New VIDEO!: How to sew a Circle Skirt

Some of you have asked about MADE Everyday videos....and I'm happy to say that they're back!
I've missed posting about a few of them here on the blog.  So I'll catch up with that in the next while.  In the mean time, you can always watch them on the MADE Everyday Channel.
And if you subscribe, you'll get an email notification each time a new video is up!
Then you'll be all like:

And I'll be all like:

And together we'll be all like...WOW.
MOM.
Please tell me you used to do that with your hands in 3rd grade?
Or as an adult?

Okay.  Well this new video is a total classic. I took one of our most popular tutorials---the Circle Skirt---and brought it to life (with a little rockabilly music to get you dancing). 



Circle skirts are so, so simple to make and only require a little bit of math, which we'll walk through together.  I'll show you how to make a single layer skirt:

And a double-layer:

Then you'll be making them for any age, and any size.
AND.....you'll be using these skills to make costumes!  Mini Mouse?  Poodle Skirt?  50s girl?  Annie?
Yes. Yes.  and Yes.

Just hit play below and enjoy:

[tube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqNU0-ORkbA, 680,383[/tube]

 MADE EVERYDAY with Dana is a fresh new sewing show, where we create everyday items you will love and use.  
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our favorite Halloween craft, every year.

Each September the kids start asking if we can pull out the Halloween decor.

Internally I groan...because I know it would run smoother if I pulled out the boxes at night (while they slept), and mentally inventoried the items in each box, decided where I'd like to place them in the house, and considered what we might add this year.

Then I realize how totally dumb and boring that sounds.

So I give in to the free-for-all....
With paper bats flying here and there.
Jack Skellington and Sally dolls being tossed like cat toys.
Shrieks of joy bursting from the kids as they rediscover treasures from yesteryear.
It's very Hallow-dramatic.

And never fail, once they spot the Little Rock Ghost Town it's all over.
"Ahhhh!  The ghost rocks!"
"Look! LOOK!"
They're suddenly engulfed in Ghost Town set-ups and story-lines. 

And in a funny twist of OCD fates,  I'm left alone with my box of decorations, to sort and scheme as I may.  Haah.  Life works in mysterious ways.
I'll chalk it up to Halloween karma.
And I'll make a mental note for next year to "pull the Ghost Town out FIRST."
Duh.

Do you guys remember this Little Rock Ghost Town I posted about a few years ago??
It is truly our favorite Halloween treat every year!
I might even like it more than the Christmas decorations.
Ahh!  Can I say that?

The kids will play with the houses and rocks for hours.
HOURS.
And each day I find the town set-up in different locations---on the kitchen table, by the fireplace, on the coffee table (which is my favorite because Lucy puts all the couch pillows on the ground so she's nice and cozy while they play).

There's a system for everything.
Not sure where she gets that....
heh heh.

And I'm not sure what's happening here.
But I'm glad she's loving it.

A few things have changed with our Ghost Town over the last three years; and some have remained the same.  The kids added a slew of new ghosts this year.  We found more rocks down by the river, sprayed them white, and drew more faces (more details here).  Lucy and Owen have characterized each ghost and given them names, based on people we know.  And they can remember the name of each stinkin rock when I ask them.   Our entire family is in there, there are cousins, random neighbors that live by my inlaws, people who live on our street here in Texas.  It's kind of hilarious.

Many of the ghost parents go to work in the Tower of Terror, which is now called "the office building". It makes me laugh when I overhear Lucy dishing out information, "this is Trevor's office...and that's for Andrew's dad" (people from our church and neighborhood)

We've also added more houses and buildings.  
Last year Owen used a shoe box to make the Candy Cantina (based on the Mos Eisley Cantina from Star Wars).

And this year, construction exploded.  We added four new places!  

Owen requested a location for his new ROCK Star to perform.  So we made the Rockin' Raven, complete with a catwalk in the middle for dancing and performing.

Lucy made the Creepy Courthouse, with green moss on the upper deck.

And I helped Owen construct The Little House which he decorated inside and out, with paintings on the wall and rugs.

Ahhh.  I love this project!
It's the best!
Better than carving pumpkins!
I might have as much fun making these as the kids.  I just love that you can take a simple granola bar box and turn it into a cute, usable toy.  I really have fun decorating them.   And it's all about the Sharpie marker details.  It's what brings a building to life.
This is such a great project for the whole family to enjoy.

We even had our babysitter join in.  Why have I not done that before??
She's super crafty.  So we left a blue painted oatmeal container for her last weekend while Casey and I went on a date.  And she turned it into this:

So, it's been a growing year for Little Rock Ghost Town.

Especially when I consider what Clara looked like when we first built these homes...and how big she is today, playing alongside the other kids.

