New Pattern Company -- Au Bonheur des Petites Mains

Woot! Edgy new patterns from a new (to me) company in Paris. A friend sent me this link and I admired the patterns then moved on. I couldn't see buying untried (and unreviewed) patterns in a foreign language, and incurring expensive shipping fees, as much as I liked the look of them. But try as I might, I couldn't get these designs out of my mind and I decided it didn't matter what the patterns were like, or whether I could understand the instructions (if they even exist, I have no idea).

Check out the Patron de Couture. It turns out I still have just enough high school French to get me into trouble. (Note: Acheter, meaning "To Buy" is the equivalent of the Add to cart button. ;) )

Here are some of my favorites:

Excuse me while I wipe the drool off my keyboard. :)

Once my order was complete, I used Yahoo's Babelfish to translate the final message. The translation said:

Your bank card was accepted. With the happiness of the small hands was informed.

Yes, it's early Christmas for shams!!! :)

Self Drafted -- Pencil Skirt with Flounce

Last October, I saw a skirt similar to this at a boutique for over $100. This skirt is fairly easy to draft – the pencil shape is a simple rectangle and the pattern piece is then divided into two with a diagonal seam. The flounce is added to the bottom pattern piece. The top has a casing for elastic.

The bottom pattern piece, showing the flounce.

I first made it for myself in a drapey black knit. I didn't bother to hem it but used the selvedge of the fabric. I made it a second time for my daughter in a black wool jersey to wear to her winter concert. (photos to come)

I am wearing this with the sweater I bought from one of my favorite designers -- Jane Mohr (Dressed to Kill) at the Artistry in Fashion sale. The darker areas on the sweater are actually mesh and you are seeing my black TeaGarden T underneath.

And here is the one I made for DD2:

This is an easy one!