Simple Simon and Company

SUBSCRIBE TO GET ALL THE LATEST!

Riley Blake· sewing

Simple Spring Skirts

*We shared this tutorial last month on Riley Blake’s blog and are sharing it with all of you today….you should go check out all the design team’s projects—there is such talent there!*

Also, please ignore the fact that there is no step #6….I am just crazy (or tired) sometimes 😉
One reason that Liz and I started our blog was to show everyone that if we could sew, then basically anyone could.  We sometimes feel like we are living out Gusteau’s line from the movie Ratatouille, when he said, “Anyone can cook!”
But we have changed it to “Anyone can sew!” 
And we will prove it to you.  First there’s me, Elizabeth, the girl who loved to sew in Junior High (I owe all my skills to Ms. Busto) but quit when she cared too much about what others thought of the Home Ec classes she was taking.  I wish I could go back and tell myself, “You love this…keep at it….no matter what others think.”  But I didn’t, I quit.  And didn’t even touch a sewing machine again until my middle child (a girl) was born about 6 years ago.  And boy, was my sewing rusty…for a long while.  But it was fun, and rewarding and it was something I could do everyday that couldn’t be undone.
And then there’s Liz, my sister-in-law, the girl who got kicked out of Home Economics (I am slightly afraid to ask why), cried the Christmas her mom gave her a sewing machine, and swore she would never quilt or sew, or do anything crafty or in the homemaking sphere.  But one day, she tried it ( I am sure in the utmost secrecy) and fell in love.  And the rest is history.  She is a sewing hero!
So, if your story is one of ours….this post is for you.  Anyone (YOU) can sew!  And here is an easy project to start with.  (And even if you mess it up….there is always a seam ripper….one of my favorite tools!)

Are you ready to make a girls’ skirt?  Here is what you will need:

*Some 1 inch elastic (I used 18 inches)
*Sewing pins
*A quilting mat (you don’t have to have this….but they really make cutting fabric so much easier)
*A rotary cutter (or scissors)
*Some thread
*And your Fabric….we used Riley Blake’s Daisy Cottage line.   I used a half yard of main fabric…and a quarter yard of contrasting fabric for a girls size 5/6.

First you need two measurements…..(and they are easy).

Waist Measurement—–measure tightly (but not too tightly) around your little girl’s waist
Length measurement——measure from your girl’s waist to her knee (or whereever you want the skirt to end)

Record these two numbers.

Again, I made a size 5/6 and had these two numbers…..waist– 20 inches and length– 16 inches

Take your waist measurement and minus 2 inches…..mine is now 18 inches.  Cut your elastic to this measurement.

Now, take your length and add 2 inches….(this will be the part you turn over for the elastic around the waist).  Then subtract 4 inches (for the band around the bottom.  (My skirt—16 inches plus 2 inches minus 4 inches equals 14 inches.)  You will need these for the next step.

Here is what you are going to do:

 If you do not know what width of fabric means…..it is the measurement from the selvedge (the label on the sides of fabric) to selvedge.

Your finished bottom band will only be 4 inches (equal to the measurement above) but we are folding it in half so we don’t have to hem (a favorite trick.)

Now sew up this seam.

And admire your work!  You just made a skirt.  And when you have made about 50 of them…you will still love to make them–they are a fast, easy project that look so darling every time.
Thanks Riley Blake….we are so excited to be on the design team (and a bit intimidated by the others’ amazingness)!  And happy skirt making to all!

More from my site

Subscribe to get all the latest

Comments

  1. 2littlehooligans says

    i was the one that skipped out of math class and study hall to go sew in the home ec room. i really shouldnt have because it took me 5 tries in collage to pass statistics. such cute photos. have you ever posted about your cameras? i just got a new one and wonder about lenses and such.

  4. Maria says

    I used this tutorial and finished my skirt today is going to be a birhtday present for my almost 8 year old girl.I used the Amy Butler Love fabric and it looks awesome. Plus even if the tutorial was missing step 6 i was able to do it : ) Can’t wait to make another one.

Trackbacks