Fabulous Free Pattern Friday

Welcome to Friday! Today's little pattern idea is another so, so simple skirt. If you do decide to do the skirt, it may take a little detective work on your part as there is the under skirt which is a 1/4 circular skirt which coordinates with two scarves. Scarf panels are available at the fabric store. Many times we pass them by as we aren't sure what we would do with them. My two pieces of fabric did not come together, in fact I bought the scarf panels at one store and the skirt fabric at another.

This skirt idea is a favorite of mine as the outer skirt flies away from the body as you walk and the under skirt skims the body very nicely.

In the picture below you can see that the two scarves were sewn together in the back. An opening was left at the top so I can get to the zipper which is in the under skirt.

In the next two pictures you see the over skirt pulled back and the under skirt is more visible.

Quite a while back, we talked about circular skirts on Free Pattern Friday, but I think the 1/4 circular skirt is worth going over a little more in depth.

The equation for finding your waistline circumference is;

Your waist measurement x 2/3. 

So, if your waist measurement is 30", multiply that by 2/3 and the result will be 20. 

Begin with a right angle as you see below. From the apex, measure down 20" from one side to the other.   

This will be your waistline.

From the waistline, measure down your desired length as you see below. This time you will measure down from the waistline.

Keep in mind that you are drafting the entire skirt, so this will result in a pattern piece that will be your entire skirt. As you see below, the top and side lines will become your center back lines. Be sure to add seam allowance to your waistline as well as the 2 center back lines and any extra that you would like for your hem.

The final pattern. If you mark one of the center back lines as your straight of grain, keep in mine that the other line will be on the crosswise grain. Also note that the center front will be on the bias. This is not an issue, just a matter of note.

Unless you have a very wide piece of fabric, your pattern piece will probably be too large to cut and have only one seam. Divide the piece in half. 

Now you will have front and back pattern pieces. The grain line is really up to you. The center front and center back can be on the straight of grain as you see below. Just keep in mind that the side seams will now be on the bias. If you are working with a stripe, your fabric, and how you want the final skirt to look will determine where you place your grainline.  

There is an advantage to cutting the 1/4 circular skirt into 2 pieces. It will give you the ability to alter the waistline a little more easily. If you leave it in 1 piece, you can still alter the waistline, but you will only be able to make it smaller and you will have darts on either side. 

As you can see with my skirt, the scarf panels do not meet at center front. Once you have made the 1/4 circular skirt, try it on and determine where you would like your panels to end. The opening between my panels is about 5". Gather the panels and attach at the waistline.

 My ties do not go all the way around the waistline. There is a seam in the waistband at the panel line.

Each of my ties are 27" long. Insert them into the seams which are on either side of the panels.

 Remember to leave an opening in the center back of your two panels in order to get to the zipper.

This skirt took about 3 hours to make from start to finish. It's really quite easy.

I will post a picture of me in the skirt a little later today. I am off for a hair appointment. Once I return, I will look a little better than something the dog drug home, which is how I look right now! Yikes!!!

Have a wonderful day!!

Rhonda

The Building Of A Dress

Now that the quilt is finished, I can start to concentrate on a dress for me to wear to the zoo ball. 

Last year I wore this dress. I call this my Starry, Starry Night Van Gogh dress.

It also reminds me of Edvard Munch's The Scream.

I especially like the back. If you would like, you can see the post I did on this dress here.

The year before I wore what I call my Bride of Elvis Dress, Elvis Presley that is. The theme of the ball that year was Rock and Roar. Wow, has my hair grown!

You may notice that my husband's outfit remains the same. You can see my post on that dress here.

So, now, what do I do this year?

I have this piece of floral chiffon. While I was out for a drive with my husband, my mind began to wonder and I thought of a design for my dress. Believe it or not, it all started around the concept of a rectangle. What else?!! So I came home and started to drape.

One rectangle around the shoulders.

And then I took two rectangles and started draping them around the bust. Of course I'll need a foundation piece underneath, but I have the basic design of my dress started. 

Just for draping purposes, I stopped the fabric at center back. For the real dress, I'll have an opening on the side. Much easier to get into by myself. I learned the hard way that having my husband help me get dressed is not the most optimum way of beginning a night out, if you know what I mean. It can lend itself to a very quiet ride to wherever we happen to be going. So I've learned, put the zipper in the side and keep everyone happy.  

The skirt is going to be a floaty, full skirt. 

Now I need to get to work!

Have a wonderful day.

Independence Day For Me

Last week I showed you the quilt top that I had been working on for the Zoo Ball Silent Auction. As I said, I don't think I have ever sewn so many 1/4" seams in my life.

I had thought that if I could get some more of the red and white piping that I would edge the pieced squares with that and then use a line of the yellow and finally finish it off with the blue and white daises. Well, as luck would have it, no more red and white striped piping. Okay, so plan B.

As of just a few minutes ago.......Ta Da!!!!! The quilt is finished. I am so happy to have this finished. Sooo happy. I tip my hat to all of you who quilt on a regular basis. Man alive, what a lot of work and mine is just simply quilted.  

