Today I’m taking part in my favorite series of any that I do – it’s Simple Simon and Co’s “Skirting the Issue“!
Skirting the Issue is held every July and it’s full of skirt tutorials and inspiration to sew up skirts for foster girls just in time for Back to School! It is so great seeing all the skirts everyone is making up for these sweet girls!
I’m sharing this sweet Embroidered Animal Party Skirt for the series this year. I just fell in love with this fabric and thought it was perfect for a skirt! It has these little animals all dressed up for a party so I added a little embroidery to it too!
It’s an easy elastic waist skirt – ready for the tutorial?
I used the size chart here to determine what size skirt I’d need for a four year old – since I don’t have one of those handy. :) So with a 21″ waist and a 12 1/2″ length it was easy to come up with.
The fabric I used is Hip Hooray from Blend Fabrics.
I cut out two panels that were 22″ x 14″ for the skirt.
For the waistband I cut out one piece 11″ x 2 1/2″ and one piece 20″ x 2 1/2″.
You’ll also need 11″ of 3/4″ elastic and embroidery thread and a piece of fusible fleece 11″ x 2 1/2″.
To embellish the skirt I outlined the balloons and party hats on the front panel of the skirt with back stitch. I used variegated thread that was close to the colors of the balloons and hats.
Once you have the panels embroidered sew the front and back of the skirt together. Sew a gathering stitch along the top edge of the skirt. Pull the threads up so the front panel is gathered to 11″ and the back panel to 20″.
Fuse the interfacing to the 11″ piece of the waistband. Sew the front and back waistband together at the short sides.
Pin the waistband to the skirt. Line up the two side seams and pull up the gathering threads if you need to. The right sides of the waistband and skirt should be facing each other. Sew the waistband to the skirt.
Sew a zigzag stitch along the top edge. Press the seam up towards the waistband. Fold the waistband in half so the zig zag edge overlaps the waistband seam just a bit. Press in place and pin the waistband down. On the right side of the waistband sew the back of the waistband down by sewing inside the ditch of the seam between the two side seams.
Cut an 11″ piece of elastic. Feed the elastic through the waistband until one end is just outside one of the side seams. Sew the elastic in place on one side by sewing inside the seam. Pull the elastic through until the other side is just outside the other side seam. Sew in place on that side too.
Sew the front of the waistband down by sewing in the ditch.
Hem the bottom edge of the skirt by turning up twice and sewing with a straight stitch. Now you’re all done!
So cute right?!
If you want to make up a skirt or a bunch of skirts you can link them up at Simple Simon and you can donate them locally, or you can check out the resource list that the Simple Simon girls have put together for us!
Here are some other skirt tutorials to check out if you need more inspiration!
carol kennedy says
loved these skirts
Sarah Helene says
FAB idea– to embroider balloons & party hats of this darling gathered skirt featuring animals in vivid colors! What a FUN Birthday Party depicted on the HIP HORRAY fabric! I like your use of variegated embroidery thread to match the colors of the items. Thanks for sharing. Sarah in Minneapolis
Beverly says
This is adorable! Such details! Thanks for sharing on Snickerdoodle Sunday.
Lisa @ Fun Money Mom says
Oh my gosh…this little skirt is beyond cute! I love it and I’m so glad that you shared with us at Share The Wealth Sunday this week!
xoxo
Lisa
T'onna @ USS Crafty says
Such a cute skirt! The fabric is so adorable!
Navy Wifey Peters @ The Submarine Sunday Link Party
Annie says
So, SO CUTE! What a lovely skirt you have created!
Pam@over50feeling40 says
Very cute! Thanks for sharing with the Thursday Blog Hop!
Heather @GeminiRed Creations says
Oh my word! Not only do I think this skirt is simply adorable, I am so excited to see it’s part of a way to help little girls! I wish I had seen this sooner so I could whip up some skirts. I’m going to have to put this on my calendar for each July! Thanks for sharing with #SmallVictoriesSundayLinkup 7/19/15
Lou Lou Girls says
Oh my! Super cute! Pinned and tweeted. Please join us tonight at 7 pm, and party with us. I can’t wait to see your new masterpieces or amazing classics! Lou Lou Girls
Sam @ DIY Just Cuz says
This skirt is too cute, I want one for my daughter (and a matching one for me!). I hadn’t heard of Skirting the Issue before but I love the message – I’ll pass it along to my co-author Sarah who loves to sew skirts. Pinning this definitely.
Jennifer Dawn says
What a cute skirt! I love the one with the kitty too!
Kathleen Berlew says
This is so sweet! I love the fabric and the embroidery accents.
Charlene Asay says
What a fun skirt. My 3 yr old would love this. I hope to see you at Family Joy Blog Link Up Party this week. The party is open until Wednesday @ 12 PM MST.Check it out http://thinking-outside-the-pot.com/?p=2505
Hannah @Sunshine and Spoons says
I love the embroidery accents! I’m going to be making skirts for my girls for this summer and will definitely incorporate that into some of them!