Circle Skirts

I found a great, easy tutorial for circle skirts on Pinterest and I had to try it. Elliott hardly has any skirts and they are such a staple item in a baby girl's wardrobe. I modified the tutorial from Pinterest a bit so I'll show that but make sure and go the original tutorial for more details.

[Sorry in advance for the terrible quality of pictures. They looked okay on my camera but came out blurry and awful. I hate my camera]

The original tutorials call for either a 17x17 fat square of fabric or a yard. The tutorial that called for the 17x17 was for 0-3 months and the yard of fabric was for a little girl. So, I decided to get 1/2 yard of fabric and make it work. This is where one of my modifications came in. 1/2 yard of fabric is not big enough to cut the circle as one piece. So instead, I cut two halves and my skirts have a seam down either side. I don't mind. It's hardly noticeable. Plus I paid half the price. Worth it. You can really use whatever fabric you want. I bought just plain cotton quilting fabric. But because it's 100% cotton, it's a little more stiff. If you want a skirt that really flows, pick something different.

I used a bit of geometry to figure out the measurements for the skirt. Since you are working with a circle we are going back to high school and using pi (ironic since today is pi day), circumference and radius. I'm just going to direct you to the tutorial I used instead of explaining it all again. Go here. She does a great job!

Also, this blog lady made her own pattern that you can simply print (this is the 17x17 fat square for 0-3 months).

[Here are my two pieces, faces together ready to be sewn]

The few things I did differently at this point...I didn't fold my fabric in fourths. I only folded it in half (so I ended up with 2 pieces instead of 1). I also didn't use paper for my pattern. I just used my measuring tape and a pen. I drew right on the fabric because I knew I would be hemming the bottom and you wouldn't see the pen marks. A lot less time I think. (In her tutorial where she traces her circles, imagine that just straight on the fabric...that's what I did)

If you are lost, just go back to that tutorial I linked. The measuring and cutting is the hardest part, I promise.

At this point I had two pieces that completed a full circle. I then sewed the two pieces together to make one circle.

[one circle after being sewn]

I have a small sewing machine with limited stitches to I used a simple zig zag stitch to finish off the smaller inside (waist) circle. This prevents fraying and finishes the edge off a bit. 

Then you are ready to attach the elastic. JoAnns carries colored elastic now! It's adorable. I got gray which I love but they have pink, purple, green, blue, etc. They are one inch thick.

I measured Elliott's waist and added one inch. Then just sew the elastic together and sew the ends down (see picture). This just makes it look more finished since you will see the elastic unlike most other patterns.

[Here is a much better picture from another blogger]

Then start by pinning the elastic. You are going to be sewing the elastic right over the top of the front of the fabric. So I pinned the front, then the back, then the sides, then half way between each side. Your elastic is going to be a few inches shorter than your waist hole (so that it has room for stretch). This is probably the second trickiest part. Once you have pinned (I used 8 pins) start attaching it. I used a straight stitch and as I sewed between each pin, I would pull the elastic taut. So you'll be pulling and tightening as you go along. It sounds harder than it is. And this skirt is so great at hiding imperfections. Trust me.

[all stitched on]

[before the hem]

Once your elastic is attached all that is left is a quick hem on the bottom. And that's it! You can do your hem however you prefer. I did the first one with just one fold over, but decided to do a double fold on the second to make it a little cleaner. I liked the second one better! But it's up to you!

[and after]

That's it. It's incredibly simple and there are others who have done amazing tutorials with much better descriptions and pictures, so I recommend using their blogs too!

And of course my model. Looking adorable as always. 

[Here is the second skirt. I love this fabric!]

{All done}