A little about me, I am a SAHM with one crazy 3 year old boy, a 6 month old baby boy, and a big geek for a husband. I love keeping busy and sharing all my projects and adventures whether they be home decor, holiday projects, activities for the kiddos, or discovering how to get permanent marker off granite counter tops. Turn to me for projects you can do during nap time for less money than lunch out.
Here are a few of my favorite projects...
So, enough about me...let's get on to the tutorial. A skirt tutorial to be exact. Bet you've never seen one of those in blogland before ;) I'm gonna show you how to make a skirt anyhow. A really easy one, because if I can do it, you can definitely do it!
It all started with a huge box full of "vintage" knit fabric and combined with a girl's craft weekend at Bear Lake evolved into these...
So, by vintage I mean fabric my mom purchased in the 80's to make t-shirts, then stored in a huge box and recently gifted to my sister. Good thing the 80's are back. We rummaged through and found 3 pieces that worked perfectly!
Supply list:
- knit fabric in contrasting colors.
- rotary cutter and mat
- elastic for the waistband
- sewing machine
- needle and thread
- someone who can sew a straight{ish} line (in this case, for me, my sister Jen)
Directions
1. Measure around the waist and to the knee of the person for whom you are making the skirt. Add 1 1/2 to 2 inches to the length of the skirt (depending on how thick your elastic is) for the waistband. Add some width as well so the skirt can gather. {We added 6 inches for a 7 year old and 4 inches for a 1 year old.}
2. Cut out a rectangle according to your measurements using a rotary cutter.
3. Cut 1 1/2 inch strips of your contrasting material twice as long as the width of your skirt for the ruffles.
4. Sew a loose stitch down the center of each strip. Once sewn, with each strip, hold one string and carefully pull the other to gather the material into ruffles.
5. Pin a ruffle strip on the bottom of the skirt fabric. Don't worry about hemming the bottom of the skirt fabric because it will not show and it is knit so it will just roll up and will not fray. Sew the ruffle on with a straight stitch right down the center. Pin and sew the other ruffles on one at a time right next to each other. {We did 3 ruffles for the girl skirt and one ruffle for the baby skirt}
6. Next, add the elastic waistband. Fold over the top of the skirt leaving room for your elastic and sew a straight line across making a tube for the elastic to go in.
7. Measure your elastic an inch or two shorter than the child's waist so the skirt will stay up. Put a safety pin on the end of your piece of elastic to feed it through the tube.
8. Sew a straight stitch down the middle of the elastic so it does not slide around inside. Stretch the elastic and material taut as you go along so it will gather when you let it go.
9. Fold the skirt material in half with the wrong side out and sew up the side. Your skirt will only have one seam so you can decide if you want it on the side or the back. We put ours on the side.
10. For the flower, cut six 3-inch circles. Fold each circle in half twice, leaving the second fold off a little for dimension. These will be the petals.
{If you want, you could do this part differently and assemble the flowers and then just hand sew them on}
11. Pin three of the petals on the skirt over the ruffles in a circle shape with the points facing in. You can either use your machine or hand stitch a line about a third of the way out from the point to hold the petals in place.
12. Place the next three petals over the gaps in the first three and hand sew (so you can get closer to the end so the stitching won't show under the flower middle) on securely.
13. There are two way to make the middles:
A. Striped-We made this one by cutting out a 1 1/2 inch circle and folding it on itself alternating directions 4 times and stitching it to stay in place. We then cut of the point so it would sit flatter. We used two of these for the middle.
B. Blue-this was a leftover piece of a ruffle we just gathered and stitched on. We just used one piece.
14. Hand stitch the middle in the flower and you are all set!
14. Hand stitch the middle in the flower and you are all set!
Cute little matchy skirts for sissies!
My cute little nieces all dolled up in their new skirts. This is even after they survived a day of school programs, naps and playing with friends!
Swing over to A Little Tipsy to get the tutorial on the matching hair accessory {braided rosette with stitched leaves} because this tutorial was already a mile long.
How to make a flower clip
A big thanks to Michelle for having me!
P.S. Don't forget to sign up for free Tipsy updates via RSS or email.
THANKS, MICHELLE! I love that "vintage fabric" and the darling knit ruffle skirts. Michelle is a such a cutie! She's got a cute sense of humor and has really fun ideas on her blog! I visit her often (via A Little Tipsy). Many times, I have downloaded or laughed at something she does! And her projects are easy and economical.
THANKS, MICHELLE! I love that "vintage fabric" and the darling knit ruffle skirts. Michelle is a such a cutie! She's got a cute sense of humor and has really fun ideas on her blog! I visit her often (via A Little Tipsy). Many times, I have downloaded or laughed at something she does! And her projects are easy and economical.
In fact, she hosts a DIY $5 and Under linky on Wednesdays. It's a great place to get awesome ideas for those of us on a budget!
Visit A Little Tipsy today and become a follower.
