So this seems like a big milestone… I’ve made my first article of clothing!  [applause...]  It’s the “Bo-Peep Skirt” designed by Anna Maria Horner in her excellent book Seams to Me. Essentially it consists of 4 full-length panels, with ruffles and trim applied to the side panels. There’s elastic at the top and a rolled hem at the bottom. We used the recommended french seam technique, which is excellent considering we’ve not gotten around to learning how to use our serger yet (shame, I know).

This is a pretty big deal for me since I’ve always wanted to make clothing but have been intimidated by not knowing how to do all the details. Quilting is easy… 1/4″ seams and you’re good to go. And, quilts are flat! Clothing has ruffles and hems and gathers and zippers and buttons and buttonholes and curves and…  you get the idea. Besides, the consequences of non-functional elastic in public are far worse than a torn quilt.   

Anna Maria’s book is great at illustrating a simple way to attack these techniques for the first time, and I can say I’m definitely inspired to do some more clothes. Most importantly, this skirt was worn, and it didn’t fall off. 

Stephanie made a fantastic one at the same time, using a different length and different ruffles to get a completely different look. Keep an eye out for hers on her blog. Also, she gets complete design credit for picking the prints for mine. She has a great eye for color!