When I get into a project, my sewing room gets messy, especially when pull out the serger for garment sewing. Who needs three machines set up at once?! I do!
On a recent Saturday afternoon I dug into two large garbage bags of selvages I've collected over the years. I pressed them, and then began sewing to remove the excess plain white areas. Here you can see the several inches of plain selvage that I didn't want to include in my strip.
Putting together the right sides of the selvage strip, I eyeballed where the prints met.
Then, I sewed a seam...
...and cut to remove the plain white.
Here you can see seamed strips - some of the same selvage strip, and some from two different strips sewn together. Mostly I tried to sew together similar colors, but didn't stress if they didn't quite match.
As I was choosing selvages, I enjoyed picking brights and the names of some of my favorite fabric lines and designers. Because I found so many celebrity quilter's names, this project is called "Name Dropper."
Riley Blake selvages are always fun because of the shapes of the color windows. See the puzzle pieces here?
This project also included my special, saved typo selvages. To date, I have found three spelling mistakes on selvages. Here are two of them: "gaden" and "photograqhy." One more, not shown is "bijouxl."
And voilá! My Name Dropper Skirt! A good fit, but a little stiff because selvages are sewn to a foundation cut from white Kona. The typo selvages are together in one corner - lower left, in this picture.
 |
| skirt front |
 |
| skirt back |
I expect to wear Name Dropper when I'm in Paducah, from April 22 to 27, for the AQS quilt show. I'm excited about going - even though it's for a job. A tough assignment, you know.
Thus far, from selvages, I've sewed three pillows, three totes, two Edith zip bags, and this skirt. In spite of all that sewing, I've hardly made a dent in my selvage stash. What shall I sew next? My friend Carla has some great ideas! Just head over to Lollyquiltz blog to read her series of posts about clever ways to sew with selvages: a little girl's skirt, an upcycled bag, and stationery - lots of selvage-using inspiration! Linda
Cute skirt! Like your idea of seaming the selvages together. I haven't found any misspelled words on selvages yet but maybe I haven't been paying close enough attention!
ReplyDeleteWhat a really cute skirt, your fans will be able to find you at the show!
ReplyDeleteThat skirt will certainly be a show stopper! It must have been a lot of work!
ReplyDeleteLove the skirt and the idea of sewing all the selveges together. Because of the cost of fabric in NZ we dont very often purchase yardage, so dont always get lengths of selvege. The skirt is really lovely, mind you, youvé got the perfect figure to show it off. :-)
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness. That is THE cutest skirt, EVER! I need to save my selvages to make a little skirt for my daughter.
ReplyDeleteSo good to hear from you -- and absolutely no offense taken with you not liking florals. :)
Your selvage skirt is so cute. I'll be watching for you at the AQS show. We are going from Mon-Thurs. Tough that you will be "working", but someone has to do it, right?? You will have a blast. Be sure to sear comfortable shoes.
ReplyDeleteThat is the coolest skirt! I haven't worn a skirt (or dress!) since I retired but I'd wear this one! Wonderful!
ReplyDeleteYour idea of seaming the selvages to only show the words is a great one, Linda. How cute you look in the skirt...wish I could be in Paducah with you! The skirt that I made for Lula is not terribly stiff, but it has less selvages since I showed more of the colored fabric above the selvage thus less stitching. You are going to be setting the pace for quilter wardrobe! Thanks for the shout out.
ReplyDeleteThat is a seriously cute skirt although it might not be too comfortable to wear? But it'll be worth it for the attention it (and you) get when you're in Paducah working! I'm so surprised to see those spelling errors. I used to see things like that in China a lot, especially on fake goods. You always knew that there was something fishy when there was a spelling mistake.
ReplyDeleteGosh Linda, your ingenuity never fails to amaze me! Love the skirt, what a great idea for the quilt show.
ReplyDeleteHope you have a great time, if's a job, but someone has to do it!
selvages are so much fun to work with. your skirt is so cute and you will be the talk of the show when everyone sees it.
ReplyDeleteI like it when they put the year on the selvage. Good eye finding the typos.
Loving your finished skirt, Linda. You've certainly inspired me! :-)
ReplyDeleteL. O. V. E. !!!!
ReplyDeleteI am totally making myself one of those. You're going to be the cutest one at the show! :)
Stunning! I continue to be inspired by you: your creativity and your outlook on life. So happy that selvages brought us together...Lynda D.
ReplyDeletehow fun and super cute!
ReplyDeleteOh Linda, your skirt is fantastic. And I just love the name. Perfect. I"d have to make a shirt/vest of some kind since I don't wear skirts. Have a wonderful safe trip.
ReplyDeleteI love the skirt! You will be a hit in Paducah! What a great idea. Hope you have a blast. Don't work too hard!
ReplyDeleteLove the skirt. I am going to Paducah this year so I will look for you...enjoy your blog. Where will you be working?
ReplyDeleteGloria
gyates625@bellsouth.net
You'll be a star in Paducah in your selvage skirt. I wish I had as many selvages as you; I don't seam my white parts out, for then I wouldn't have enough for the projects! I guess I'd better more diligent about buying and slicing selvages!
ReplyDeleteAgain, have a great time while reporting. Such fun!
Nice skirt! I like the idea of removing the white parts.
ReplyDeleteJust finished catching up - I've been internet AWOL too long!
ReplyDeleteI certainly hope you're feeling better - you've had quite the run of health issues lately and I hope that the rest of the year/decade/century are filled with nothing but good health.
LOVE that skirt - what a funky idea - and it turned out so well!
Di mentioned you also made a selvage skirt...really admirable....love it
ReplyDeleteWonderful skirt. Did you use a commercial pattern for the skirt or did you just make it up? Did you line the skirt?
ReplyDeleteYou are a no-reply commenter, so I am unable to respond to you because I don't have your email address. So, I hope you see this. I used a commercial skirt pattern - an a-line design. The skirt is not lined because the selvages were sewn to a muslin (pre-washed) foundation. This makes the skirt fairly heavy. Hope this information is helpful.
DeleteI did receive your response in email and sent you two replies with my email address. You might not have received them. I have a couple of follow-up questions: Usually, skirt patterns like an a-line have darts around the waistband. Did you sew these darts into the muslin foundation and somehow manipulated the selvages over the then not-so-flat area around the darts? Also, did you add a waistband and was it difficult to put a zipper in?
DeleteMany thanks.