SEASHELL NELL

This is my Camino. Welcome.

nellskac

Personal challenge: can I make a skirt IN ONE DAY?

Probably you’re like, “ALL YOU EVER DO THESE DAYS IS TALK ABOUT THE CAMINO.”

But I’m like, “IT’S TAKING UP A LOT OF TIME IN MY LIFE RIGHT NOW.”

We can talk all-caps. We’re friends.

Anyway, it’s not my whole life, but it is a good percentage at this stage of the game.

Some of you will remember that I want to take a skirt on the Camino.

Last time Camino!
Last time Camino!
The thing about packing for the Camino is that I become pretty picky. I mean: I can only take, like, nine articles of clothing. So I really need to like all of the articles of clothing!

I lucked out last Camino on a really cute skirt with pockets and colors and flare and style. I bought it second-hand, and loved it so much that I still wear it…long after the “official” Camino has ended.

This time I knew I wanted something similar. My standards:

  • Material-besides-cotton. For anti-wrinkle/ quick drying purposes.
  • Pockets. They’re a good thing for all time, let alone while traveling.
  • Versitle. Must match EVERYTHING else I’m taking.
  • Spin-friendly. I plan on dancing and dancing lots :).
  • Cute. Just because I’m living like a vagabond for two-and-a-half weeks doesn’t mean I loose my love of beautiful things.
  • Well-made. We’re gonna be playing hard and I need something that can keep up.

I’ve been meandering fabric stores, feeling fabrics, and picturing skirts for a few weeks now. With my list of standards in mind, I picked out my favorite–a whimsical pattern of sketched flowers and smiling colors.

The question was: could I hammer out this puppy in ONE DAY? My time is a little tight, you guys.

I decided to try yesterday: a Sunday. I attended mass the day before with my sister…and picked out my material, ready to go.

Material: 100% polyester. Check.
Pattern: Flared and with pockets. Check.

Here is an hour-by-hour run down, for your enjoyment:

9:30 AM. Cut out pattern pieces and material.
9:30 AM. Cut out pattern pieces and material.
10:30 AM. Establish my outdoor workspace. Please note, the iron was still in the basement. I climbed the stairs again and again to press the seams. Cardio!
10:30 AM. Establish my outdoor workspace. Please note, the iron was still in the basement. I climbed the stairs again and again to press the seams. Cardio!
11:30 AM. Installing pockets. It took me a while to decipher what the pattern was trying to tell me...but we got there.
11:30 AM. Installing pockets. It took me a while to decipher what the pattern was trying to tell me…but we got there.

Not shown: 12:30 lunch break. Gluten-free pasta-with-pesto. Om nom!

1:30 PM. Cutting out and sewing the yoke facing. My mom helped me find the facing and gave me the "Put this away when you're through" talk. So, I did.
1:30 PM. Cutting out and sewing the yoke facing. My mom helped me find the facing and gave me the “Put this away when you’re through” talk. So, I did.

2:30 PM. Sewing in a zipper. We have a zipper stash which meant I could choose between the pink and the grey zipper. I picked pink in the end. Because I'm a girl. (Also because it zipped with more ease).
2:30 PM. Sewing in a zipper. We have a zipper stash which meant I could choose between the pink and the grey zipper. I picked pink in the end. Because I’m a girl. (Also because it zipped with more ease).

Side problem #1: accidentally run over the zipper and break your needle. (New needle, top, shown for comparison).
Side problem #1: I accidentally ran over the zipper and broke needle. (New needle, top, shown for comparison).

Side problem #2: new needle thread tension is wrong. Enter the seam-ripper...a seamstress' best friend.
Side problem #2: new needle thread tension is wrong. Enter the seam-ripper…a seamstress’ best friend.

Not shown: gluten-free snack break so I would cool down.

3:30 PM: Hand-stitching the facing to the zipper. So close! (Sorry for the blurry photo!)
3:30 PM: Hand-stitching the facing to the zipper. So close! (Sorry for the blurry photo!)
4:30 PM. My machine decides to puke everywhere.
4:30 PM. My machine decides to puke everywhere.

So then I decide it’s time to pack up and go to a grad party and then to volunteer at youth group and then to go and feed my friend’s cat.

The grand answer to the question is: I didn’t finish the skirt in a day. I still need to fix the machine-puke and hem the skirt.

But! I also didn’t sew all day. In some ways, then, I think I did a pretty good job.

Oh! And the skirt is looking pretty cute, too.

I’ll keep you posted with pictures of the completed skirt, too!

One thought on “Personal challenge: can I make a skirt IN ONE DAY?”

  1. Looks cute! I hear the “Cait the iron has a home” talk a lot at my house. Also pretty much every time I sew a zipper I break a needle. It just goes with the territory I guess.

    Reply

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