Banana Beignet

The best advice for sewing is to relax, take your time, and enjoy the process of creating something just for you.

That wise little phrase is written at the beginning of every Colette Patterns book - and I think it's darn good advice.

This is my third pattern from Colette, an independent pattern company out of Oregon. This skirt, like the Macaron dress and Sencha blouse, was very fun to make. Something about that little reminder to take your time and enjoy yourself just makes the sewing process go so much more smoothly. I'm a real finished-product sewer -- I tend to choose patterns because I want to wear them, not because I'm desperate to sew them (though don't get me wrong - sewing is a very fun way to get there). But that reminder to enjoy the process as well as the finished result always puts me in the right mindset.

I used a bright yellow cotton twill for this skirt with matching buttons. It sewed up very nicely -- it's certainly not the easiest skirt in the world to make, but the instructions are incredibly clear and easy to understand. I made a size 12 and graded up to size 14 in the hips.

I love wearing this skirt. I get so many positive reactions -- sometimes even from random strangers. Once I was wearing it on the bus with a black-and-white stripey top, and this slightly creepy dude told me I looked like a bumblebee! I think something about the banana-yellow colour just attracts a lot of attention.

                                          

My next Colette pattern will be one of the most intimidating projects I've taken on so far: the Lady Grey coat. I'm going to keep an eye on the sew-a-long on Gertie's blog -- I think I'll need all the help I can get!