Bags and purses a go go! Skirt less go go, more go-slow

Don’t you love getting packages in the mail? When I am ordering things online, I tend to try and order everything at the same time so all my parcels arrive within a few days of each other.  This is mainly because they don’t usually fit through our letterbox so need to be picked up at the post office, and it’s easier to do this in one go.  As a result I tend to get a stash of packages to open, which I love!

Following my updated crafting plan, I ordered the bits I need for my first few projects, which I couldn’t buy locally.  I have now just received the purse frames for my gifts purses plus the bag handles and beady trim for my Echino bag.  I have the lining fabric now too.  Thanks go to Jane for her suggestion of fabric colour.  I like the combo, don’t you?  Best get cracking now.

My grey skirt has taken a back seat just because I’ve decided it needs a lining but am a bit flummoxed as to how to do it as I’ve never lined anything before and the pattern is for an unlined skirt.  An old sewing book my Gran gave me says that for lining skirts, pleats in the main skirt fabric and lining should be done together as one piece (unlike darts which apparently should be done on the lining and main skirt separately), but I’m not sure if / how to attach the back bit of the lining to my zipper in the main skirt, as the rest of the lining will fall free from the bottom of the sewn pleat.  I’m thinking I might just baste it to the seam allowance on either side of the zip and see how that goes.  This is probably not making much sense and is hard to visualise, but if it works I’ll post a pic. 

Also if anyone has any advice on lining a skirt please let me know.  The pattern is McCalls 5803 and it’s a simple skirt with pleats that attaches to a straight waistband.  I’ve already sewn the back pieces together and inserted the zipper (which is not coming out for love nor money) and have sewn one half of the pockets to front piece’s sides and the other half of the pockets to to the back piece sides.  Oh yes I forgot to mention it has pockets, does that matter lining-wise?  Nothings attached to the waistband so I thought now was the time to get the lining sorted.

I have put aside a day this weekend to crafting, so hopefully I will have something completed to post here by next week.  Here's hoping!