Anchor Chardon Skirt

I have been on the hunt for the perfect pleated skirt for about 2 years now.  I came across this fabulous pattern by a darling French pattern designer named Eleonore. She runs a shop called Deer and Doe and I love her designs. This skirt is called the Chardon Skirt and it is such a great pattern! I ordered it straight from France and the pattern arrived in less than a week... I was so impressed with the turn around! 

I picked out some fabric and got to cutting out my pattern. (I used Anchor Chambray for the main part of the skirt, Clown Stripe in Limeade for the accent. I am not certain the info on the bias tape, but I picked it up from Sew to Speak and it matched perfectly with the stripe.)

*Side note: Have you ever measured yourself for a pattern and thought "I'm gonna go with the smaller size because I know I am going to drop some of the extra pounds I put on over the winter."

- Me too! I'm so glad I am not the only one! ;)

 So I went for the smaller size and got to sewing. The pattern was so easy to follow and very straight forward (it came with instructions in English and French- in case you were wondering).

Well as I was sewing, I was thinking to myself... "Oh man...Not sure if this is gonna fit!" 

Sure enough- when I finished, I tried the skirt and I could zip it up but it definitely looked like it was a size too small. Bummer! I knew that with a summer of being active outside it would probably fit perfect in a month or two, but I had another idea....

My younger sister Heidi is the "pre- having two kids" version of me. I knew the skirt would fit her great. So I packed up this happy little skirt and shipped it to her! 

Doesn't it she look darling?

She is a missionary for our Church, serving in Tampa, Florida so she wears skirts everyday and was so happy to have a fun new skirt to wear! I just love her and am so proud of all of the good she is doing in Tampa. And I am so excited because she will be returning home in July and I will get to see her again! (Girl missionaries serve for 18 months away from family and loved ones. They get to call home on Christmas and Mother's Day and email once a week- but she is one of my very best friends so I feel like I haven't seen her in FOR-EVER!)

Ok... back to the skirt... a couple of my favorite things about the pattern is that there are pockets in the skirt (something I had never done before, but  was surprisingly easy), the pleats, the ties on the back of the skirt (optional), and the bottom of the skirt is hemmed with bias tape for a nice clean finish. I was very happy with the way it turned out!

I definitely recommend this pattern to anyone! Beginner or experienced seamstress! 

Happy Sewing!

xoxo, Ashley

{Work in Progress} Grandmother's Flower Garden Quilt

 Since fall of 2012, I have been working on hand piecing a hexagon quilt. I am using 1 1/2 inch hexagon templates from paperpieces.com and I'm aiming to make it a full, possibly queen, sized quilt. 

(it's a huge undertaking to say the least)

I was introduced to hexies by way of two of my favorite blogs... nanaCompany and Lovely Little Handmades. 

I am always so inspired by the fabrics, the design, and the projects that I find on these beautiful blogs... So when I kept seeing these darling little hexies that Amy and Kerry were making and using in projects, I knew I had to join in! I started basting my fabric to my paper pieces not really knowing exactly what I was going to make with them. 

 Then I came across this quilt on Pinterest and fell in love with the "grandmother's flower garden" style. Instantly I knew I wanted to use my hexies in a floral design and make a quilt.  

I really had no idea the amount of time and effort it was going to be to make a large hexie quilt. Like I said, I have been working on it for a year and a half now and am maybe halfway done with piecing the quilt top. {Yikes}

But the thing is... I have loved every single second that I have spent making this quilt. {and by seconds- I mean hundreds of hours} Seriously! 

I have loved cutting my fabrics, basting my hexies, piecing my flowers, joining my flowers... I even love the pretty scraps of fabric that have come from making this quilt. I just can't get enough of it! ;)

If I had to say my very favorite thing about making this quilt, it would have to be the fact that I take it with me everywhere! Anytime I am going to be riding in the car for over an hour somewhere, countless road trips back and forth across the United States, and to the Caribbean... 

{I got some seriously weird looks while "hexie-ing" on the deck of our cruise ship over spring break... I guess it's not everyday you see a twenty-something gal spending her time on a cruise sewing! but man- was I having the time of my life listening to the waves of the ocean, wind in my hair, playing with gorgeous fabric- that is my kind of vacation!}

I work on it this project any time I get a chance- whether it is while I am traveling, watching t.v., chatting with a friend, helping my kiddos with art projects, etc. 

I love that I can be working on something that I love, but it doesn't take me away from being with the ones I love... It's the perfect kind of sewing for me!

Stay tuned for the next however long it takes until this beauty is finished! I am always sharing my progress, along with other fun behind the scenes stuff on Instagram. And if you are interested in my "process" for making hexies- check out this post.

Happy Hexie-ing!!!

xoxo, Ashley