young, maybe 8 or 10. She is an excellent seamstress.

I decided to tackle this two ways--scraps and fresh fabric. First, I had my brother-in-law's old button up shirts that he gave away. I liked the fabric so much that I kept them for scraps rather than give them to Goodwill. Second, I wanted the girls to have matching skirts anyway, for their grandparents' anniversary party which needed to match hot pink shirts that each girl cousin planned on wearing (see picture). I took the girls to the fabric store and we picked out several yards of different fabrics that I would use to make simple skirts and panel skirts.

With Carrie's machine, I made several skirts. Then Jeremy said it was time for me to go get my own machine! I headed back to the sewing store and picked out a brand new Janome. Whoooo-eee! What a difference 30 years makes! The bobbin cover is clear, so I can see how much thread is on the bobbin all the time! The left part of the machine base slides off so that I can easily sew a waistband or sleeve cuff (when I get that far). It's so cool. Now I'm really having fun! These are the two skirts I made this afternoon, at each girl's request. Yes, horses, seriously. I decided to use buttons to distinguish one girl's skirt from the other, since I have made several matching skirts. Morgan's skirts will have a heart button sewed on the waist. Madeleine's will have a star button. I sew the buttons through the elastic to hold it in place. These skirts cost roughly $5 to make and take very little time.To use Joel's shirts, I cut them apart as near the seams as I could get. This yielded some square-ish pieces and some longer strips. I left the buttons and pockets on. Using fabric from two different shirts, I laid it, matching the already hemmed edges together and sewed up the sides. Then I cut across the uneven top of the piece, folded it down, and sewed the top for elastic. I added the elastic, closed it up, and VOILA, a skirt.