Vintage Sweetheart Skirt... a simple skirt tutorial

As I was in my favorite fabric store a few days ago, I spotted this polka dotted fabric. I'm a total sucker for polka dots. Love. Them. 

Then I saw some jumbo ric rac. Love that too!! Thoughts of valentines day, and vintage pictures swam around my head. These skirts just appeared in my brain. So, I bought the stuff and made them for my twin girls (yes, they are fraternal). Then I made a little ric rac flower pin to accent for a little valentine outfit. But, really they could work for any time.

The thing is, these skirts are so simple. I'll give you the formula, and you can make them for ANY size.

(Ric rac is not essential either).

They're so quick, sew up a few in no time!

Fun for church, or just hanging out...

If you want to make your own..........

Materials:
Fabric, 3/4" elastic, ric rac, sewing machine, pins, coordinating thread, iron
See below to calculate how much of each is needed.

For example: if the waist is 20 inches, and the length is 12" to the knee (or desired length)...
Cut fabric 40" X 14 1/4" (For little girls and babies, one piece of fabric is easy to cut. More fabric can be added and sewn in 2 places instead of 1, if there is not enough fabric for 1 continual piece...ie 2 rectangles).
Cut elastic 19"
Cut ric rac 40"


First, serge or zigzag the top and bottom of the fabric.
Then, with right sides together (so the pretty part is on the inside), pin the side or sides

Sew a 1/2 inch seam down the side or sides

This next step can vary depending on the width of the elastic. I made these skirts with 3/4" elastic, but you can use any size elastic. The only thing you would change with this pattern is adding that much more when you cut the fabric, and folding it that much longer here.

After the 1/2" fold, fold one more time the width of the elastic plus 1/2 inch. So, if the elastic were 1 inch, then I would fold it 1 1/2 inch more. Since my elastic is 3/4", I folded it 1 1/4".  Make sure to press.

After pulling the elastic through, obviously sew the remainder of the casing shut.

Then pin on the ric rac. Make sure to pin it on the right side of the skirt!

All done!

Happy sewing!
~Nancy

Twirly Girl Skirts - Part 1

Three fun, fast and easy skirts that will leave your little girl twirling until she can't twirl anymore!

#1 - The tutu

Two of my little girls' favorite things to do around the house are to dress up and to twirl. This has given me an excuse to do one of my favorite things...sew up some cute skirts! The first one I made is one that my amazing neighbor showed me how to do this summer. It is a fun little tutu made out of tulle and can be as fluffy and colorful as you want to make it. It is so simple, taking just an hour or less to make, and your little princess will adore it!

Start out by choosing the colors you want your skirt to be. You can buy the tulle on a roll like these, making it easier to cut or by the yard which is fine too.

To determine how long you need to cut your strips, take the measurement from the waist to however long  you want the skirt to be, then add four inches. These strips are 6" wide which is about perfect.

Measure the waist and then cut the elastic one inch less than that. Overlap the ends one half inch and sew them together.

Find a stool or chair that you can tip upside down to stretch your elastic around.

Take a strip of tulle and make a V with it on the outside of the elastic.

Take hold of the ends of the tulle, pull it around the back side of the elastic and then loop it through the bottom of the V.

You can tighten it as much as you want. The fluffier and "twirlier" you want your skirt to be, the more tulle you will need to put on your skirt. I used 16 strips each of three different colors for a 12 - 18 month size and it was really full. 

This is a perfect addition to a Halloween costume for little fairies, witches, princesses,  and even glamorous little pumkins and ghosts! Hope you have as much fun as I did making this little tutu and more importantly that the wearer of it gets to twirl her little heart out!
 -Jenn