Dirndl Detox Sewing

I'm gonna shoot straight with y'all - I've had some sewing mishaps lately. I've had botched button hole placement, collar calamities, and pants fabric that displays mystifying puckers. I've been traveling quite a bit for work lately, and I never knew I could be jet lagged in my own country. It's caused some hazy sewing and more than one mistake! You'll see them all in due time, but this dirndl skirt is a bit of detox sewing, a simple project to refresh me.

Dirndls are such a great canvas for showing off entertaining prints, and this one is delightful. It's a cotton from Hart's Fabric called "Toy Box" and features little boys and girls zipping about on scooters and Radio Flyers. It's got some great colors, too - teal and lime and a rose-colored red. 

Toy Box Playing Cotton in Aqua

The construction is pretty straightforward on dirndls (just a gathered rectangle into a waistband), which is what appealed to me in the first place. I do like that projects like this give me a chance to perfect some basic techniques that are needed on every project. I did an invisible zip, a hand-stitched blind hem, and slip-stitched the waistband on the inside by hand. I also used ban roll in the waistband, which has become my go-to as it keeps your waistband looking nice and crisp all day. 

This was just what I needed! An easy, novelty print skirt to perk me up and give me the energy I needed to finish those tricky projects!