Lace butterfly

Since I seem to be on a broomstick skirt run here's another. My sister for some strange reasons loves orange so when she saw this one at the thrift store she fell in love.

I did like the touches of brown it added depth to the skirt. This one was a 2X so there was plenty of material. I did the usual removing the waist band and opening the sides up. 

Now I could have just hemmed the armhole and closed the shoulder seam but I wanted something different. We are going to a family reunion at the end of may and definitely needed some comfortable but stylish traveling clothes. I decided that the front neckline needed something to take away from all that orange and to give a focal point. My sister went a little nuts on a site that had lace appliques and there was this pretty brown butterfly that just went perfectly.

I have never sewn on this type of applique. first I pinned then tacked with colored thread to remove easily. I thought at first of using a zizzag stitch over the ends to attach it. That didn't work mainly because the fabric is too gauzy. Next time I know to use a stabilizer. I ended up sewing on the thicker middle with a small stitch 1.5 following along the edge. Then I did a blanket stitch all around the edge to keep it flat. I think it turned out pretty good.

Its perfect for summer and for casual wear. For work she uses a brown belt to give it more shape and make it look professional. Either way the butterfly serves as a great focal point. It works so well on her because she has a large bust otherwise I would have used a small focal.

Purple skirt to summer top

I love peasant skirts they are just so much fun to work. The good thing is that once you get rid of the waistband you can fit the skirt to a much larger size and still have it look good. The skirt I am working with is a Medium size that I purchased from the Dollar General when they were having a sale. Actually I bought several since they were buy 2 get one free.

After trimming the top I opened up the sides to accommodate my arms. I knew the design I was going for so I measured from my collarbone to under my arm then used some ribbon I had from another project to finish the armhole. I had already measured the length of my shoulder and decided to use some satin blanket binding that I had.

I am not sure why the color looks different I am going to assume different lighting most of the pictures are from an overhead light but some are from a room with an over the table flourescent light. Originally I was only going to use one piece that had been opened but I did like where the first tier hit on my bust so I added a second piece and use some decorative stitches to give it some interest. Of course doing so lowered the arm opening so I used more of the blanket binding.

I did this instead of sewing the opening because it gave a better drape at the arm and bust.

I made a v-neck and used some of the sheer ribbon I used on sides to give the neckline some stability. I made sure that the ribbon was actually shorter then the neckline to help pull it together. Then I used the same decorative stitch.

Not the best modeling job I think I look drunk but you can see where the first tier not hits just under the bust which looks better then across the middle. I normally wear a 4X shirt so you can see how well a medium skirt does when converted. Blanket binding comes in so many colors and makes great straps whether you want a halter or something more concealing.