May | 2017 | alwaysacraftylady

There I was standing in the aisle of Harts Fabrics. My mom and I took a morning trip to Santa Cruz before heading back my sister’s wedding festivities. The morning hadn’t gone well. I’d promised my daughters some fun, but nothing was working out right. I was annoyed. I was mad. I was short tempered. My children were running in circles around the displays. But gosh darn it, I was going to find some pretty fabric.

Thankfully my mom started entertaining my older daughter by looking for some last minute wedding supplies and I was left with one child who we much better behaved once her partner in crime was occupied.

I wandered the aisles and kept coming back to the same roll of fabric. It was navy, it was twill, and it was rayon. Gorgeous and reasonably priced. 3 yards came home with me.

I had no idea what to make with this lovely fabric, but it did fit in with my capsule wardrobe color scheme. I just had to pick a pattern.

And then it hit me, Scroop’s Fantail Skirt. Could I make it with 3 yards of fabric? Yes! It even takes less than 3 yards of 60″ wide fabric. And I totally love the finished skirt. Look at those lovely pleats in the back. It has all the movement of an old fashioned skirt with the slim silhouette of modern clothing.

Such fun to swish around in. The only bummer is the fit is more slim than I expected. I made a size 42 graded out to a 44 at the hip. That should have given me plenty of ease, but yet it clings slightly more than I’d wanted. At least it isn’t too tight to wear, but next time I might size up a tad depending on the fabric.

But really, I don’t think I could have found a better fabric and pattern combination. The rayon twill drapes perfectly and this navy color will have me looking nice and professional even on the warmest summer day!

Last weekend my baby sister got married! I was so touched when she asked me to be her one and only bridesmaid. She was my one and only and I thought is was really sweet that she returned the gesture. It was the most gorgeous and wild wedding.

But the real question is…what did I wear?

I really struggled with that question. The wedding took place at a Burning Man affiliated event. Most people were camping. There was belly dancing, swords, fire, many unicorn costumes, and the best man was dressing as a wizard.

My first thought was to make this stunning Simplicity pattern I’ve been lusting after since November. I wanted deep red silk to coordinate with the groom’s tartan. But then I kept thinking about the camping, the tents, the fairground bathrooms, and wrangling two little girls while wearing floor length silk. Also, where am I going to wear this again? If I’m spending money on silk I’d better be able to wear it more than once. Is scarlet a strange color for a May wedding?

Okay, plan B. After thinking on it for a few weeks I kept coming back to some fabric I already had in my stash. 2 yards of grey lawn and 3 yards of floral lawn. Both from Heather Ross’s latest collection Sleeping Porch. I’d bought them for a summer dress, but why couldn’t I use them for the wedding and then keep on wearing the dress afterwards?

The deal was sealed when I found an inexpensive hot pink petticoat online. Add fun colored tights and I had a fun kind of costume-like dress to wear to the wedding.

It was also a chance to up my pattern making skills. I wanted something sort of 1950s, but not too 1950s. Something dancer like, but not a leotard. I think the end result is nice. I rotated my darts into the center front and split them to make pleats. With a v-front I think the nod to vintage is there. What do you think? Anyone interested in a tutorial on how to do this?

A circle skirt finished the look and gave plenty of room for the petticoat to poof. I wish I’d had about 2-3 more inches of yardage as I had to make the skirt just that touch shorter to get it to fit on 3 yards.

And boy was I surprised to find a historical house on the fairgrounds. No tours (boo!), but I did get to wander around outside and take these wonderful photos.

Today I wore my pretty floral dress again without the petticoat and I love it even more like this. So perfect for a spring day!