Merry Christmas!
I'm excited to be part of
Michael Miller's 12 Days of Christmas! They kindly sent a selection of fabrics from their new line, All the Trimmings (coming soon!) for me to play with. I fell in love with the sweet owls cuddling in a tree, and so did my little Abigail.
It wasn't hard to come up with a fun combination of fabrics from the same line to use for this yoked skirt with elastic waistband, ruffle and "ribbon" and bow!
Of course, her brothers needed a little something to coordinate! Bowties, using the free SisBoom
Bosco Bowtie pattern.
Wanna make your own little lady this cute ruffley skirt?
Michael Miller Fabrics has lots of fun holiday themed coordinating fabrics to choose from!
What you'll need:
- main fabric (I used All The Trimmings Christmas Lovebirds Winter)
- fabric for the yoke and trim (Candy Cane Stripe Santa)
- fabric for ruffle (All The Trimmings Tangly Lights Candy)
- 3/4-1” wide non-roll elastic
- Thread and other sewing supplies
NOTES:
- All seam allowance 3/8" unless specified.
- Finish seams with your preferred method, such as zigzagging or serging the seam allowance.
- I've done the math for all the sizes based on finished skirt measurements - you will be best checking your child's waist measurement and the skirt length, and then you can make any adjustments necessary.
Size
|
Approximate waist
|
Elastic cutting measurement
|
Skirt length
|
6-12 months
|
16”
|
15.5”
|
9.5”
|
12-18 month
|
16.5”
|
16”
|
10.5”
|
2T
|
17”
|
16.5”
|
11.5”
|
3T
|
18”
|
17.5”
|
12.5”
|
4T
|
19”
|
18.5”
|
13.5”
|
5T
|
20”
|
29.5”
|
14.5”
|
6T
|
21”
|
20.5”
|
14.5”
|
Yardage
|
Fabric 1
|
Fabric 2
|
Fabric 3
|
Size 6mo-3T
|
1/4 yd
|
1/4 yd
|
1/4 yd
|
Size 4T-6T
|
1/2 yd
|
1/4 yd
|
1/4 yd
|
Prepare your fabric. It’s important to prewash and dry the fabric the same way you will be caring for the garment. Once it’s washed, press and lay it out
to cut the following:
Cutting Chart
|
Fabric 1
|
Fabric 2
|
Fabric 3
|
|
Main skirt (cut 1)
|
Waistband (cut 1)
|
Trim (cut 1)
|
Bow (cut 1 each)
|
Ruffle (piece to make your measurement)
|
6-12 mo
|
5” x 30”
|
4” x 20”
|
2.5” x 31”
|
all sizes:
5” x 6”
and
2.5” x 3”
|
2.5” x 44”
|
12-18 mo
|
5” x 31”
|
5” x 20.5”
|
2.5” x 32”
|
3” x 47”
|
2T
|
7” x 32”
|
5” x 21”
|
2.5” x 33”
|
3” x 49”
|
3T
|
8” x 33”
|
5” x 22”
|
2.5” x 34”
|
3” x 51”
|
4T
|
9” x 34”
|
6” x 23”
|
2.5” x 35”
|
3” x 53”
|
5T
|
10” x 35”
|
6” x 24”
|
2.5” x 36”
|
3” x 55”
|
6T
|
11” x 36”
|
6” x 25”
|
2.5” x 37”
|
3” x 57”
|
Let's start with the main skirt. Take the main skirt piece (fabric 1) and stitch the short ends together, right sides facing. Finish the seam. Repeat this for the ruffle (fabric 3), piecing together your strips to make the required length. Press each seam to one side.
Make a narrow hem on the ruffle by pressing 1/8" toward the wrong side, then folding 1/8" more and stitching.
Run two rows of basting stitches along the top edge of the ruffle strip and pull up to gather.
Take the main skirt piece and pin the ruffle to the bottom edge, right sides together, pulling the basting threads to make them match. Pin well.
Stitch the skirt and ruffle together and finish the seam.
Press the seam up toward the skirt.
Take your bow piece (fabric 2) and fold in half so that the two 5" ends match, right sides together. Sew this seam, leaving a gap for turning about 1.5" at the centre, backstitching to reinforce each line of stitching.
Roll the tube you now have so the seam is centred, then press the seam open (this seam doesn't need finishing as it will be enclosed).
Now stitch each end closed, then trim each corner at an angle, taking care not to cut through the stitching.
Take the bow loop piece and fold it so the 3" ends are matching, right sides together and stitch.
Turn both bow pieces right side out and press each, centering the seam on the smaller piece.
Accordion fold the bow piece to make a pleasing bow and use a pin to keep it together for now.
Take the loop piece and wrap it around the bow and trim if necessary, then stitch the ends together and finish.
Turn the seam inside and press.
Accordion fold one end of the bow to feed it through the loop. Arrange the loop so that the seam is toward the back.
Now take your trim piece (fabric 2) and sew it into a long tube, right sides together. Turn it right side out, using a tube turner or a safety pin. Press with the seam centred.
Lay it out around the hem of the skirt to see how long it needs to be, mark and trim if necessary. Stitch the ends together.
Press the seam open. Topstitch one edge of the trim loop.
Now lay your finished loop of trim around the skirt. I chose to centre the seam where I wanted my bow, right next to a pair of cuddling owls, off-centred on the front of the skirt. Pin it carefully in place over the ruffle and topstitch in place.
Place your bow over the seam and handstitch in place.
Nearly done! Take your waistband (wider strip of fabric 2) and bring the short ends together, right sides facing. Stitch together, leaving a 1" opening near the end (to thread your elastic through), and then stitch the last approximately 3/8" again, reinforcing at each stop and start.
Finish each side of the seam separately and then press the seam open.
Finish the edge nearest the gap. Now fold that edge down enough to make a casing for your elastic. Topstitch the edge and stitch down the casing.
Gather the top edge of the skirt to match the waistband piece as described above. Stitch and finish the seam, then press it up toward the waistband.
Insert your elastic in the gap in the casing, using a large safety pin or bodkin to pull it through. Then overlap the ends by about 1/2", stitch together, and pull the elastic into the casing.
Handstitch the opening in the casing closed - and you're finished!
Enjoy your pretty skirt! And maybe try a matching bowtie from the scraps. :)
And just to show how much fun (hah) it was to try get photos of three wiggly kids, here are a few outtakes:
 |
| (thank goodness for leggings!) |
