Thursday, October 25, 2012

Ottobre 03/2004-13 top and 03/2011-20 patchwork skirt

At Sewing Summit, there was a whole lot of quilting going on. As you all know, I am more emphatically NOT a quilter. While I admire the beauty of a well pieced top, I do not have the patience for perfect corners. But last year, we got these cute charm packs from Oliver & S. So this year, I took advantage of some of the open sewing time at Sewing Summit (where I was surrounded by amazing quilters) to attempt a little simple strip piecing.
Which I made into a skirt, because that is what I do.
I pieced the strips totally randomly, interspersing the Oliver & S charm squares with some Kona cotton solid squares that were also part of our swag last year. Then I gathered the strips like tiers into a twirly ruffled skirt.I used the "Funky Stripes" skirted leggings pattern from the 03/2011 issue of Ottobre to make a pair of little shorts for under the skirt (just like this one) and attached the skirt and shorts to the elastic waistband per the pattern. I bound the hem rather than turning it under, partly to preserve the length, but also because I thought it gave it a quilt-y sort of look that was fun with the patchwork.
Naturally, a new skirt needs a new top. And I had a couple of charm squares left. The top pattern is from the 03/2004 issue of Ottobre. I really love my older issues for great basic shapes. This top has a slight a-line and the sleeves have a bit of a flare that is accentuated with a tiny bit of shirring below the elbow. For the applique, I just turned the three squares on the bias. They came already pinked, so I just left them raw and stitched around them just inside the pinking with a narrow zigzag.
Myra was not in the mood for pictures today, but a little help from Duncan and at least she didn't scowl at me. As I have noted with prior early Otto patterns, the top did run a little wide. I just used a wider seam allowance in the body, but left the extra volume in the sleeves. It still has a pretty loose fit.
Linked up over at The Train to Crazy, Make it Wear it blog party!

9 comments:

Karin said...

It looks very sweet on her! Nice use of the patchwork squares.

Karin said...

It looks sweet on her! Nice use of the patchwork squares.

Cindy said...

I feel the same way about quilting...I appreciate the art but don't have the patience for the perfect sewing.;)

Cute outfit! I like how you used some of the squares on the top too.

Marjie said...

It's a cute outfit. Good thing you had Duncan to lighten Myra's mood. They're very cute together.

Mary said...

Thanks for sharing the adorable pic! Nice work for a non quilter :-)

gwensews said...

That's a terribly cute patchwork skirt. Nice sewing.

Kristy Chan said...

I'm not a quilter either, but that skirt is lovely and the matching applique on the top is perfect. I've made the mistake of looking at your blog with my daughter sitting beside me, so now she wants that outfit too!

Andrea from The Train To Crazy said...

Cute! I love patchwork stuff but I never make it. I really should. So worth it!

Suzanne said...

So cute! But them I'm a little partial to patchwork ;)