Hinzpired

Summers are usually pretty warm where I live, and the last few years, I’ve come to prefer wearing skirts and sundresses during hot weather.  This spring, I realized that my summer skirt collection had gotten pretty worn out and that I needed to make myself a few more things.  In between doing some theatre sewing and tie-dye, I’ve managed to sew up the following (some of which could have used some ironing before photographing, but, oh, well ) :

This dress is a linen-cotton blend.  The fabric was tangerine when I bought it.  I did a little shibori stitching on it and then over-dyed it with bright pink dye to get this sort of rose color.  The pattern is an old one that I think is out of print now.

Here is a little more of the skirt detail:

Here’s my first skirt, made from some green patterned cotton that was supposed to be part of a quilt many years ago that never actually happened.  It had “aged” enough in my sewing closet that I decided it could have a new use.  It’s made from Favorite Things “Cute Skirts” pattern, one I’ve used a few times before.

This skirt is also from a pattern by Favorite Things, this time the Belle Skirt pattern.  The fabric is some I bought last August at the beginning of the semester at a local college.  During that time, there is always a vendor that sells posters and also various fabric pieces that students use as bedspreads, wall hangings, or whatever.  I have some I use as tablecloths.  I bought this particular one with the idea of sewing it into some sort of clothing, but had trouble finding a pattern that would work with and show off the different areas of pattern.    I really love how this one turned out.

This last skirt is one of my very favorites.  It’s made from an old tired-and-true pattern from Kwik Sew (#3336), which I’ve previously made in numerous ways.  I made the shorter version and did make one change, dividing the top section from two pieces into 4 to accomodate the unique fabric.  The fabric is actually two long-sleeved tie-dyed t-shirts that I’ve had for a couple of years.  I’d loved the way the patterning came out on the shirts, but they were sort of boxy and I never, ever wore them.   They are getting much more wear now as a skirt.

And in case anyone is wondering, the backdrop is my kitchen pantry .