Is there such a thing as Skirtmakers Anonymous? It’s not so much that I like wearing skirts (although, I definitely do). It’s more that I like wearing skirts that I made. Have you seen some of the new skirts that Target has this season? I love them! But I’ve been passing them by on the racks because I didn’t make them. I definitely have some kind of skirt-borne illness.
There are 32 skirts in that picture, all of them made by me or significantly altered from their original forms by me. Many began as designer quilting cotton, many as discarded bed linens, and still others began as skirts, but I dyed them or added images, beads, etc. If you click on the image, it’ll take you to flickr, where you can see my notes on all of them.
Of course, with all of the skirty goodness in my closet, I still wear the same three over, and over, and over again. There are even a few in here that I haven’t worn since I made them. I think I may cull the herd at some point and donate some of those unused ones to the local thrift shop. If I do that, there may still be some space in my closet, when I get around to making the rest of my Sheet Swap skirts and the two that I have been holding off on as weight loss reward skirts. (My resolve is slipping on that weight loss thing. I’m just about ready to cut into that fabric no matter what the dumb scale says.)
On another note… I’ve been reading Amy Karol’s blog with some interest lately, as she’s been talking about homemade cleansers. I’m not ready to start washing my hair with baking soda just yet, but the sugar scrub she posted about sounded neat. I whipped up a batch last night, washed my hands with it, and ewwww! I felt like I had just been rolling around in an oil slick. Blech. It occurred to me that I might have thrown things off by using brown sugar instead of regular sugar, so I threw an extra half cup of regular sugar in there, and it is definitely an improvement.
I used it in the shower this morning, and although it still left me with a bit of an oily feeling, it wasn’t as bad. Are any of you regular sugar scrub users? Is that how it’s supposed to feel? I love the idea of using a natural cleanser in the shower, but I have to say, when I think about washing my face with oil, I practically feel the pimples forming right then and there…
And on yet one more note… our wineberries are coming in! I spotted them on the plant this afternoon, and am really looking forward to the opportunity to pick them. Harvesting my own fruit from plants that grow in my own yard gives me a feeling that’s hard to explain. Domestic? Earthy-mama-esque? Farm-girl-ish? I feel as if I should be wearing a long breezy skirt and a wildflower behind my left ear, collecting berries in my apron, and bringing them back to the farmhouse, across the creaky wide-plank wooden floor of my ample kitchen to turn them into a heavenly concoction -perhaps an old family recipe that is anticipated with glee each new berry season – that will have my children and husband swooning with the bursting fresh home-grown fruit goodness of it all.
I don’t have an ample farmhouse kitchen, and I’m also not so sure about the swooning family, but I think maybe I could make something they’d like. Or just let them munch on the berries raw. Yeah, this suburban mom and her linoleum-floored kitchen can handle either of those things sufficiently.
I did harvest a tiny little bunch today, but most of the berries are not yet a nice, deep red. In a few more days, I’ll be able to fill up a big bowl like last year, and use them in all kinds of baked goodies. With or without a wildflower behind my ear 🙂
I credit my desire for a new sewing machine and Sew What! Skirts to you, Lisa. I’ve been bitten by the sewing bug and am now scouring eBay for patterns for clothes I can wear to work! Think of the remaking of skirts as recycling and don’t feel guilty.
Also, I’ve not used this sugar scrub recipe, but I’ve heard of ‘oil-cleansing’ as being the Next Big Thing, especially for acne-prone folks (not to say that you are) but I figure if they use it and it clears up their pimples, it’s fine for us folks with oily skin. Check it out here I’m going to try it eventually! I love homemade stuff like this!
I’m also with you on the farmer’s wife scenario; we have a HUGE raspberry bush growing in our yard and I see all the little buds where the berries are going to be and can’t wait to have my own harvest!
I have not used the sugar scrub, but I have used salt scrubs for years with olive oil instead of canola…and you are a little slick…i always wash my hands with ivory soap before i get out of the shower to remove the residue from my fingers…after you towel dry your skin is awesome smooth from the oil….but you have to be careful because the tub can get mighty slick with oil too!
I use brown sugar to scrub my head all the time. I don’t use shampoo EVER and just scrub with a bit of slippery conditioner. This usually does the hair cleaning trick, but if I ever feel like I need a bit more, I’ll scrub my scalp with straight brown sugar. Feels great!
See what Adrienne has been blogging about: June Swap WIPs
Oh my! That is a big whoppin’ load of skirts! I am so impressed…. and little jealous of the berries in your own yard too!
I haven’t tried the scrub, but I have tried the baking soda and cider vinegar thing. So far I’m a mess. My hair is WAY greasy and yet at the same time it’s tangly and straw like. I’m not impressed. I hear though that there’s a sort of hair detox phase, so I’m carrying on a while longer to see if it improves. If not, I might give these a go: https://www.chagrinvalleysoapandcraft.com/shambar.htm#SHAMPOO%20BARS%20INTRO
See what Stefani has been blogging about: He is My Sunshine
I make a sugar scrub and I love it. My tub feels pretty slick when I’m done but my skin feels soft and dewy. Don’t use it to wash your face though. Both the sugar and the oils are too harsh for facial cleaning. I think the trick with the sugar scrub is to pick the right kind of oil. You don’t want something to strong or to heavy for your skin. I used coconut oil for mine. It doesn’t smell coconutty at all and it feels kind of light.
As far as too many skirts – I don’t ever think there is such a thing! I’ve been making skirts for myself this summer and I don’t have any plans to stop. Mine are all simple wrap skirts. They are so comfy and I have the added bonus of being able to adjust them as I (hopefully) lose weight. 🙂 My mom told me that 5 is the limit and then I need to make a different style skirt but I figure who is really going to be keeping track of what I wear?! LOL Yours are really cute! I love them. You need to put together a little mosaic of all your skirts.
And since this is getting to be a pretty long comment (sorry about that) I’ll finish by saying that I am very jealous of your wineberries! We had tons of them growing in our yard when we lived in CT. I would pick gallons of them and make muffins, jam, pies, and such. I’d also freeze a bunch for the winter. We don’t have them here in TX and I really miss them. Enjoy them 🙂
See what Emily has been blogging about: Happy 4th of July!
I’ve never heard of wineberries. Are they specific to your region? Don’t think we have ’em here in the Pacific NW.
Be still my heart! All those handmade skirts lined up in a row! Fabulous!
I think you should do a giveaway with the skirts that you want to pass on….I know that I would try to win!!
I, too, suffer from Spare Skirt-itis Syndrome. All handmade, each with a story. Maybe we need to start a support group! I have a sneaky feeling that we’ll find a lot of members.
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