I’m so thrilled to have been a guest on today’s episode of The Martha Stewart show! Wooo! It was super fun taping the segment earlier this week, and I can’t say enough thank you’s to the staff and crew at the show. They are truly a gracious group of folks who were lovely and kind to work with, making the whole experience a pleasure from beginning to end.

Sewing alongside Martha was fun and not as freaky as I thought it would be! It’s funny, when you see someone on television so often, you start to feel like you know them in a way. So standing next to her in real life was sort of just like watching her on TV, except that I was in the TV with her, which, well, I guess I was. So it was kind of strange yet totally normal at the same time. Know what I mean?

Anyway! I thought I’d give a little more in-depth information about the project we made together, since we had to move so quickly in the segment. The photo above shows the skirts from the show — the top two are the samples the four-year-old little girls were wearing, and the bottom right is the baby-size version I made during the demo. Martha made an identical baby-size skirt but in a blue snowflake fabric, which isn’t shown here.

And this is the original skirt from the my book, Sewing in a Straight Line–as you can see, it was originally an adult skirt. This pattern is written so that you make the skirt to any body measurements, so you really can make it to fit anyone from a baby to an adult. I’ve actually made almost twenty different versions of this skirt by now, in all different sizes and fabrics, and you really can do almost anything with it, and get a zillion different results. The book sample was made in a cotton-linen blend, which was nice because it was soft and drapey, yet it still had body.

This sample from the show was made in taffeta, which made it a bit more stiff and poufy, for more of a party skirt effect. Then I stitched some metallic gold ric rac along the hem stitch line, and glued on a beaded applique. Instant party! This skirt was for a little girl but I would totally wear it in my size! As you can imagine, you could embellish this skirt in a million ways. I love the idea of adding pom pom trim along the hem or stitching a cluster of jingle bells in a random spot for the holidays. How fun would that be?

This version was made in an Echino fabric, which is an amazing Japanese fabric line that features gorgeous, whimsical prints. Kooky fabrics like these are perfect for this simple skirt–the skirt is so plain that it really allows the fabric to shine. AND an interesting print makes the skirt look really impressive and eye-catching, so it tricks people into thinking you’ve made something really spectacular, even though it was super easy. I love crafty trickery!

And here’s a close-up of the actual skirt I made on the show. It’s made from a simple quilting cotton, which is a good choice for babies because it can stand up to a lot of washing and will get softer and more comfy the more it’s worn. I think this would be so cute over little leggings for the winter, or worn alone or over bloomers in the summer.

So you see, this skirt really can be made in any size and in almost any fabric. And yes, I even went here:

…it can be made in kitty size too. But Fifi wasn’t terribly impressed with it. She is giving me some serious stink-eye in this shot.

The full instructions for this skirt are posted on the Martha site here.

Anyway, if you’re new to my blog today, hello! And if you liked this skirt, please check out my book, Sewing in a Straight Line. The book has over 25 patterns, from clothes and accessories to home decor and gifts, that are all made by sewing straight lines only. You’d be surprised how many great things you can sew even if you only have basic skills!

And if you weren’t able to catch The Martha Show today, I’ll post the clip just as soon as I can! xoxo

Fun news! I’ll be on the Martha Stewart show this week!

Yesterday I visited the Martha studios to tape a segment demonstrating how to sew the One-Hour Skirt from my book, Sewing in a Straight Line. The thing about this skirt (like all the clothing in my book) is that you make it to fit your own body measurements, so it can be made for a person of any size, from baby to adult. Martha recently had her first grandchild (a baby girl), so the producers wanted to show how to make the skirt for a baby or child.

So, Martha and I got down to business and sewed up two tiny baby skirts. It was great–we laughed, we cried, we sewed, we made French seams. The episode will air tomorrow, Friday December 16, at 10am on the Hallmark Channel. So tune in then to see how our skirts turned out!

Here is where I would love to show you a zillion amazing behind-the-scenes shots, but tragically I barely took any pictures–there was just too much going on. But my mom (who came with me for the taping, hooray!) did get a few…

The producers, crew and I prepping for my segment. We sewed on these amazing vintage-reproduction Singer machines which aren’t even available to the public yet.

two little four-year-old girls modeling my skirts

The set was a winter wonderland!

Martha answering audience questions after the taping. Fun fact: she wore yoga pants with her sweater and heels, since her legs aren’t visible during the show (and I assume the heels for height/posture). Another fun fact, she was spotted in her office/dressing room doing yoga before our taping.

So tune in tomorrow, 10:00am on the Hallmark Channel, to watch me sew with Martha! Eeeep!