Skirt Makeover

Hello,
Gorgeous weather again this weekend,shame I've missed most of today ,stuck inside at work.
Never mind, I've come home to an empty house ( little people at a party ).I've wandered around the garden,looking at all the plants , feeling myself unwind.I've even tidied up a bit and there's still time to talk to you lovelies,can't be bad !
I have a question for you today....
Do you ever make your own clothes ?
I certainly used to make lots of mine .When I was a teenager there wasn't a lot of spare cash in our household.So if I wanted something new to wear I quickly learnt that Mum was far more likely to agree to buy a pattern and some fabric than the ready made item.
I suppose she thought it was a good skill to learn and in those days it was actually much cheaper. So on her Singer,the same one I use today .....



I ran up skirts,blouses,trousers and dresses. There were a few disasters,stuff that never saw the light of day.But also good stuff .In fact by my late teens I was adapting patterns,and making my own.
When I was a student I even made some white trousers and shorts out of a bed sheet!!

These days I have other crafts that take up my free time.Sewing your own clothes is certainly not a money saving exercise these days.But it is very satisfying.I took out a subscription to Prima to receive the patterns every month, but so far I've only made this sun top out of fabric in my stash...



My sewing skills are a bit rusty ,so even this simple item took quite a long time. Luckily I get a similar sense of satisfaction in finding a bargain and being a little more "green".This is a skirt I bought at our local boutique ( charity shop !).....



It was OK. Quite a flattering shape and length but a little dull.


Then this came with my latest magazine ( you can click on the images to make them bigger ).......


A little Boden catalogue...Lots of gorgeous things in here.......





I love all the bright colours and extra details like ribbon ,piping and beads.
And it gave me the inspiration to add something to my dull skirt...maybe this....



Or this....

Or what about both....

Yes I think that will work .
So out with my Singer ,and less than an hour later I've got this....

It's lucky the little people don't mind my requests for their photography skills ! These are the best shots....



I know it's not as gorgeous as the Boden clothes,but I'm quite pleased with it.It cost a fraction of the price,didn't take long to do ,and is a one off !

I've also sneaked a little crochet garment into the post.... a bolero I made last year......



It's the Short and Sweet Bolero from this book....



I made mine in Patons 100% Cotton .It was the most complicated pattern I've attempted and required a lot of concentration,so not ideal when you have lots of distractions ! It took me a few weeks to finish.The cotton was lovely to work with,and it fits well.
Maybe that should be my next question ...Do you crochet stuff to wear ?

Look forward to hearing your views ,have a good week.Maybe it will even be nice enough to wear my skirt!

Jacquie x