I used to knit.  Then I became a mom and I don’t knit so much anymore.  I miss it, but I just don’t have the time. When I do start a project it always gets put aside for some reason or other and when I pick it back up I have no idea where I left off.  I have a beautiful nearly-done baby blanket in a feather and fan pattern that needs to be frogged.  I just can’t do it because it took me almost a year to knit, but after stopping and starting so many times there are glaring errors that are driving me nuts and I can’t continue.  So it sits in a heap and I don’t have the heart to start anything new.

Then there is the matter of the yards and yards of fabric that are sitting, still boxed from the move over a year ago, in the attic storage room.  When the Hancock Fabrics by my old office closed I went a bit crazy and bought 4-yard swaths of about 10 different fabrics. In case you’ve never bought fabric – 4 yards is a LOT of fabric.  At the time I was really into making darling pants from these instructions.  M had several pairs.  Then we moved and all that fabric has been in a box for over a year. 

Recently one of my favorite blogs, Sweet Juniper, has added a weekly craft post – WoodCraft – and it’s been hugely inspirational for me.  Wood works full time, she has TWO kids and yet she finds the time to use sewing as her creative outlet.  Sewing is fun to me, especially when there isn’t a fussy pattern involved; it’s not as challenging as knitting but it offers more of an instant gratification.  In the past I’ve made baby quilts for friends, pillow cases for our house and roman shades for a friend; yet over the last year my machine has only been used for repairs or to make the odd set of curtains for a box-house (more on that another day).  Then Wood linked to the instructions for the Oliver + S Lazy Days skirt and something sparked.  I had to make it.  That weekend, over the course of a few hours during M’s nap I was able to produce this

M loved it and called it her ballerina skirt (where she learned about ballerinas I have no idea) and I was hooked.  I hauled more of the fabric out and got to ironing.  This past weekend I made another one

I know I will make at least a few more before our trip to South Carolina in a month.  This is the easiest skirt ever and if you can sew a straight(ish) line you can make one.  After I made the first one I made a couple of changes to the instructions and the second one took no time at all.  Best of all, I can put it down and come back to it hours or days later and know exactly where I am. M loves them and twirls all around the room making the skirts flare out.  What more could you ask for?

I remember those pants being pretty easy and I’m feeling pretty inspired…I think she may have a whole new wardrobe by spring!

 

(Yes, she is standing on TOP of furniture in each photo – it’s the only way to get this girl to stand relativity still while I snap a photo.  You can send your mother of the year award to I’lldoanythingforanonblurryphoto@she’stwososueme.com)