Hawaii: Part II

This skirt's floral pattern caught my eye at the thrift store. Its deep pink and pale yellow flowers really stand out against the blue background. But overall, the skirt was not working - too loose around the waist and the hem fell at the awkward mid-calf length. But (and I didn't even notice this until I got it home and was about to cut into it) it has pockets!

Originally, I had intended to make it a dress, to cut off the extra length and use that fabric to create a bodice. I cut off about half the length, took in the waist of the skirt portion and tried it on. Then I realized the dress concept was a no-go.

The skirt is too full and flowy to be worn that short (at least according to my modesty level). After much deliberation, I decided to scrap the dress idea and use the portion I cut off to make a ruffle for the bottom edge. I cut the excess fabric in half again lengthwise and opened them up along the side seam, leaving me with two very long, skinny rectangles. I stitched them together end-to-end for an even longer, skinny loop of fabric. After hemming one edge of the ruffle, followed by lots of gathering, pinning, and sewing, my new skirt had a new ruffle. As I took a few back stitches to lock everything down, I ran out of bobbin thread. Then I looked up at my top spool to see if I had enough to rewind the bobbin and do some top-stitching. This is what I found on the spool.

I guess I won't be doing any top-stitching. Oh well! The ruffle has enough weight that it hangs nicely on its own.

And see? Pockets!