L is for lace, leather, leggings & lightbulb

Okay, so technically it's not real leather.  Just add a P.  I wasn't about to use real leather for a 4-year-old's skirt, but I couldn't resist giving a "leather" skirt a whirl for Clover.  I was talking to my mom about creativity today and I told her that I've really enjoyed this series.  I hadn't anticipated it becoming so formal, but anticipating things has never been one of my strengths.  That's why I married Ryan.  He gets to be the boyscout, always prepared.  Tangent.

So.  I used Oliver + S sailboat skirt pattern and with baby wale corduroy for the side insets.  It was giving me a motorcycle vibe, so I went whole hog with the silver metal buttons.

The green lace was something I ordered online a long time ago, but when I had the package in my hand and opened it, it was entirely different than what I imagined, so it's been relaxing in my green stash.  The green is actually subdued with the black knit behind it and I added some exaggerated cuffs to make it go with the skirt.  I just traced a dirty, old t-shirt she had stuffed in her drawer.  Gross.

This is how her hair was when she woke up!  If only we were all blessed with such obedient locks.  And children.

When sewing with (p)leather, you can use pins as long as they are within the seam allowance and holes won't be visible after sewing.  I used some binder clips for the waistband so keep it in place, you could also use clothespins or even paperclips.

I sewed most of this while Clover was at school or asleep,so I left the final stitching undone until I could fit everything to her and found it humorous and thought I should document, so you know what it looks like behind the scenes.  Drummer is in the background, making copious amounts of crumbs, I don't like to cut elastic until I know the exact amount I'm going to use so I don't waste a single inch, so she's got the entire roll hanging in the back.  

I actually had finished the leggings.  I thought.  But one should always test the stretch in a fabric BOTH ways, because when I flipped the cuffs the other way, they didn't stretch.  At all.  I underestimated the importance of stretch.  It's probably part of that whole lack of anticipation, so changes were needed.

Cut them off!  I added a bit of decorative elastic, which I happened to have in a very close shade of green to the shirt.

Giving herself bunny ears

Then I added "love" in silver thread (you know, because it's L week.  Plus, I love her) and did a C and R in black.

She borrowed my lightbulb necklace for the occasion.  Brilliant idea ;)

One more letter this month, this year!  Are we halfway there, yet?