Some days (or years, really) can feel a bit like a house of cards. You know what I mean – where you are managing to keep everything together, stacking each day precariously on top of the next. But you know that one wrong move – one exhale in the wrong direction – and it will bring everything a tumbling down.
Our Spring semester started last week. While I kicked off the year with cautious hope, as the day drew ever more near, worry started to surface about re-entering back to fully face to face instruction. And although it felt a bit like having to start building the house up from scratch again, I have to admit I breathed a bit of a sigh of relief when we got the word that we would be online, at least for the next couple of weeks…
So, in honor of the house of cards that is 2022, I finally buckled down to put the finishing touches on a project that had been on my sewing table half-done for ages. Awhile back, I can across a Spoonflower shop called Stradling Designs. They had the most amazing circle prints I had ever seen. But, my Amazonian self has never been able to cut a circle skirt out of just one width of yardage (but man do I admire those petite ladies who can!).
I messaged the lovely Bruce and his wife about a custom option – though it would take more yardage, I wondered if those circles could be lengthened to spread across multiple yards that would make all of my circle skirt dreams come true. I was thrilled to find Bruce was as kind as he was talented (and speedy!). Within only a few days, he whipped up a circle skirt version of a few prints that caught my eye.
I was particularly enamored with an incredible deck of cards motif – with the cards fanned out around the circle like on a fancy Blackjack table. I opted to have it printed on the Petal Signature Cotton and the print definitely did not disappoint. Unfortunately, I was slightly disappointed in the fabric itself.
Not sure if it’s just me, but ever since Spoonflower’s shift to this new type of cotton, I’ve been less impressed with the quality of the fabric. I’m not sure it it’s more of an issue with dense prints that need a lot of ink, but it has a bit of a waxy feel to it (even after washing). If you’re eyeing up this print, I really recommend going with the Organic Cotton Sateen instead – pricier, but I’ve gotten a few other designs from Stradling in the sateen, and really prefer the weight and feel of it.
I also decided to spice this look up a bit and tackle a matching cardigan – because the skirt would be simple (without a felt appliqué in sight), this junkie would need some way to get her felt fix.
A short while ago, I had seen one of my favorite gals on IG Dominique try her hand at appliquéing a giraffe cardigan, so I knew it would be pretty straightforward. Then, I serendipitously spotted a vintage ad for a poker-themed sweater at Crash the Party, which was all the inspiration I needed. So, I ordered a plain cropped crewneck cardi from Mak with plans for embellishment, and gave into my love of a good theme…
To recreate this skirt and cardigan set, you will need:
The Skirt
With the fabric in hand, it was a simple matter of cutting it out and zipping it together. Because Bruce can customize the waist circumference and length to your preferred measurements (just shoot him an email), there’s gloriously very little thought involved. I cut along the marked lines, both at the hem and at the waistline.
Ihen, pinning the sides together (take your time here to get good pattern matching), I sewed up the side seams, leaving a 9″ gap for the zipper. With some of the excess red fabric, I also cut matching 3″ waistband. After the usual interfacing, zip, and waist clasps, I had a wearable skirt in under 2 hours. It went together so quickly that I didn’t even notice that I wasn’t taking my usual photos of the whole process!
Not bad for a rainy afternoon….
The Cardigan
I barely blinked and the skirt was done, but I knew the cardigan would take a bit longer. I decided to keep the color scheme simple and use just black, red, and a light grey for the appliqué. And, I also decided to make life a little simpler and let Cricut take care of the cutting…
For the cards themselves, I decided to get myself partway to a royal flush with an Ace, King and Queen. I also wanted a few simple circles to help balance out the design (a feature I recall seeing on a card-themed Juli lynne Charlot piece awhile back). After getting my shapes set up in Design Space, Cricut made quick work of the shapes.
With the shapes in hand, I got to work with my fabric glue – although I would hand-applique the pieces on, when working with small, fiddly shapes, fabric glue is often best so you don’t damage the tiny pieces.
I worked one card at a time, carefully applying the glue to the back of each piece and attaching them one at a time. Before I knew it, I was almost playing with a full deck…
Once the glue was dry, I busied myself with getting the placement of the applique’s right. I fanned the cards out across one side, and then added the circles to the other. For a bit of added detail, I also added a card to the back (I am a big proponent of “hate to watch you leave, but love to watch you walk away.”)
At this stage, it’s important to pin and pieces and then try it on. Trust me, things that work while flat can look rather hilarious when you are dealing with actual breasts and the like.
Once I got it right, I pinned the pieces in place.
I had never sewed onto knitwear before, but was surprised to find it’s actually really straightforward. The key is to keep your stitches small and your fabric taught (but not overly stretched) when you’re sewing.
As with my previous applique projects, I went with a tiny backstitch to keep my stitches as invisible as possible. Given I’m used to facing mountains of applique, I was shocked at how quickly this one went. In less than an hour, I had an adorable matching cardi.
The Debut
Overall, this project ended up being one of my quickest sewing projects to date – despite the fact that it was spread across several months (because, you know, life and needy co-eds), the actual creation process only took a few hours.
I will say, the sizing ended up a little big on me – if I do this one again, I will make a few adjustments to the geometry. But, otherwise, I feel like a house of cards that can withstand the storm….
Life consists not in holding good cards
but in playing those you hold well.
Josh Billings
In a weird way, the pivots to online instruction are taking on a very “lather, rinse, repeat” kind of motif. It’s almost as if change itself is the constant, and I’m working to find my way to navigate along a cobblestone street in stiletto heels (where the cobblestones keep moving).
I wonder if it’s more like an approximation of the mental process of building a house of cards – do you realistically think it’s actually going to stay standing? No…but you keep trying anyway. Keep challenging yourself to build it higher and stronger, hoping it’ll withstand the breeze.
I hope you’re all standing strong in the storm.
xoxo
Construction Details:
Circle Skirt : 4 yards of Playing Card Fabric by Stradling Designs, via Spoonflower
Appliqué: Felt from BBD Supplies
Additional notions (zipper, thread): JoAnn’s
Outfit Details:
Cardidan: cropped cardigan in ivory by Yemak, with appliqué by me
Skirt: Made by me!
Belt: Alannah Hill (similar)
Handbag: vintage hatbox (similar)
Shoes: Melissa (similar or same on eBay)
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