Another UFO brought home to roost

Tuesday 10 June 2008
I am trying to keep my pledge to myself to finish one UFO for every new garment made, so here is the latest UFO to leave the cupboard of limbo and make it into the wardrobe of wear.....

This is a wool skirt with a wide yoke waist band made from Simplicity 4599, which I have used quite a few times (including, true to my form, another UFO!) so it is practically a TNT pattern. Because the skirt is cut partly on the bias due to the curve in the skirt, and the fabric is quite heavy, I let it hang so that the bias could drop before I hemmed it. And well, it hung for a good 12 months - I had to be sure the bias had fully dropped you see!





No, the real problem was that it looked a bit blah. I love the cornflower blue colour, and the wool is soft and not itchy at all, but it was lacking a certain something that would have otherwise compelled me to finish it. And then when I was cleaning out some papers (ahem, crap) in the study I came across this picture I had ripped out of a magazine who knows when:


The skirt is by a label called Ashui, which retailed for $169. With that for inspiration I finished the hem, sewed on an 8cm wide band made from red polka dot cotton, randomly sewed on some white buttons I had picked up in a op shop somewhere and the skirt was fit for wear.
The hem looks a little crooked in the photo above, but it is because I pulled it taut whilst sewing so it gets a rippled effect when I'm wearing it, but wouldn't sit very flat for this photo.

So anyway, this weekend just past was another long weekend here in Australia, celebrating the Queen's birthday. Yes, that would be the Queen of England, and no, it's not even her birthday but what can I say, we're Australians and if the government tried to cancel a public holiday there would probably be a civil war. I didn't get any sewing done however, since I went up to Brisbane to visit the inlaws, but in true government employee fashion I have taken today (Tuesday) off work as a flex day, and so I hope to keep another of my pledges today: to improve my Burda WoF cost per make ratio!

15 comments:

  1. Oh, I love it, my favorite color combination. I loved it even more when I saw the close-up and found it was polka-dot fabric and buttons!

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  2. Did I miss the sun shining in Sydney recently?? Love your skirt. Very cute.

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  3. What a brilliant idea and such a generous offer - that you'll finish one of my UFOs for every new garment I make!

    I'll pack up a parcel for you.

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  4. Kristy, love that skirt it is super cute! BTW it was not a public holiday in Perth, ours was last week - and it was Foundation Day. We celebrate the Queen's Birthday at the end of September (also not her birthday!)to coincide with the Royal Show! Good luck with the UFOs.

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  5. Very, very cute! And very flattering on you! :)
    The band and the buttons are inspired!

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  6. Cute skirt!

    I spent the Queen's birthday trying to work my embroidery machine! I wasn't invited to her party ;(

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  7. Very cute. I have that same pattern and was contemplating making it up. Do you like the wide yoke? I have a feeling that it will not look right one me. I have another skirt similiar that my friend made, and I gave it to charity because of the wide yoke.

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  8. So cute. I really love the buttons.

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  9. One of my daughters has that same pattern and has made like 3-4 skirts out of it. She loves the wide yoke! I like your choices but hmmmm I would have probably just gone with the pretty blue wool! So nice when you can find one that is soft! Keep up the good work! So, how many of your UFO's are left?
    Jean C.

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  10. oh Livebird, you are so funny! Did you hear my extremely loud snort!
    Maryj you caught me out - that photo was taken 2 weeks ago when we did have a brief bit of sunshine.
    Sunny - the wide yoke is my favourite part of the skirt, it doesn't dig in at all so is very comfy.
    And Jean C, sadly the UFO list is still at billions and gazillions....

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  11. Congratulations on finishing a UFO. It's very cute with the addition of the stripe of fabric and buttons.

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  12. Ah don't you love finding the inspiration picture that had a huge price tag and realizing that the UFO could be reclaimed!!! Okay, well I'm loving it! *LOL* Great job!

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  13. Love your designer skirt!!!! What a clever idea. Re the holiday?? I think we should move it and acknowledge a better reason for celebrating.

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