Adventures in houndstooth

Have you ever had a great artistic vision of something, and it turned out to be basically a rehashed trend that's just lame?

I needed a skirt for work that was brown- or coordinated with brown.

I wanted to do the Titus pattern because its so easy, has only two pieces and looks great.

I bought this amazing houndstooth with the idea that it actually could also match with navy, white, cream, OR brown...when does that ever happen?

and I thought it looked quite classy at an angle in the store...




But then, I cut it out, and something horrible happened...




It took me right back to 1993---and I really don't need to revisit middle school... Somehow, my 100% Italian wool went from classy to aging teeny bopper!

I tried holding the pieces on the grain, and I could see all of that lost office appropriate classiness just mocking me...



And my lovely friend Matt convinced me that maybe I could pull a straight grain miniskirt out of the peices I'd cut and the scraps. I'd been wanting to try Diana Rupp's "Naughty Secretary" patten with darts in front and back anyway, so I checked it out. (Seriously, where does she get those names!? elsewhere in this blog, this pattern will be referred to as "the pencil skirt")

Of course, I only just bought enough for the skirt I'd already cut out, and I was SO close to being able to cut out whole thing, but just far enough that it was not going to work, even at a band-aid length.


So I spent an hour kicking myself for dismissing the salewoman's suggestion that I buy an extra 8th of a yard just in case...but then, another revelation! Because I'd just finished my first T-shirt, I was feeling like a genius, and remembered that darts can be converted to seams! I turned one panel in front into three, which involved re-drafting the front, and came up with this:



Obviously I am a genius!

And I did the back as designed (which was already two peices to accomodate a zipper,) and realized why people say that working with wool is like sewing porn...


I mean, look at those sexy darts! Who knew ironing could be so much fun!

Im hoping to toss on the lining and hem asap and show y'all the finished product this week :)