Cheer-up skirt

New Look Pattern #6872

I awoke to rain that Monday. It was a holiday, but I pretended it was a regular workday and got up at 7 a.m. (which is later than I should get up on a work day, admittedly). The morning was spent in The Kraft Zimmer, in my pajamas. I plugged in the sewing machine, the stereo and all the bright lights I had. After about 2 hours, the gray skies had given way to intense sunshine, and the fabric pieces I was working on had shed their tissue paper patterns and had begun to look like an actual skirt. Like, a really cute one.

I allowed myself a bathroom break and realized the state of affairs with my appearance was quite inconsistent with the general feeling of well-being and optimism. Prescription: shower and fresh air.

The fresh air was truly a treat. With a Paris guide in my bag and a coffee shop within walking distance, I set out to nearly ruin the effect of my shower by overdressing myself in winter accessories. On my walk, I took special note of houses in the neighborhood that I don’t often see or look at, wondered what it’s like to live in those places, envied the sunlight many of them get on their summer gardens, and felt a nice hint of sweat forming under my hat and on my upper lip, almost as though it were summer. Somehow, a hot cup of coffee was still appealing by the time I got up to the shop. I settled in by the window and read through Rick Steves’ recommended walking tours. I wondered if the people around me thought I was nerdy, lucky, or both.

Properly buzzed and filled with a better sense of both Paris and my own neighborhood, I returned home and finished my skirt.

I’m not about to tell you I used all the right techniques here, or that it exemplifies a good deal of skill, but here’s what I’m most excited about: this is the first skirt I’ve made that truly fits me! And it has pockets, and it’s the perfect length, and it holds its shape, and it just looks like summertime.