Hi friends, I was lucky to have a bit of a break from the social whirl last weekend, and so I spent the better part of two days sewing. Well, actually, I think I spent most of my time cutting fabric...but I got some sewing in too. And on Monday morning I got to wear the skirt I'd made for myself to work. There's not much more satisfying than that! I used the Barcelona Skirt Pattern from Amy Butler. It was my first time using an Amy Butler pattern, and I was really happy with it – the instructions are well written, the diagrams are clear, and everything is broken down into easy-to-follow steps. I cut everything out on Saturday and sewed on Sunday afternoon; Sunday night I took care of the final hand-sewn details, such as finishing the hem and sewing the lining around the zipper opening. Overall, I'd say it took me about 5 hours, including multiple tryings-on and tea breaks. There are two things that might be helpful if you're thinking about tackling this project: the Sew Mama Sew pattern review and this invisible zipper foot tutorial. I didn't find the zipper foot difficult to use, really, but if I hadn't read those two items I would have tried to use my regular zipper foot (figuring, "Ah, what's the big difference?" of course). It does make a difference, the feet are readily available (and cheap, mine was about $4), and I know I would have been unhappy with the results if I'd tried to bluff my way through. So. I think I see another skirt or two like this in my future! And then, maybe, a dress. (Dun-dun-dunnnnnn!)