skirt of choice

It was a good thing we went to the beach on Friday 'cause this weekend was a scorcher and the beaches were packed. On Friday, we had a large surrounding area all to ourselves...maybe it had something to do with being in the flight path of the military base nearby. We actually thought it was cool to be able to see the underbellies of the jets flying by.

I retreated to the air-conditioned shop at Sowing Sisters for the Skirt of Choice workshop yesterday. Great instructors and service at this shop! Plus, they carry lots of Amy Butler fabrics. I chose the Barcelona layered skirt and used the fabric I picked up last weekend in L.A. I wear A-line skirts all the time and figured it'd be more fun searching for fabrics for a skirt rather than the skirt itself. This skirt is so easy to make especially since the dark printed fabric was so forgiving of not showing any of my stitching flaws.

I don't have a zipper foot (that I know of), so Kerri showed me how to put it on using one of the shop's Janome machines. I want one! They're so smooth and quiet with so many stitch options. I figure I'll learn a bit more on my Brother XL-5600 I picked up at Target a couple of years ago, then upgrade my machine when I can actually put all the bells and whistles to work.

We simply followed the instructions for the zipper from its package and on the pattern and...it worked! My first zipper installed and demistified. Kerri also showed me that my machine has a built in threading system. No more squinting to get the thread through that needle. whoo-hoo!

Making the muslin lining was a cinch! It's the same pattern for the A-line skirt. I don't think I'll have a shortage of skirts this summer.