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!