I am very happy with it though. So much so that my husband was right, it's going to be a little difficult to give it away :(

Rather than the red and white piping, I had some red and white check vintage fabric so I decided to use it instead.

All that I still need to do is add a label. I'll do that later tonight. I had one last little applique piece so I hand stitched her on to the back and I'll stitch my label next to her.

Now on to the rocker. I need a break though. This will have to wait a couple of days.
To those of you who quilt, I hope that your quilts go to people who really appreciate your work. I put a pretty big value amount on this auction grouping and I'm glad I did. Again, I really tip my hat to all of you who quilt on a regular basis. You are incredible!

Helga Comes To Life

The last Wednesday of March I showcased The Knit Machine Queen and Kitty of Kitty's Brand Spankin' New Costume Blog.

Earlier this evening I had some really wonderful news from a friend. Isn't it wonderful when you are able to share in someone's joy? Well, when I turned on my computer this evening I saw that Kitty had a new post and what  a wonderful post it is.

You may remember that she had drawn this piece for her project.

 The pencil drawing,

 and the colored in version.

 A few months ago Kitty posted her progress, the skeleton of her creation. Incredible!

And now today, the big reveal. How incredible!!!

You can see how the actor wears the piece.

And now for all the good news.............Kitty finished her creation that she now calls Helga. Helga was featured on the BBC website. You can see that here. Make sure to take note of the caption below the picture. Kitty's creation will be used at the start of the Olympic sailing events. How exciting!!

The costumes will be used in performances at the start of the Olympic and Paralympic sailing events.

So Kitty finished Helga, an incredible accomplishment and has gained recognition for her creation and to top it all off, she just graduated!!!!!!!!!!!!! Congratulations Kitty! I know you are going to set the world on fire. I've never met her but I am so very proud of her.

Sunday Night Reflections

Do you think that love, in order to be genuine, has to be extraordinary? What we need is to love without getting tired. How does a lamp burn? Through the continuous input of small drops of oil. If the drops of oil run out, the light of the lamp will cease, and the bridegroom will say, "I do not know you." (Matthew 25:12)

What are these drops of oil in our lamps? They are the small things of daily life: faithfulness, punctuality, small words of kindness, a thought for others, our way of being silent, of looking, of speaking, and of acting.
These are the true drops of love...
Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.
                                                                                                       Mother Teresa

Sunday Brunch

No Sunday Brunch today. Well, actually there was, it was in a restaurant though. Just too warm to heat up the house. So in the spirit of staying cool, I decided to make Strawberry Paletas. My nephew gave me this wonderful book along with the molds for Christmas this past year. I'm really lucky as he always tries to find the most interesting and unique things for me.

 The book is filled with the most interesting paletas, or Mexican Ice Pops. Above is a Hibiscus-Raspberry  Paleta.

This one looks so very good. It's Sour Cream, Cherry and Tequilla Paletas. Yum!

Or how about this one? Yogurt and Blackberry Paletas.

There are also recipes for shaved ices like this Spicey Mango Ice,

and this Pomegranate Shaved Ice.
There is another section filled with drinks, many using horchata which is a rice milk and by the way, wonderful.
I looked the book up on Amazon, you can find the book here if you are interested. All of the reviews were good. One reviewer said, "Really, $11.00 for the secrets of freezing &!@#!!! My spouse's exact words after getting the invoice as we share an account; he would have never known but I got this via kindle. I've only just made the spicy pineapple, but it was seriously mind blowing. Our friend has made us some paletas from this book and they were equally as delicious and unique. The BEST $11 dollars I have spent in a while. You should get this book NOW. You won't regret it." As I said earlier, lucky me, it was a gift as I would not have thought to buy the book.
Today I decide to make the Strawberry Paletas.

The recipe is so simple. Begin with 4 cups of strawberries that have been washed, hulled and quartered. Pour 3/4 cup of sugar over the strawberries(You could probably use splenda if you are concerned about the sugar) and allow to sit for about 30 minutes so that the strawberries will begin to release their natural juices.

Combine strawberries with 1/2 cup of water and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the strawberries have softened.

Add the juice of one lemon.

The recipe says to pour the mixture into a blender or food processor, I used my wand as I did not want the berries to be blended too fine.

Pour the mixture into molds(I was a bit messy!). If you don't have molds, you can use a glass or any other container that you would like. Allow the mixture to set for about 1 to 2 hours and then insert the popsicle sticks and then return to the freezer.

If using a conventional mold, snap on the lid and add the sticks now. Place in the freezer for approximately 4 to 5 hours, and then presto chango.......

you have a delious frozen treat!
Once again, if you are on my side of the world, I hope you're staying cool and if you are on the other side of the world, put this recipe away for a few months.
Hope you are all having a lovely Sunday whether your temperatures are hot or cold. Right about now I'm dreaming of a trip to New Zealand for a little skiing. Too bad, it's just not in the cards for now!
Happy Sunday Everyone!
Rhonda