baby skirt tutorial

Posted on May 22nd, 2012 by mountain girl  |  2 Comments »

Here’s how to make a simple baby skirt…using just one fat quarter of fabric.

Fat quarters–you know, those squares of fabric at the fabric shop that you think are so pretty but you have no idea what to do with. Unless, you’re a quilter, of course (which I am not).

A fat quarter is made by cutting a yard of fabric down the center both vertically and horizontally, making four quarters that measure about 18″ x 22″ each. They are often sold in small coordinating bundles and used for quilt making.

I think this skirt would fit a baby anywhere from a few months old to about 2 years. It could even be used for older children as a shorter skirt.

Here’s how to make it:

1. Fold a fat quarter in half so it measures 11″ x 18″, and cut along the fold. (Shading indicates wrong side of fabric.)

2. With right sides together, stitch along the short sides. You will have a wide, short tube.

3. Press side seams open. Turn top edge under 1/4” and press. Turn under another 3/4″ and press again, pinning in place. Stitch, forming a casing for elastic. Leave a 1″ opening to put the elastic through.

4. Attach a safety pin to the end of a length of 1/2″ elastic and thread through casing. Fit to your baby, mark, and stitch ends together. (I always add a bit of extra length, since the elastic shrinks a little when you wash and dry.) Sew up the opening. Turn bottom edge of the skirt under 1/4″ and then again 1″ to make hem, pressing in place. Pin and stitch.

Add pockets, a strip of trim, or whatever you want. For pockets of the same fabric (as shown in the green skirt above), you’ll need part of another fat quarter, but you could definitely use contrasting scraps from your stash for pockets. Ribbon, lace, or a contrasting strip of fabric makes a great trim for the bottom edge.

Your baby skirt is done!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 22nd, 2012 at 7:09 pm and is filed under Making Stuff, Stitchin' Time, Tutorials. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

2 Responses to “baby skirt tutorial”

  1. Your Lion says on May 23rd, 2012 at 11:37 am :

    The amazing part about this post is not making a skirt from a fat quarter, it’s the illustrations that I knew must have come from your hands. You are amazing!

    Love, Your Lion /:O)

  2. Hannah says on May 24th, 2012 at 6:38 am :

    So cute! So easy! and a fat quarter! Good job, Mia!