A few years ago I purchased a charm pack of Lily Ashbury prints. I made a quilt using the disappearing 9 patch block. The different designs in the pack “spoke” to me and I often looked at the quilt and thought – “that print would make a nice blouse” or “that print could be a pretty dress”. Several of the designs were recently offered in the “clearance” section of New Threads, Weyhill Fairground and so I hot footed it to the shop and purchased 2.5 metres of one of my favourite designs. I bought that quantity of fabric thinking that I would make a ¾ length sleeved blouse. When I got home I washed and dried the fabric and then laid it out on my cutting board. Hmmm… those pears could fall at inappropriate places on the front bodice of the blouse. What shall I do? I know, I will make wraparound skirt instead!

Would you believe it? It was only when I hung the skirt to take a photograph that I realised the pears at the centre front are all upside down! Just as well I did not go ahead with the blouse – who knows where those pears would have ended up?

As the fabric seemed to have lost some of its substance in the wash, I decided to mount the cotton onto anti-static lining. This has the dual effect of adding weight to give the skirt a nice drape and also removes the need to wear a slip under the skirt.

I wore the skirt with a co-ordinating tee shirt (from Bon Marche) when my friend and I attended the Sprat & Winkle Rooksbury Retreat Day. More of that later but it did cause a moment of laughter when it was revealed that one of the demonstration quilts also featured the same range of Lily Ashbury prints – I did not stand too close to it!