New Starts and other updates

After pulling floss I found I hadn't enough of the right colors to start both QS Christmas Venice Night and Mini Soul Mates. Since I had more that matched mini Soul Mates that is what I have been working on this week.  Sort of blew off my rotation, though it was a smalls week and this sort of fit in.
Here is my progress so far at about 1300 stitches.

I started in the upper right corner with the far right page. Mostly shadows and wall right now.

QS Christmas Venice Night I started right after I received it, but I only got the fabric ready and did a few stitches in black. I can't justify 20 or 25 dollars in floss right now so I will have to wait to make any real progress on that one. So no photo of that yet.

Sewing note. Or is it pattern making?  Either way I finally finished drafting, or I should say re-drafting, the pencil skirt pattern and made the skirt. I am not at all happy with it. First, it looks more like an A-Line, mainly because my shape changed when I gave up white sugar awhile back. Weight the same, shape change, and now I need to re-redraft the pattern. Or really, just start from scratch, or even better, just use the skirt from the retro 60's pattern I have.  The only photo I'm going to show is a boo boo pic.  When I unpicked the seams and re-sewed them (to no avail) I must not have been paying attention. I sewed from the top down and not from the bottom up. The result? Ripples that no amount of steam pressing will get rid of.

This is pre-hem. I really don't like the hem I put in, but I've vowed to master hemming this year and am planning to try each type, and try to add variety and get better at them. Fairly ambitious for someone who only recently started sewing again, but a girls got to have goals.

Will I wear this? Yes, for around the house and running to the grocery and such. I have hardly any clothes that fit anymore, so yes, but it isn't going to be my favorite thing.
Edited to add:  The one thing I did like about the skirt was the back vent I put in, instead of just a slit. Easy, and modest.