Tag: recycled

Organic Cotton Skirt Ideas

Skirt ideas

Starting to work with the organic cottons again reminded me that I’d already put together some designs for skirts that were very similar to the blue cotton tunic dress. Large pockets and a ruffle, although I think I’d go for an elastic waistband rather than darts and a zip.

I drafted these little sketches way back in 2008, when I was also going through a phase of buying lots of recycled fabrics, mostly in the form of duvet covers. I thought I could use the matching pillowcases to make the ruffles and pockets, and do you know what? I think that might just work! Why it’s taken me three years to get around to doing anything with this idea, I’m not so sure.

I have four colours of organic cotton left in the stash – blue, green, pink and cream. My favourite place to buy organic cottons has a special offer on pot-luck remnant pieces, so I might buy a bundle and see what turns up. That, along with the Kaffe Fassett fat quarters, should give me plenty of choices for contrasting waistbands and pockets.

T-shirt shrug

T-shirt shrug

I was supposed to be at a barbeque on this gloriously sunny Sunday afternoon, celebrating the success of the Witt Studio Chorus Summer Showcase. Unfortunately my kind husband decided to share his filthy germs with me, and now we’re both too ill to go. Bah.

I’ve spent most of the day sitting on the sofa feeling sorry for myself, watching Torchwood and Doctor Who, and looking at the internet in the name of research for a new range of clothing that I have in mind. While I was wandering about on Pinterest, I stumbled across this tutorial for turning a t-shirt into a shrug.

Deciding that I couldn’t go a whole day without making something (not even a poorly Sunday), I dragged an old organic t-shirt out of the languishing stash, set about it with scissors, the sewing machine and a bit of ribbon. The whole thing took less than an hour – including taking photos and writing this.

The only thing I did that wasn’t specified in the pattern was to stitch the ribbons into position at the end of the casing. This means that the gathering is no longer adjustable, but it stops the ribbons from disappearing inside the t-shirt.

I have a giant pile of old t-shirts in the Shed, just waiting to transformed into something new. I can feel a few more of these little shrugs coming on, I think.