Cal Patch Sew Along

I just finished my skirt from Cal Patch's A-line skirt sew-along. I know what you're thinking...another A-line! I really like the simple style and it suits vintage fabrics really well. I'm so pleased to have a pattern that fits me perfectly that I'll use again and again.  Even with a drafting background from landscape design I find pattern making challenging.  I can picture what a tree or plant will look like in the landscape when I see it on paper, but body contours are completely different to draw up.  Cal was so patient in class and explained every step and why lines and shapes that looked counter-intuitive would work when the fabric was cut and sewn.  I liked her explantion of darts 'They're cones for boobs and butts'!  

Here I am above drafting the pattern in Cal Patch's Design Your Own Clothes workshop at the Makerie. Photo credit above Linda Winski.

The completed pattern... ready to cut out the muslin. The muslin fit perfectly, no adjustments needed.

Cutting out the fabric at my Sew Melbourne group at Can Do Books. My tassel necklace sure gets around!  I discovered when I tried on the skirt that heavy fabrics really need to be mushed down on the fold after you lay the pattern on top. The fold was a bit bulky and ended up adding a few centimetres to the front waistline. I took in the darts a bit and a little from the sides to fix it. I ran up the street and got a dress zipper at  Langknitt,  a lovely neighborhood shop that still sells haberdashery.  The fabric is a vintage bark-cloth from Urban Burp.

Getty Center Garden in LA

More pics from my trip to the US last month. This is the always inspiring Central Garden at the Getty Center, designed by Robert Irwin with horticultural consulting by Jim Duggan.