Arielle meets Astoria

At the beginning of March it snowed so hard that the world slowed down for a few days. We cosied up at home and ate lots of homemade soup and stews. With outside plans cancelled I suddenly had extra sewing hours which had me whooping with joy. For a while I'd had a picture in my head of a colourful barkcloth mini skirt and I kept kicking myself for not having saved a piece of my favourite floral mustard cloth. Ah well, move on Lisa, there's always more cloth. As I'd already made three Tilly and the Buttons Arielle Skirts in a knee length, I knew I loved this pattern and it's shape suited my style so this was the one I chose. I had a good search in my stash cupboard for a bright barkcloth and as the mini version can just about be squeezed out of a metre of cloth I had a few choose from.  

I also decided to line this skirt as barkcloth can go a bit saggy stretched tightly across a bum. 

Another search in the cupboard and I found this cotton that I'd won as part of a bundle from Higgs and Higgs in the Cosie Cardi Challenge on Instagram hosted by The Stitch Sisters.

Cloth picked I got on with the stitchery business.  Arielle is a quick and enjoyable skirt to make and I loved every minute of sewing it. I made another mini Arielle a week later which shows how much I love it.

Skirt all finished I found just enough cream vintage buttons in my tin to to give it the final touch and make sure it didn't fall off too. I wore it the next day for a pre-Mother's day outing with my girls and felt good wearing it. 

Paired with an Alice Temperley jumper that I'd altered at the back as I didn't like the loose back flap and Rosey's cast off shoes I was super pleased with the bright pop of colour my new skirt gave this outfit. 

 

A week later I was picking cloth to make secret outfits for Millie's upcoming 16th at the end of March. I chose a starry baby cord to make a Tilly and the Buttons Cleo dress and then just after she spotted a cord online that she really liked and hinted that would make a great Cleo. Hmmm, my cogs started whirring as I thought this starry cord goes brilliantly with the blue sweatshirt I'd also bought to make an Astoria jumper. Another mini Arielle was planned and to line this one I chose a quilting cotton that had been sitting for years feeling unloved in my stash cupboard. 

It had been waiting for this moment to shine it seems as the colours work perfectly together. I even found the just right buttons in my bottomless button tin.

I thought the name of this cloth was lovely too, so I cut a piece from the selvedge to sew into the waistband. 

This skirt is as lovely to wear as the barkcloth Arielle, but for some reason the lining sticks to my legs making the skirt puff out on my bum. Solution, I have to wear a slip underneath to stop stickage and looking all pouffy and odd.

Now before I show you the skirt in all its glory I'm going to tell you about a great pattern that I've wanted to make for a while now. I added this pattern to my Makenine2018 list on instagram and I'm slowly ticking each of my wish list makes off it. 

The Astoria Jumper by Seamworks appealed to me as I love how it sits at the waist, making it perfect for high waisted skirts like Arielle and for wearing over frocks too. I bought this as a pdf which I do with all the Indie patterns I use. I think it's the impatient one in me as once I decide I'm going to make something, I want to get on with it then and there, not wait for the postie to bring it to me.

As with all knits, this was a lovely quick project and satisfied my pure pleasure working with this type of cloth. 

As I'd hoped, it also went really well with my Arielle mini.

 

Expression courtesy of me giving the photographer a look because I was standing there like a wooden lemon apparently. 

Now the front might be plain, but on the back I couldn't resist blinging it up. 

I'd made silver jersey appliques for everyone else's makes, but not for me and I just love silver I do.

I drew up a large heart on bondaweb and then stitched it to the back of the jumper before sewing all the pieces together. 

I'm very happy indeed with how that looks and it still leaves me with a plain front to pin colourful brooches on. 

That's all for now as my sewing machine is calling me. It's been ignored all week while I work on other projects and that really won't do will it.