Tuesday 24 June 2014

Skirt making on a slightly smaller scale

As the mother of boys, I rarely get to make children's clothes. I've made them PJ bottoms in the past, but that's about all they'll tolerate from me. If I'd been sewing when they were babies or toddlers I could have kitted them out to my heart's content, but they were just that bit too old. They're now racing towards double digits and teenage years respectively, so anything made by me is out of the question. It's a different story with girls though…

I saw some simple little girl's skirts at an event recently that were beautiful, but they looked so easy to make I just couldn't bring myself to buy one (they were about £30 each). With my niece Hannah's birthday approaching, I thought I'd have a go at making one myself. The skirts I saw were made from vintage fabric (which is probably why they were so expensive) but I think I can get a similar effect using a linen-look cotton. Linen-look cotton is fab, it's 100% cotton, with the appearance and feel of linen but without all the pesky creases. It's actually more hard wearing than quilting cotton, so  ideal for children's clothes. It looks a little like vintage barkcloth, which is what made me think of it for Hannah's skirt. I've chosen this darling dog fabric from Plush Addict:




I couldn't decide between the colour ways so bought both - maybe she'll get two skirts? Or a skirt and a cushion!

I used linen-look cotton to make myself a sundress last year and I'm pleased to say it's been getting lots of use during the recent sunny weather.  I'd definitely recommend it for summer dressmaking. If cute doggies are a step too far for you, Plush Addict also stock a good selection of classic patterns (polka dots, gingham and stripes!!) in their linen-look cotton range.

My dilemma now is which pattern to use. Hannah lives in Australia so I'll only have her measurements to rely on. She's always climbing trees and flying through the air on broomsticks (sort of) so I think a simple but practical design would be best. I'm tempted to just use my own elastic waist skirt tutorial, or I might make a casing and insert the elastic for a neater look. If anybody can suggest a skirt pattern or tutorial suitable for a seven year old, please do let me know. This is a real novelty to me - I can't wait to get started! x


22 comments:

  1. http://www.danamadeit.com/tutorials. I've just made the simple skirt - don't really need a tutorial to be honest. But the Fiesta and Circle skirts look good too

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    1. Thanks for this, the Simple skirt is more or less what I had in mind, so this is a great starting point. Aren't all the skirts CUTE in the tutorial?! x

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  2. Either the skirt Miriana references or yours will work wonderfully. I have an 8-year-old girl who climbs trees, rides bikes, slays dragons, catches frogs, wrangles chickens and helps with the sheep in dresses. Skirts that stay put on the waist and have plenty of room to move are great.

    Earlier this summer I made my daughter a shirred sundress using By Hand London's tutorial. There's enough material she'll be able to wear that for a long time -- maybe not always as a dress, though.

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    1. A skirt that stays put at the waist with plenty of room to move is just what I'm after! I like the sound of your daughter's shirred sundress too. X

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  3. Elastic waist for certain sure, esp. since you don't have said child in front of you to make adjustments. Leave the ends of the elastic hanging out of the casing -- safety-pin them together -- and let your niece's mother do the final adjustment and sew up the little hole in the casing. A really full dirndl, or a circle skirt, will leave plenty of room for running and climbing, while remaining feminine. Love the parades of tiny dogs on this print! A skirt for a little girl needs big pockets. Girls are just as much pack-rats as are boys, at this age. You could do a separate band for the casing in the contrast fabric, and insert a hanging pocket on one or both sides, also in the contrast fabric. Or, sew a "growth band" into the skirt near the hem. Tack it up into a horizontal pleat on the inside of the skirt. When child outgrows skirt length, child's parent need only snip the stitching and release the like-new fabric, for more life in the garment. If the skirt gets too tight in the waist, it is easy to insert a longer length of elastic, later on.

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    1. These are all great tips Lynn, thanks so much! x

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  4. What cute fabric! I'm excited to see the skirt! I wish I had a niece... my nephew isn't as fun to sew for!

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    1. Oh I love sewing for little girls, the choice of fabrics is so cute! x

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  5. Oliver and S have a free skirt pattern with a lovely ribbon hem - http://oliverands.com/free-patterns/lazy-days-skirt/

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    1. Ooh I really like this skirt - thanks for the link. I definitely want to add ribbon to it now, off to hunt down some dog ribbon! x

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  6. Thanks for sharing the tip about the linen look cotton. Never heard of that before. Just had a look at what's on offer at Plush Addict! Gorgeous. Look forward to seeing the skirt when it's finished.

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    1. I love linen-look cotton, I've been wearing the dress I made from it today and it's barely creased! x

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  7. I was just going to suggest the Oliver & S Lazy Days skirt too, but how about combining it with their free Sunny Days short pattern to make a skort? Coverage for tree climbing with the look of a skirt. I was thinking of trying something similar for my daughter.

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  8. The skirt Miriana suggests is a good one. My little girl is 2 so has just started to stay in clothes that are aged for a whole year as opposed to every 3 months so I've just started sewing for her...to my delight/annoyance I'm not getting very far as she insists on sitting on my knee every time I get my machine out - she's raring to have a go but at least I've got her keen on sewing from a young age...I can't wait to teach her!

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    1. Oh what a lovely story - you're so lucky! If my nieces lived nearer I'd be giving them enforced sewing lessons! x

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  9. Dee's comment above made me smile too! One of my earliest, happiest memories is sitting up at our big dining table, watching my Mum sew - never the luxury of a sewing room with our huge family! I adored (& still do) the sound of her shears cutting through the crisp fabric! And even better, I was allowed the "scraps" of fabric to make clothes for my dolly! Yay!
    Love your choice of fabric, Jane & nice to think it'll be coming 'down under' to your lucky niece! Happy sewing!

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  10. My skirt method is twice the waist measurement for the width and required length plus hem and casing allowance. sew it down the side, hem and add casing and elastic. Worked so far but not got up to age 7 yet. Look forward to seeing the finished skirt. :)

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  11. Love this material and LOVE Plush Addict. Have ordered this material as well as two more. Will definitely recommend this store to sewing friends. Love your blog.

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  12. When I've made clothes for my children (6 & 2) I use the button hole elastic. It is easy to find on eBay or Amazon and quite cheap. Just put a button hole on the inside of your elastic casing and pull in through to the inside of the garment, secure it and sew on a button and the waistband can be easily adjusted.
    I love the fabric so I'm now off to browse the linen look cottons!

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  13. What if you made a squort? You know, a skirt with shorts underneath? You could maybe use a knit for the shorts, or both of these fabrics, not sure that would work though!

    p.s. New to your blog and I absolutely adore it!

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  14. I agree with the comment just ahead of mine. I think a skort is best for an active girl. BTW I love your yellow dress. Looks great on you.

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