Skirts!

When I got my sewing machine, I spent the weekend crafting. Matt says that's not a word, but I disagree. When that's all I can think about and where all of my energy goes, I call that a verb.
My first clothing project was a nice long maxi skirt with a thick waistband that folds down like a yoga pant. I made it out of knit fabric which is so soft and comfortable and stretchy. It's worn low on the hips. (Why my neck looks so long in these pictures, I have no idea.) This purple would go well with black, white, cream, bright yellow, some greens and some pinks.

I wore this one to Church one day and thought "Can everyone tell this is handmade?? Would anyone be so kind and let me know?" As if Church was all about me....

I realized I had enough fabric for a second skirt (at the natural waist), so I made one with box pleats in the front and back. I really like this one, but it came out way too wide. I had to take it in again and again, so much that I couldn't pull it over my hips, even with elastric thread. Oh no! "No problem", said my sewing friends, "just pull it over your head!" Brilliant. I guess it doesn't matter how you put on clothes, as long as they fit and feel good. :)

I wore this exact outfit to school one day and told my AP students (we're close like that: I've shown them pretty much every project I've created: sweater, scarves, mittens). They were full of compliments (hoping for extra credit, I'm sure) and teased me about someday making all of my family's clothes, including matching outfits with my future kids. Ha! Hmmm...

"Colorblocking" is in right now (for examples, click here and here). Sometimes, I think it's cute, and other times I find it a little too clash-y. For most things, I think a belt breaks it up. I was in Loft the other day looking to spend some Christmas money, and the sales lady brought all of these accessories to the dressing room for me (not that I asked for it). I'm not very good with accessories, though I do like earrings (and half the time I forget to wear them). One belt particularly caught my eye: a straw colored wide belt with a leather buckle. Perfect for summer! Perfect with many colors!

She was nice, even when I said that the belt was out of my price range ($40!!!). I really wanted it because I had been dreaming of all of the dresses I would make... Sigh. I resisted and left. On my way out of the mall, I passed by Forever 21. What do you know that I found nearly the same style belt for $7.80!!!

So I went home and paired it with the dress I had won from a giveaway. It came with a teal colored fabric belt (a big bow), but it also looked great with my new straw belt! Yay!

When I look online for more ideas, I'm struck by how many people think alike. Either that, or they are all copying the same idea thanks to Pinterest. There are a lot of tee-shirt + skirt combos out there that are really cute, and others that look just ok. I think it depends on the tee-shirt and if you have a nice belt or sash that can define the waist. Here are some that have caught my eye:

This last one was made out of a vintage sheet. Again, brilliant! Fabric can really add up, even if I use coupons, so what I really need to do is keep an eye out for fabric at thrift stores, whether it's sheets or a skirt size L or XL. Here's what I found in the clearance section last week:

So, what do you I'll do next?