Work In Progress - Satin Ribbonned Skirt

This is what I've been working on today - a satin skirt for my sister.

It's a mid-calf a-line skirt. Finished it will be 27" long, plus a little ruffle of ivory net around the bottom. As you can see from the photo, it has two bands of ivory satin ribbon around the hem. I believe the technical term for this type of embellishment is "a bugger". ;)

My sister requested this skirt particularly to wear with her wedding shoes, and the bustier she wore the following day:



Isn't that going to be the most fabulously glamorous outfit?

Wanted: One pair of comfy scissors.

Today I have been mostly cutting out.

I have cut out the fronts and backs and handles for ten tote bags, which equals seventy-six pieces of fabric. I didn't cut out the interfacing for the handles, as I'd managed to develop a great big blister on the middle knuckle of the middle finger of my right hand. Ouch.

Before I cut the interfacing I think I will be nipping down to John Lewis, to see whether I can find a pair of scissors with nice comfy handles which don't sit right on my knuckle. Or maybe a rotary cutter. That would be great for this kind of cutting, as I could do several layers of lining fabric in one go.

Once I'd had enough of cutting out, I decided to do a bit of work on the Design By Claire website.

The changes are minor at the moment, and there is a lot more work which needs to be done. The most significant change is that the fabrics now have their own page, so you can see everything that's currently available in one place. The two things which need to be done next are a revamp of the Gallery page, and the addition of a shopping cart functionality which will make it a bit easier for people to actually buy things directly from the website.

Unfortunately, the next chance I have to work on either the website or the tote bags isn't until the weekend, as I have to go out and do my Proper Job for the next three days. Ho Hum.


And just so that I'm not leaving you without a picture - here's a lovely one of my Dad, modelling one of the cravats that I made for my sister's wedding:

One down, four to go...

Recently I have been mostly making itty bitty things for my sister's wedding, which is rapidly approaching. I say "itty bitty" in the sense that these things are not enormous great bridesmaids' dresses, but I swear it would have been quicker to make a bunch of dresses than these cravats!

They need such a lot of hand-sewing that they take a really long time to put together. I'm really pleased with the way this first one looks though - now I just need to add the knots to the remaining four. (And make five matching pocket hankies. And get them back to my sister.)

I've also been helping out with some jewellery and hair accessories. The little green chiffon flowers were originally brooches. Two of them are now on snappy hair clips (as modelled!), and one is on an elastic bobble.

The diamante bracelet just needed a new clasp, and the little sparkly petal bracelet had to be shortened to make it fit a four-year-old.

Over the next couple of weeks I'll be making the alterations to my bridesmaid's dress (it's this one, but I'll be adding spaghetti straps), and then we'll be good to go!