Hand Towels

What have I been doing you ask? (Or maybe you didn't.... )

I've been busy with this and that. 

Messing around with some other stuff...

It's just that blogging about it has seemed a bit beyond my capabilities lately. 

Sorry.

 In an effort to kick-start myself back into gear, I am sharing a couple of hand towels I made from a 

Denyse Schmidt fabric (DS03pineywoods) that I stole from Jessica.

 I embellished them with mini pom-pom trim and rick-rack.

Shown hanging from my new hooks courtesy of the clearance bin at our local Anthro store. There were three,  none exactly the same color. I guess that's why no one wanted them?

 Made me happy.

Didn't mean to be gone so long

It was a long week. It was a good week. It was a not so good week. For those of you who dropped by Wednesday after seeing me here and here thank you! I was hard at work getting more things done but was having some difficulty getting things photographed and posted.

Thank goodness for weekends.

I am not a sports fan but when the world cup happens and the weather is good, it's fun to go sit outside and watch a game or two. It's fun to watch people get crazy. Seriously crazy. This place is a short walk from our apartment. I'll miss it.

 I've had this toile for years (thanks Sherie). I'd been wanting to make it into a skirt but was having trouble thinking of a shirt I had to wear with it. Kelly wore her Cabo halter last week and a light went on. I made mine with Kona Cotton in a shade of blue that I've forgotten.
The skirt is Simplicity 8664. I did a bias trim for the hem because I cut it a bit shorter than I meant to. Mistake? Opportunity?
This detail is around the top of the skirt. I pulled the facing up just enough to make it look like cording. It may never be seen but I know it's there and I like it! By the way, I used my ever quickly dwindling supply of Wonder Tape for both zipper applications. The skirt was a sort of lapped version ( sorry totally meant to take a close up) and the shirt has an invisible zip. It was wonderful for both. Seriously, as Jess said, it changes lives. Well, mine anyway.

Three more of the shirred skirts. Two for Jess, one for me. Hers are out of Hope Valley by Denyse Schmidt and mine is Pastry Line voile from Anna Maria Horner.

Last and maybe least is a project that turned out differently than I had planned. Not bad, just different. I took a tank cut it off and attached the voile skirt. I did five rows of shirring around the bodice and skirt to give it a more fitted look. If I had a garden, this would be my gardening dress. Right now I have scaffolding, a dying rose and soon to be very, very bright yellow walls outside.

Dear Summer,

Please stay through August, I have a new top to share with you! Yes, it's the smocked dress from Weekend Sewing adapted for me. I used a bit of my stash of Katie Jump Rope by Denyse Schmidt. I was fun to make ( thanks for the tips Jennifer), it's comfortable and I really like it.

I finally finished binding this quilt. I started it only 5 months ago. After sewing on the binding on, it took 7 more hours to complete the hand sewing. I timed it. I used a free pattern from AMH and the fabric line, Metro Blue Goes Green.

I really liked sleeping under it last night.

~

More later.