And though the kids keep growing older, some things never change.
Lucy three years ago:

And Lucy today:

She is still such a kid.

She loves her Taylor Swift and other tween things....but she will play princess toys or little figures with Clara whenever she asks.  

Such a sweetheart.  

Okay. You've still got a few weeks left to make your own little Ghost Town (more tutorial details here).
Start rummaging through that Recycle Bin.
I know you'll ROCK this.

Lunar Eclipse from our Texas deck

Holy cow!
The Harvest Moon + Super Moon + Lunar Eclipse combo last night was outstanding!
And we caught it just at the right moment, on a bit of a whim.
Like the first time we saw the Austin bats....just hanging out on a deck and looked up to see a stream of black painting the sky.

We thought the eclipse was going to be later around 11pm/midnight.  But around 9:30pm Central time, Casey walked out on back deck and he immediately knocked on the window for me to come out.  And there she was, all gorgeous in her red gown....like she was going to Homecoming or something.

So I grabbed my camera and tripod and snapped as best as I could.
It was hard to grab focus because the moon itself was so dark.  But here you go.  From our Austin, TX backyard.
Canon 60D, 300mm zoom lens, f 5.6, ISO 800
I especially love the little scatter of stars.

Wow.  How vast is our universe.  How small is our own little world.
Another great reminder of the larger picture.

And just like that around 11pm, it was back to white.  It's cool to see the how the moon has rotated in just one hour.

And I hate to sound so silly by simplifying the obvious....but Space is truly amazing and fascinating!  Just like the internet.  And the human heart.  And cotton candy.

Were you able to see the moon last night??
I loved some of the shots floating around from the west coast, where the pink moon was floating in a pale sky of blue.  So cool! 

red + aqua Texas-Day Dress

I never understood the whole Texas Pride thing until we moved here.
I'd always heard about it.
I'd always wondered about it.
Everyone told me everything's bigger in Texas---(which might be true, especially the square mileage of dusty brown land). 

But once you come live here---or even just visit---you get it!
It's not an ego thing, or feeling like it's better than somewhere else.
And it's not because of that pretty brown grass I know you're jealous of below.   Believe me, I miss California grass and ants that don't bite every day.

It's just that Texans really, really love where they live!
And they want everyone to know it! ---and to come join the fun if you want! 
And if not, we'll eat an extra pound of brisket for you. 

Every Friday at my kids' school, after saying the Pledge of allegiance, and the Texas pledge, and having a moment of silence, they sing a version of "The Stars at Night are Big and Bright".  My favorite line is "living is fun in the Texas Sun...clap, clap, clap, clap.....here at our schoool in Austin!"

Because it is!
We have loved living here in this big land of Texas.  And I've written multiple posts about it here.  There are waterholes for fishing and swimming, football games for cheering, wildflowers for loving, and tons of great food and music for enjoying and date-nighting.    

And I love that my kids get to learn all about Texas at school.  I remember doing a similar thing in California---learning about the history, early settlers, the California Missions....and then making our own 3D mission from sugar cubes and cardboard.  Please tell me they still do that in school....

So for Clara's first "Texas Day" at preschool I gave her my own little version of Texas:

This is a variation on the First Day Dress, which I never seem to get tired of.  There are so many ways to mix it up!  I often think I should put together an "add-ons" package to go with the pattern....with more sleeve options, collars, etc.  Yay? Nay?

Changes I made to this version:
• front and back necklines are cut lower.
• puff sleeves with bias tape binding and elastic strung through the binding.
• gathered skirt, rather than the circle skirt included in the pattern.
• back ties, rather than button closure.

Gingham was a little cliche, but who doesn't love a picnic tablecloth on a tiny body?...mixed with aqua and wildflowers?

Then we threw it together with red boots, which I bought at a thrift store years ago, and which she insisted on putting on herself, and which totally fell apart at school so I glue-gunned the sole back to to the boot for our photoshoot.

The best part about the dress: she loves it.
And wears it almost every week to church.

The best compliment this little cowgirl could give me.
Have a great week my friends!

And thank you, thank you for your kind and honest words in the last post.  It's taken me a couple weeks to shake things off and get back in my groove.  So I appreciate your love.

In the words of Tim Riggins,
Texas Forever.

NEW Pattern --- The Anywhere Skirt! --- for Women + Teens + Girls

We all need a skirt that works for any occasion.
And this skirt can go anywhere!---to the party, to school, to work, to the beach.

It's dainty, but flirty.
It has pockets. YES.
And though it's a gathered skirt, it's quite flattering on all body types.

The Anywhere Skirt Pattern - $9

 

For a while you guys have been asking for patterns for women and teenagers.
This skirt pattern works for both!....and for little girls as well.  But I really love how tailored and fun it looks on the older group.

