Hey! Today I’m going share a tutorial that I shared awhile back over at the Moda Bake shop. It’s for a skirt I made for Grace to wear this spring…and I know it’s fall…but you can still love bunnies in autumn can’t you?
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Today’s skirt is a simple elastic waistband skirt with appliqued bunnies.
Here is your supply list:
One Layer Cake: I used “Jubilee” by Bunny Hill
1/2 Yard of Bella White
1 inch elastic
bonding material (like Heat’n Bond)
2 Pompoms for the bunny tails
To get started you will need to take just 2 measurements. First measure the circumference of your little one’s waist. (Grace is 18 inches.) Next measure your little one from her waist to her knee. (Grace is 13 inches.) Ok, write those numbers down and save them—you’ll need them in a few minutes.
Now let’s get down to business. Choose 3 of your favorite squares from the Layer Cake and cut them each into 4 rectangles measuring 4 and 1/2 inches tall by 5 inches wide.
Next sew the squares together (in a repeating pattern) into one long strip.
(You’ll sew them right sides together.)
When you are finished iron them nice and flat.
(This will be the patterned strip at the bottom of your skirt.)
Now we need to cut the solid white portion of your skirt. I like my girls skirts to have some body to them so I make them as wide as the fabric is (44 inches) and as for the length…well, we’re going to have to do some math.
Right now your patterned strip for the bottom is 4 and 1/2 inches high. But when we hem it we will loose a half inch and then when attach it to the white fabric we will loose another 1/4 of an inch so that leaves us with 3 and 3/4 inches of length for the skirt.
For Grace’s skirt I wanted it to be 13 inches long so what I did was take that 13 inch measurement and then subtract from that the 3 and 3/4 inches (from the patterned strip) which puts me at 9 and 1/4 inches. Easy…but we aren’t done just yet.
Now I need to add in 1 and 1/2 inches to fold over the top for the elastic casing and add an extra 1/4 inch for where the white will be sewn to the gray strip.
So after I add this extra 1 and 3/4 inches I know that I need to cut the white portion of my skirt 11 inches long.
Which I did. Which means I cut my white piece of fabric 11 inches long by 44 inches wide.
(The length of your white area may be longer or shorter depending on the hip to knee measurement of your little one.)
Now with right sides together sew your patterned strip to the bottom of your white strip.
Iron.
Then top stitch.
You will have a little excess patterned fabric left over on the end of your patterned strip. Just cut that off so it is even with the end of your white fabric.
Now turn under the bottom (patterned) edge of your skirt 1/4 of an inch, iron, and sew. Then repeat (turning it under another 1/4 inch, ironing, and sewing). This will finish off the bottom hem of your skirt.
Next we get to attach our heart and bunnies!
Select the fabric you would like for your heart and bunnies from the layer cake.
Then, following the instructions from the medium of your choice, iron on your bonding material to the back of your bunny’s fabric.
Now print out the bunny and heart template (which you can download HERE) and trace them onto your fabric.
Cut out and position them on your skirt.
(I like mine off to one side.)
Iron them on.
Next I set my machine on the following settings and stitched around all the edges of both bunnies and the heart.
Once that is finished we need to add the bunny tails which is easy—just tack on a pom pom with a needle and thread.
Now all we have left to do is close up the back of our skirt and add the elastic.
To close up the back just fold your skirt in half, right sides together, and starting at the bottom sew your skirt together to make the back seam. (Then top stitch if you’d like.)
Next, make the casing for your elastic.
To do this fold the top of your skirt over (wrong sides together) 1 and 1/2 inches and iron.
Stitch along the bottom of the fold to make the casing for your elastic.
As you stitch leave an opening about an inch wide so you can insert your elastic.
To determine the length of elastic you will need take the measurement of your little one’s waist and minus one inch. (Grace is 18 inches around so I cut the elastic for her skirt at 17 inches.)
Cut your elastic.
Now thread the elastic through your casing.
(I always attach a safety pin to the end of the elastic that I am threading through the casing…It makes it easier to push it through.)
Sew the two ends of the elastic together.
Tack the elastic down in the back along the seam.
Close the opening you used for threading the elastic.
You are finished! And your little one has a brand new spring skirt!
*Note you will have enough fabric left over from your layer cake to make a stuffed bunny, matching hair bows, or another skirt—especially if you have more Bella White fabric!
*Also if you want the free pattern and tutorial for the matching bunny you can click here:
The Love Bunny Tutorial.
Have a “hoppy” day everyone!
-liZ
