I'm so excited to be a part of Skirting the Issue with Project Run And Play this year! Head on over to learn all aobut this month long sewing for a great cause - there is still time to sew up a skirt and donate to a local charity or the collaboration through PR&P.
My daughter is starting to LOVE to play dress up. She loves costumes and props and anything that she can use to create and act out all the fantasies of her imagination. The problem is that while my imaginative girl is only 4 years old, she is already in a size 6/7 with no end in sight to her growth spurts. This means that costumes don't last long in our house if they are made to just fit one size, and most store bought stuff comes in a 'one size' that is already too small.
To combat these challenges, I am working on a set of dress up clothes that will grow with her. And first up is this Maxi Wrap Skirt. I love all the billowy gauzy maxi dresses I see out there, but they are impractical for everyday wear for my girl - so why use the inspiration for dress up. This skirt can be a queen, a magical fairy godmother, a fairy princess, and on and on... The great thing about this skirt is that it can fit children of a variety of sizes.
This skirt is a super simple sew with only a few measurements needed. First, you want to measure your child from natural waist to the floor, this is your length. Next, measure around your child's natural waist and subtract 2 inches. Those are the only measurements you need.
I made this skirt for Mack out of a curtain sheer that I friend brought over recently to add to my fabric stash. Re-fashioning curtains always makes me think of The Sound of Music and puts a big sappy smile on my face.
- I folded the panel in half along the width to get the right maxi length for Mack and then gathered the entire length along the folded edge. I sewed about 1 inch from the fold to give the paper-bag type top.
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Next I laid out 2 yards of ribbon. I centered it on the fabric so that equal amounts over hung the fabric on each edge. Sew on the ribbon along each edge.
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Now comes the second measurement you took earlier. From one edge of the fabric, measure in the waist measurement minus 2 inches and make a mark on the waist band. The reason you subtract 2 is to get a good snug fit here. At the mark sew a vertical button hole about 1 inch tall through your ribbon waistband.
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To put the skirt on, just thread the excess ribbon from where you started your waist measurement through the button hole, wrap the remaining skirt around and tie the two ribbon tails in a bow.
Now let your child get creative and bring their imagination to life!