The Anywhere Skirt is a custom-fitted skirt for ALL ages and ALL sizes.
It comes with a high or low waist and there are minimal gathers at the hips...so it lays beautifully on your body.  And it's made to fit your body dimensions perfectly!

Of course you can also make the skirt FULL--with gathers all the way around.  Cause that's adorable too.  And this black + white gingham version is darling as an extra-full, extra-short beach skirt.  You'll find that the beauty of this pattern is that there are so many ways to mix it up, for any body size, for any occasion, and for any season.

• There are button closures in the front of the skirt (or you can wear the buttons around to the back).
If you've never sewn buttonholes, no worries!  We'll walk through everything together.

• The skirt has an optional sash, which ties around the front or back.

• There's only ONE page of pattern pieces you need to print! Yay!  No piecing pages together. 

• And with a separate waistband, the door is wide open for all sorts of creativity:
Gold pleather?  Satin?  Lace?  Color-blocked?
Options, options, options.

Here are the details...

This is a 25-page PDF document, with detailed information and pattern pieces for sewing the Anywhere Skirt, for any size or any age.

Instructions are easy to follow, with beautiful photos and illustrations, and a conversational tone that helps you feel like I’m right there next to you, joining in the sewing fun! 

I've also included a simplified Cheat Sheet of instructions + Measurement Chart, which you can print and easily reference for future sewing projects. 

SKILL LEVEL

Advanced Beginner - Intermediate
Because this pattern requires a bit of math/calculations, and the ability to sew buttonholes I've labeled it at Advanced Beginner.  Of course I encourage anyone to push themselves and take on a challenge.   So if you’re a true beginner, don’t be scared off...because you know I like to share ALL the details with you in my patterns.   Just be prepared for the process to take a little longer than a beginner project.  So if you're up for the challenge, give it a shot!  Or grab a sewing friend to coach you along the way.  Sewing is always an adventure!

STYLES

The Anywhere Skirt comes in multiple styles and lengths.

Each style has a fitted waistband, front plackets with button closures, and pockets!

Styles shown in this pattern:

• Partially Gathered Skirt

• Full Skirt
• Skirt with a Sash
• Various Lengths: Mini Skirt • Midi Skirt • Maxi Skirt • Knee-length

SIZING

This pattern is for ANY age and ANY size.

It's all based on your exact waist measurement, with ratios and a few calculations.  

So what you end up with, is a skirt that fits YOU perfectly.

FABRIC and NOTIONS

For each Skirt you need:
• 1 1/2 to 3 yards of fabric
• 5-10 buttons
• 1/2 yard of interfacing

The exact amount of fabric needed is dependent on your waist size and the style/length you choose.  It's sort of a choose-your-adventure pattern.  Exciting, right?  It's safe to say that for a woman's or teen size skirt you will need 2-3 yards of fabric.

FABRIC TYPES:

There are so many gorgeous fabrics that work on this skirt--and the best types are wovens. 

My recommendations are: 

Linen, Cottons (quilting weight, light-weight, medium-weight), Silk + Rayon.

DOWNLOADING the pattern
After purchasing, you are sent a link for downloading the pattern to your computer.  This is sent to the email address attached with your paypal account.  It's best to open the pattern link and download it on a computer or laptop (rather than mobile device).
When you open the file:
• First do a "save as" or "export" the file directly to your computer so you always have a copy.
• Then open the file from that saved copy and print the appropriate pages indicated.
• You can then send that file to your phone or ipad.
• The file size is 1 MB

PRINTING
The most exciting part of this pattern is that there's only ONE page of pattern pieces to print!
Hooray!  No piecing pages together!
• Pages print to standard 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper (for printing outside of the US see below)
• Included is a shortened Cheat Sheet of Instructions + Measurement Chart for easy reference, each time you make a skirt.

Printing outside of the US
The pattern was created for standard US printers but should work for other countries as well. There's a measuring box on the pattern page, so you can see if you’ve printed to the proper print size. The pattern images do NOT print to edge of the paper…so I recommend printing to your standard size paper, checking the box, and make adjustments if needed.

And that’s about it!
Ready to Sew??

PURCHASE
The Anywhere Skirt - $9


• Instant payment is through Paypal
• E-check payment through Paypal will delay your pattern download a few days.
• MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE PROPER EMAIL ADDRESS ATTACHED TO YOUR PAYPAL
ACCOUNT. This email address is where the info about your purchase and download instructions will be sent.
• You will receive a few emails confirming your payment and providing info about downloading the pdf pattern to your computer.

When you’ve finished sewing, share your photos with us!
• Instagram them with the tag #anywhereskirtmade and tag me as well @danamadeit
• Share them in the You Made it Flickr group.