Monday, July 19, 2010

A Finished Product

I think I figured out one of the reasons I love my new hobby of sewing.

A downside of being a homemaker is that often there is no finished product at the end of the day to show for your hard work. The dinner was eaten, the cleaned room messed up again, the children will need to be cared for and trained and fed and read to and loved again the next day.

I know that this job of homemaker and mother is really, really worthwhile and important and I am so grateful to have it, but still there is no finished product to gaze at and feel that sense of accomplishment.

I've talked with several other women who have left the career world to stay home with their kids and the adjustment to a new type of productiveness where you often feel very unproductive is one of the hardest aspects of the transition.

All that was a long way of saying, with sewing there is a finished product!


This weekend I made this skirt for my daughter and it is my favorite creation yet!

She had a skirt in this style as a toddler and I loved it, but have not found another like it to get in a bigger size. So, I made one! And another awesome thing about sewing? You can create things in just the colors you want, so this will match pretty much every shirt in her closet!


Here's how I did it:

1. I used this tutorial that I've used before for the base of the skirt, which was a mint green t-shirt (you can see it as the top layer of the skirt in the top picture).


2. Next I cut 4 inch wide strips from 4 different material for the ruffles (the length was 2 times the length of the bottom of the skirt measuring all the way around).

3. I hemmed one long side of each ruffle, and did an overcast stitch on the other side of the strip to prevent fraying on the top edge of the ruffle.

4. Sewed a basting stitch (long, temporary stitches) just under the overcast stitching and then pulled one of the threads to gather creating the ruffles until the length of the ruffled strip was the same as the width of the skirt.

5. Pinned each layer of ruffle to the t-shirt skirt base and sewed them on using just a basic stitch right on top of the basting stitch.

And then it was done!

The elastic waist combined with soft t-shirt under-layer make this super comfortable which is of high importance to my little girl and I love the way it looks on her!


And that skirt?

Unlike the cooking, cleaning, laundry, child rearing, errand running, etc. is a finished product!


This post is part of the Moms' 30-Minute Blog Challenge.
works for me wednesday at we are that family

22 comments:

  1. You and I obviously have different ideas of what "simple" is. :) I've attempted sewing many times and have decided I'm severely deficient in that area. However, the skirt is very cute! Great job!

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  2. That's adorable! I wish it was appropriate for adults to wear skirts like that without looking like I'm trying to be 10. Sigh. ;)

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  3. This is so cute! I want to learn how to sew and I keep telling my mom I know she can teach me. I am bookmarking this tutorial and I am going to pester her until she shows me how to do it. :-) It is adorable.

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  4. so beautiful.

    funny, i wrote about sewing tonight, too. a different kind of sewing too. but it does feel good, i hear you, girl.

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  5. that is adorable. great job.

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  6. I love the fabric combination! Nice work.

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  7. You are so good at sewing! You should sell stuff like this (or maybe you do)

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  8. This is just adorable...good job...I am going to drag out my machine somewhere here in the next couple of weeks and make a couple of aprons for my niece who is getting married in Sept. I LOVE making aprons as they are soo quick and easy...and I know just what you mean about the finished product. I "see" something in my mind, and it is soo satisfying to see in hanging finished on a hanger. Have a wonderful day. Happy sewing. = )

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  9. wow love it! i really want to learn how to sew

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  10. That skirt is really cute! :)

    I'm stopping by through Steady Mom's 30 Minute Challenge. I hope you'll do the same! You can find me @ http://sofiasideas.com/

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  11. we need a "like it" button on this post! too cute!

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  12. You did a great job--the skirt is really cute. Sewing is NOT my idea of simple! Just replacing a button takes me half an hour. I understand what you mean by "finished product"--I feel the same way when I finish mowing the yard.

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  13. i love it!!! i wish i had the patience to sew like that...

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  14. what a very cute skirt! and i totally get the finished product thing! it seems like as soon as i get something done -- house picked up, laundry done, kitchen cleaned i turn around to find things out of place, the basket filling up, juice spilled on the counter...maybe i need to take up sewing!?!

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  15. What a cute skirt! Great job! Although, unlike others here, I still have no desire to sew!!!!! LOL. I have been thinking about taking a painting class though!! I know what you mean about needing a "project" that has tangible completable and seeable outcome!

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  16. so cute, it makes me wish I could sew! I relate to your post at not seeing many finished products.
    Visiting from Steady Mom!

    Amy @ Missional Mama

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  17. So cute! I have a sewing machine, but haven't attempted to learn it yet. I want to be able to make that skirt, though!

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  18. Well done! I know just what you mean about having 'finshed projects' done around the house to show I've completed something - this kind of handiwork will help you feel good about it each time it's worn too!

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  19. Ooooo!!! now I want to try it!! What a cute skirt!!! and it looks so easy! That is one reason I like sewing too, though I never seem to have time for it.

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I'd love to hear what you think!