Makers Gonna Make! A New Look and a New Name

Hello Friends!

Today, I'm finally making a change I've been thinking about for quite a while. I'm changing my name! Well, my online name that is.

When I first selected Ms Jenny Homemaker, I expected this blog to go in a different direction. I had only recently discovered the "blogosphere," and had done so through blogs that offered things like recipes, home-related product reviews, and DIY home cleaning tips. Brandon and I had just moved into our first real house together and I expected to share similar things, from the point-of-view of a new homemaker.

I had no idea how much I would end up loving sewing my own clothing or how welcomed I would feel by the sewing community!  Thank you so much!

I'm sure you've noticed that these days, my blog is almost exclusively dedicated to sewing, with the occasional knitting or such project thrown in. So, the homemaker label, though I am still a homemaker, just didn't feel right. It felt limiting and in a direction I don't often discuss.

Then, it hit me. I am a maker. A home maker. A clothing maker. An accessories maker. A decor maker. The list actually goes on. But, the common theme is making. It's an idea I am no longer me without. So, I dropped the "home" (and the Ms., because who needs that formality when it's no longer a play on "Miss Susie Homemaker"). So now, I'm simply Jenny.  Maker.

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Now, about my outfit.  First, I have to give a huge thank you to the always lovely Josie of LA Finch Fabrics for generously sending me this awesome tee shirt with my last order!! Isn't it great?!  (And 100% cotton, which is so awesome and, seemingly, rare in a printed tee.)  To complete to weekend comfort factor, I paired it with my always in-and-out of the wash modal twill Southport skirt.  I knew the Southport would be a good pattern for this because the fit would be the same, moving from a drawstring to an elastic waist.  

To make it a skirt, all I did was cut the two skirt pieces (obviously haha), and a single-piece waistband, large enough to encase my elastic, plus seam allowances.  I made two buttonholes in the waistband, about an inch and a half or so on either side of center front, then sewed the waistband ends together. Next, I sewed the two skirt pieces together and attached the waistband as one piece to the skirt, leaving a 3" opening to thread the elastic through.  After feeding and sewing the elastic, I stitched the remaining 3" of the waistband on/closed, then serged it all the way around.  To finish it, I topstitched the waistband, stretching it flat as I went around, with a zigzag stitch ~3/8" from the top and bottom of the waistband.  This created a channel for the drawstring and gave it a more finished look, in my opinion.  For the drawstring, I used black cotton twill tape and fed enough through so that even if I stretched the skirt to the max, there would be plenty of tape left out so as not to lose an end.  Don't you just hate it when a garment decides to eat the drawstring?  I'm still undecided about the hem... Here, I've serged it and turned it up about an inch, but I think it may need to be shortened a little.  What do you think?

Tee: Finch Fabrics (c/o)  //  Skirt: True Bias Southport (modified), Fabric: Jo-Ann  //  Handbag: Sanctuary via TJ Maxx  //  Shoes: Hush Puppies (currently half off!)  //  Watch: Vintage

Happy sewing! xo