Starting to Work

Yesterday, I went to my BFF's house for a much-needed break from reality & a visit. After some fun & adventures outside with the kidlets, we headed inside, where we inevitably began talking craftiness. Since 9th grade, we have been best friends. We're so much alike that we joke that we share half a brain, as well as a passion for crafts of all kinds.
I talked about my to-do list and my desire to dedicate a little more time to my passions. We went upstairs and grabbed her grad dress (that she made herself and wasn't entirely happy with the overall feel of) and changed it up to be a beautiful summer dress. We cut off the top (the part she had a problem with) and grabbed some thin jersey knit to make a simple twisted bandeau top. Eventually we will likely add straps, but she loves it, and I felt accomplished.

So, back to that to-do list. I have started #4. A floor-length rainbow patchwork skirt. I decided I like the skirt better, because then I can wear pretty much any top I own with it.
I knew this would be one of the biggest endeavors on the list, but last night, I finished sorting my fabric and ended up with one large rubbermaid bin of full yardages+, one large rubbermaid bin of clothing & linens to recon or use as fabric, one smaller bin of large scraps, several very small bins of small scraps, and a big box of quilting fabric.
I took out the finished quilt squares & tablecloths that are just awaiting quilting or finishing, as well as all the pre-cut batting & quilting stencils. I'm not a quilter, and although I would love to have the patience for it, I really can't imagine myself sitting down to such meticulous, detailed work for such a long period. BFF does simple quilts and enjoys it, so I am forwarding it all to her.
Today, I attacked that big box of quilting fabric and sorted it into it's various colours. Except for white, all of the neutrals got added to BFF's pile (she loves browns, and has already made a gorgeous queen size quilt for her bed)
I then sat down with my calculator, pen & paper, and figured out all the numbers for a 10-tier rainbow patchwork skirt, with 1.5x increases between the tiers.
Let me tell you now, this is one hell of a major project! The numbers that I have to use are as follows:

Rainbow Patchwork Skirt

Using 4"x4" squares, construct a 10-tier skirt with 1.5x increases, using the following colour scheme:

             Colour                      # Squares           Width of Row (appx)

• White                           13 squares             50"
• White                           20 squares             75"
• Orange                         30 squares             113"
• Yellow                         45 squares              170"
• Green                           68 squares             255"
• Teal                              102 squares           383"
• Blue                              153 squares           575"
• Purple                           230 squares          863"
• Red                              345 squares           1295"
• Pink                             518 squares           1943"
•    OR                              690 squares           2590"

The reason for the "or" is because I would really like to have more ruffle on the last row, but if I can't manage enough squares, then I will settle for a 1.5x increase instead of a 2x increase. Also, I wanted a HUGE waistband, so that just about anyone could wear it. I'm a big girl (5'10" with a 42" waist - ugh)

Beyond that, I then have to stitch each tier of patches together, then ruffle them, then sew each tier to the next. After that, the waistband, and lastly, the dreaded hem.

So, I have started cutting. I started with larger numbers, but felt that a 60" waistband would be far too cumbersome, and adjusted accordingly for a 50" waistband instead.
Thank god for my rotary cutter!

*Total planning & organizing time: ~1.5 hrs*