DIY Ruffled Petticoat Skirt

One day while surfing Pinterest, I saw the picture below and pinned it to my Sewing Projects Board with the thought: “I love that and I could make skirt #3!…someday…sometime…maybe…when I get some free time…probably never”.
Do you do that too?

One recent Sunday when I was once again playing on Pinterest, this same Pin popped-up.  I started looking at it and decided I would just do it!  I wanted something new to wear the next week anyway.
The pin above is from the blog, Seven Thirty Three, where she is featuring the links to the tutorials for all four skirts in the photo.  I followed the link for Skirt #3 to Alisa Burke’s Petticoat Tutorial.  Isn’t it cute?  I love the vintage look and muted colors…and I wanted a skirt to wear with my knee-high brown boots too!  Alisa’s tutorial is great, but she assumes that the reader knows how to do some basic sewing (like making an elastic waistband) and she uses an old skirt as a pattern.  I did not have an old skirt to use, so I did a quick Google search and found a fantastic A-line Skirt Tutorial (with lots of pics!) on Flickr.  (Photos make me smile in a tutorial!!)  Using Princess Nimble Thimble’s tutorial, I very quickly made a simple skirt out of some leftover muslin and elastic in my craft room.
The original skirt has frayed edges.  I actually love this look, but thought it might be too casual for work and wondered how it would wash.  So, I made my muslin ruffle without a frayed edge.  Rather than hemming the ruffle, I simply cut the strip at double the width, folded it in half, and pressed it well.
The other muslin layer is a thicker, darker muslin that I did allow to fray.
After digging through all of my scrap fabric, I did not have enough to finish the skirt, so I had to put it aside for a few days…then, inspiration hit…I decided not to make more ruffles on my own.  I cheated!  I purchased ruffled lace…4” white and 5” ivory.  They were both inexpensive and on-sale at Hobby Lobby that week…yay! 
I love the way my version turned out and it was so fun to wear.  I paired it with an ivory tank top, tan cardigan, ivory tights, pearls, and my brown boots.  Several people (even strangers) commented on the skirt & outfit…a Pinterest success, I think! Two people used the word “sassy” to describe it…..not a word that is used to describe me or my clothes ever, but I’ll take it! 

Lesson learned:  Skirts are easy!  I definitely want to make more in the future….maybe a few more that I’ve pinned and never attempted.

How about you?  What have you made lately?








This post is linked to:
http://peacoatsandplaid.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-gfc-collective-blog-hop-15.html
http://www.homemakeronadime.com/2013/01/creative-bloggers-party-hop-95.html
http://www.creativelylivingblog.com/2013/01/monday-funday-2.html
http://www.craft-o-maniac.com/2013/01/craft-o-maniac-monday-with-byob.html
http://www.thegirlcreative.com/2013/01/just-something-i-whipped-up-no-141.html
http://www.keepingitsimplecrafts.com/2013/01/motivate-me-monday-157.html
http://www.bystephanielynn.com/2013/01/the-sunday-showcsae-party-no-136.html

Spindle Angels

I haven’t blogged in so very long…and I’ve missed it!  Life has just been busy and I’ve hardly had time to craft, much less to sit and write about crafting.  Boo!  I am really going to make an effort to get back to it though, so here goes…

I promised to write a little something about my Upcycled Spindle Angels that I made for the Christmas craft show.These were based on an idea that popped into my head after making a DIY Dragonfly using a table leg and fan blades.  My son was talking about all of the other things we could make with the table legs and I immediately thought…an angel!  I headed down to my favorite place for treasure hunting, SA Architectural Antiques, and was pleasantly surprised to find a huge selection of wooden spindles ON SALE for $1.00/each!!  How can you pass that up?
The spindles were whitewashed and sanded because I wanted them to look rustic.  The wings were the challenge.  I walked around Home Depot and searched online for ideas, but could not find what I wanted.  Finally, I went to my tried-and-true chicken wire!  This worked and was in keeping with the rustic style I had envisioned. 
However, I made another trip downtown to pick-up more spindles and as I was walking toward the register…I saw it:  Antique Tin Ceiling Trim!!  So cool!  I can’t decide which I like better.
These were fun to put together and rather quick (once I figured out what I was doing).  For the chicken wire wings, I cutout a large heart shape using wire snips and then folded/rolled-in the sharp ends.  For the trim work wings, I again used my tin snips to cut the shape I wanted.  For both the chicken wire and the tin, I found that short wood screws worked best for securing them to the spindles, although heavy duty staples worked (I found them harder to work with by myself.).The fun thing, is that these can stand on a mantel or be hung on the wall.  I just love them and had one in my entry nook for Christmas and have one on top of my entertainment center now year-round.















If I ever get around to actually opening my Etsy Shop, these will definitely be in there.
Have a great week!








This post is linked to:
http://www.homemakeronadime.com/2013/01/creative-bloggers-party-hop-94.html
http://www.craft-o-maniac.com/2013/01/craft-o-maniac-monday-link-up.html
http://www.creativelylivingblog.com/2013/01/monday-funday.html
http://www.thegirlcreative.com/2013/01/just-something-i-whipped-up-no-140-and.html
http://www.niftythriftythings.com/2013/01/nifty-thrifty-sunday-92.html
http://tatertotsandjello.com/2013/01/weekend-wrap-up-party-and-cha-surprise-box-giveaway.html
http://www.bedifferentactnormal.com/2013/01/show-tell-saturday-011213.html
http://www.keepingitsimplecrafts.com/2013/01/motivate-me-monday-156.html
http://www.skiptomylou.org/2013/01/14/made-by-you-monday-and-build-your-blog-conference-giveaway/