Lace Skirt and Missoni Madness

Pamela's Patterns Pencil Skirt

Yes, I am totally hooked on this new pencil skirt look that I discovered this summer.  I can't stop making them.  I've had this lace version of Pamela's Patterns Pencil Skirt in my mind since I took the class in May.  This is a beautiful stretch lace with two shaped borders.  The lining is a stretch silk charmeuse, both fabrics I believe came from Fabric Mart.  So why make it now?  Well, the sweater was the final kick in the you know what to get me to sew this project.

Target missoni sweater

Two weeks ago Target released their Missoni limited edition clothing and home furnishings line.  I had seen the ads and knew it would be popular but wow, I'm out of the loop on just how outrageously popular.  Turns out people were online waiting to order in the early morning hours, only to see items sell out in minutes.  I have a local store nearby and did saunter over about 1pm that first afternoon.  The store was stripped.  Now mind you, I don't live in the most fashion forward part of the world, either.  While I was there I heard a young gal speaking to the stock clerk who described the mayhem at 8am that morning, with people grabbing items from his cart before he could get to the right dept. and others taking the entire rack of an item and piling it into their carts.  Yes, many of these ended up on Ebay within minutes, at three times the price.  I was stunned and disappointed.  I had come in hoping to buy this one sweater or maybe a throw to make my own sweater jacket but all I could see were some poly overblouses on the racks.  But really, what's the fuss?  Even if you sell an item on ebay, it's not an original Missoni fabric....and the design is still specific to Target, after all.  I mean, nothing against Target, I love Target, but it's not a unique boutique.  So I went home, empty handed, a little disappointed and certainly surprised by the uproar.  
How did I get hold of this one?  Last week, on the way to the gym,  I went into Target for some innocuous puchase in housewares.  I walked in the front door and first saw a COPs table set up right in front of the Women's fashion section.  In my part of town there are several neighborhood COPs groups....Citizens on Patrol....and Mr. Lucky and I have even been part of ours.  It's community patrolling of the neighborhood for about an hour a month, noting anything suspicious and calling the local police to investigate.  No vigilante justice, just extra alert eyes.  Our neighbors were robbed in midday last year and someone noticed a car parked about block away with someone just sitting there and called the police.  Police investigated and while the perps in the house got away, the items they had collected to take away were left behind.  Anyway, long story to say here in Target was an older woman staffing this local community table.....and right behind her was this lone sweater in my size, the exact sweater I had been hoping for 10 days earlier.  I laughed out loud since it looked like she was proecting it from more Missoni marauders.  I scooped it up immediately.   No idea if it was returned or found somewhere else hidden in other racks but it was my lucky day.

Wish you could see how nicely the lace and lining look

Since I loved the hot fuschia, purple and chartreuse green with black color scheme I knew I had to pull out this lace and make one of the two skirts I had planned.  I folded up the hem on the pattern pieces and cut the skirt with the botom of the scallop at hem length.  I cut the lining with the hem folded up as well and then hemmed it another inch.  I trimmed the seams and the darts down to 1/4 inch but did not serge the seams since the stretch lace will not ravel.  Quite happy with how it turned out and Mr. Lucky's eyes lit up when he saw the outfit, always a good sign.  He snapped this pic last week before we went away overnight to celebrate our anniversary.  When we went to the theater Saturday night I ended up wearing it with a black cami and dark hose since it was a chilly, rainy weekend, much like our wedding day 24 years ago.  But it was a fun weekend of dim sum Chinese brunch, a little museum-ing, a new funny play, "The Heir Apparent," and a 10k Volksmarch at Fort Belvoir's Octoberfest.   24 years married, 29 years together and I'm happy to admit that I'm a much better wife today than when he married me.  I've learned a lot about myself, the difficulties I cause myself sometimes and the power of healing through friends, family, prayer, service and nature.