Sewing (if you can call it that)

So, I have been squeezing in a bit of creativity here and there.  This bag was a freebie from one of Mike's work trips.  I have been carrying it non-stop since he brought it back, as it is the perfect size for being out and about with the kids and the top has a zipper (and I am terrified of trying to sew a bag with a zipper...you'll see why in a minute).  The only major issue I had with it was purely aesthetic, an obnoxious printed logo for some techie-type company on the front pocket. Last week, I received a fabulous PDF from Joanie at Nini Makes for entering her blog birthday contest.  Imagine my excitement over the timing!  I cheated on the applique and just cut it out of pre-made and packaged iron on patches.  I have already received numerous complements on it and only had to use skills that I perfected in grade school:  cutting and tracing!

Now on to some skills that I have NOT even remotely perfected:  sewing.  I have a few problems with sewing, namely that I tend to believe that I have more skills and knowledge than I ACTUALLY have and I am impatient and do not like to pay attention to details.  My husband is the tree man, I'm more about the forrest!  The following pics are my patternless attempt at fudging an apron skirt.  I know there are a ton of great tutorials out there for similar skirts, but one day, as I was drooling over these skirts from Olive Juice (along with just about everything else there- thanks meg!), I became obsessed with the idea that I could make Ellie something like that out of scraps I have around ALL   BY   MYSELF.  That should have been my first clue that reality was not going to match my vision.

Here is the result from the front... rather cute, although I should not have shortened what I originally decided for the length of the main piece to accommodate the scrap I wanted to use.  I prefer the look of gathering over the pleating that I ended up with.  It is also WAY too big for Ellerie; I think Tate could wear it comfortably and the waist band is too thick for such a little person.  And that's only the beginning of the horror.

Here is where it gets ugly.  Check out that back seam!  YIKES!!  I think I would possibly do side seams next time, although a lighter fabric and more gathers might have hidden such an atrocity. Or perhaps some more careful measuring, as I have a tendency to eyeball everything.

And here is some more evidence of my "I am getting frustrated and just want to finish this now" sewing.  Crooked, bunchy, sloppy.  This is why I always say "don't look close!"

Finally, this is some FABULOUS thrifted fabric that I have used some for another unpatterned, and probably equally as butchered,  project.  That one is going to be a gift though (one of my regular readers should be very afraid), so I can't show it yet.  It's probably a good thing.  I think I've revealed enough of my lack of talent for the day.