Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Oak Leaf Beignet

Beignet skirt with oak leaf applique


Have you ever been so intimidated by a project that you put it aside for days/weeks/months? This was one of those projects for me. I started with beautiful dreams of romantic embroidery and charming woolen appliqued silhouettes. However, when I started trying to do embroidery on my machine - I hit a wall. It was much more difficult than I anticipated. I was also intimidated by the buttons. I've sewn buttonholes before, but this skirt has 11! I knew it would try my patience.


This is what a dizzying amount of buttonholes looks like.


I used vintage Czech glass buttons from my trip to Czech Village.


Intimidation and irrational fears are not your friend when you are learning new skills. Although your mind may tell you that if you stop working on a project - you can't mess it up, keep in mind that you also can't finish a project you aren't working on. This seems obvious, but I have to remind myself sometimes. The best medicine I've found for intimidating tasks, is charging head-on and taking no prisoners. That is exactly what I did with my embroidery and buttonhole concerns. I made myself finish them, and although the outcome wasn't perfect, I'm still pleased. Not everything has to be perfect. Even with imperfections - this skirt turned out super cute! Now I'm less afraid of buttonholes too!


Melissa - Buttonhole Champion - Ready to take on the world


The skirt is made out of wool fabric with cotton lining. The oak leaves are cut out of wool and the buttons are vintage Czech glass buttons. I used the Colette Patterns Beignet pattern. Josh and I celebrated the finished skirt with a trip to Galena, IL and a photo shoot. Galena has a historic downtown area with fun boutiques, beautiful old buildings, and several great restaurants and coffee shops.










We stopped for coffee at one of these local shops - yum! Josh, my photographer / fiance-extraordinaire liked the coffee too.


Josh at Rendezvous Coffee & Tea in Galena

It was another lovely day in Galena. I'm soo happy this skirt is finally done, I felt so guilty looking at it without buttonholes for months. Now I just need to finish my Colette Violet blouse. How many projects do you all have waiting to be finished?

6 comments:

  1. What a pretty skirt! I like the way it turned - great jobs conquering the buttonholes! I have about 5 projects in various levels of completion.. some are some small side projects I wanted to fit in between two of the larger projects (and that is not counting the three UFO's I am not ready to look at again yet). Maybe it is time I opened one of those and conquered!

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  2. It looks great! Everything is all smooth and even looking. And you should totally do a Victory Pattern. Your jacket is so fun and cute, where did you get it?

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  3. Thanks! I got it on sale at Anthropologie last year - the brand is Daughters of the Liberation :)

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  4. I am still trying to finish my shorts. I think I might have a go at it this weekend. However, I might rip some of the seams and redo to fix the pucker I have going on in front. If this is a success, I'll be sure to post the finished product! Miss you!

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  5. Remember when you wore them out half-finished and told Maria and Anour that they were done? Haha. I can't wait to see them though, the fabric is so cute!

    Miss you too! We need to chat again soon!

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