Put a Skirt on It

A couple of weeks ago, I confessed to you all that I'm a fabric hoarder.  So many of you spoke up and said, "Me, too."  I've been working my way through my fabric stash when Robin over at T-Shirt Diaries posted a Stashbusting Challenge.  I immediately signed up and if you're addicted to your crafting supplies, then join me in this challenge.

Here's how it works:  For the duration of the Stash-Busting period, you can not buy any fabric or whatever it is that you craft hoard(scrapbook paper, yarn, etc.)  You must make an attempt to bust through your stash.   For me that means sewing projects.  You can only buy craft supplies if you need them to finish a project.  So if you need one more skein of Lilac yarn to finish an afghan, go ahead, but finding angora for only $3/skein is not a need, and you need to walk on by.

I'm hoping that signing up for the challenge will help keep me motivated and churning out sewing projects, as well as decreasing my stash enough where it won't be scary to try and organize it all.  Want to see the project?  Of course you do.  I've had this ottoman for over a decade.  It worked when I was working a tongue-in-cheek British Colonial look to my decor.  Native American "Indians" vs East Indies Indians.  It's stained and old and definitely not working with my current decor.  Still it's incredibly comfy as a foot rest or an extra seat in a pinch.

I wanted a girlier skirted look.  So into the fabric stash, I dove.  I've been hanging on to this french quote sheer for ages, and thought I'd use some of it for the top where you could read the quote.  I laid it on top centered the quote, and cut it out.  I also cut out a piece of olive fabric for behind it, because it's a sheer.

I liked this striated silk taffeta for the skirt.  I cut & seamed a length of fabric twice the circumference of the ottoman, and hemmed the bottom.  I pinned both ends overlapping so that the skirt would sit just above the floor.  I went ahead and pinned it right side out.

I found the middle of the remaining fabric, created a pleat and pinned it to the other side. 

I continued on like this pulling the fabric straight out, creating a pleat then pinning it to the middle of the remaining circumference until the entire skirt was pleated and pinned.

I ran a loose basting stitch all the way around because it's just easier for me at the machine when I'm not dealing with a million pins.  I always manage to hurt myself on a project like this.

After basting the pieces of fabric together, I removed the pins, and trimmed the excess fabric to 1/4"

I sewed the pieces together just inside my basting line, and covered the excess fabric with some fun pink ribbon.  Inspired by Kelsie from Our Country Home's take on Pink & Green.  The "green" being an upcycling green, I'll be participating in How Sweet the Sound's Pink & Green Saturday.  Although I suppose the olive fabric underneath the sheer would qualify me too.

Here she is all finished.  Gender reassignment.  She went from an ottoMan to Miss Muffet's Tuffet.

Thanks for popping in and sewing with me.  I'm sharing this at Just a Girl's Show & Share Day, and Between Naps on the Porch's Metamorphosis Monday.