Sewing catch-up

As promised, here's the first of a few posts detailing some of the projects I've completed recently. First up are some bitty bug pincushions made from this tutorial. They turned out pretty cute. I used linen for the circles, which made them a little wonky, especially where I hand-stitched them closed. I used beads instead of French knots for the eyes and I think they look okay. I added a little flax to the stuffing to give them some weight. I've been including these in my swap packages recently. 

Next is a wrap skirt I finished a couple of weeks ago. I LOVE this bird fabric and wanted to make a skirt that would really show it off (more than just an A-line skirt would) so opted for a wrap skirt. This is loosely based on the pattern in Chic & Simple Sewing, but I only had 2 yards of the birds, so I made the skirt shorter and then pieced it in three pieces instead of the one. I used French seams to piece the sections so it would have a really clean look. I wish I had more of an overlap with the skirt, though. I may have to do some safety-pinning to keep from indecency in case of a breeze! 

Also, I had checked out that book from the library and I really like it, though I think it's a little too simple--the patterns use hook-and-eyes and buttons but no zippers. Still, there are a lot of variations here on some simple silhouettes and it's probably a good jumping-off point for someone just starting to sew clothes (*cough cough MOLLY cough*).