Since the arrival of the two little girls I have had a renewed interest in sewing which lay dormant since my own daughter was little and I used to make her clothes. Children's clothes weren't as cheap as they are now and most of my friends and I used to sew for our children. I am sure that many older ladies will remember the 'Knitwit' era when sewing with knitted fabrics became hugely popular. I made all my children's T-shirts, shorts, long pants and underwear at that time.
So, with my abovementioned interest in sewing for the girls, I spent a lot of time looking at the blogs of some very clever young mums who somehow seemed to be able to design patterns and sew delightful outfits for their children while keeping their house tidy (in the photos anyway) as well as looking after their little babies and toddlers. Several of these young girls had made different versions of the 'Circle or Twirl Shirt' and you might have a little girl in your life who would love one of these.
Image:Little Pink Monster
To make the green skirt I used Natasha's pattern on Little Pink Monster. The waistband on the skirt was made from ribbed fabric and could be worn rolled in half or, as my granddaughter wears it, hugging her hips which obviously she finds comfortable.
Image: MADE
I am sure you have heard of Dana's website MADE. She made a cute circle skirt for a baby and used elastic for the waistband.
Image: Make It and Love It
Last but not least, the very clever Ashley from Make It and Love It made a circle skirt with a very cute poodle on it. She used the Circle Dress pattern as well as this one which includes the template for the poodle.
There are lots of great tutorials on these websites for anyone wanting to make something a little different for the children in their life....boys and girls. There are a lot of repurposing ideas as well which is a sensible thing to do when children grow so quickly.
Do you have a little girl in mind who would like a twirly skirt?
The skirts are all gorgeous. I wish I did have a little someone near us to sew for. Our little someone lives in Tasmania and unfortunately her Mum doesn't see handmade in the same light as I do! Yes I remember being a "certified knitwit". I am sewing two knitwit dresses for my Mum at the moment.
ReplyDeleteThose were the days, Barb! I remember going to those Knitwit courses and they were so very popular, weren't they? I bought a couple of old Knitwit patterns from the Op Shop a while back for 50 cents.
ReplyDeleteI remember my mum making dresses for me when I was a little girl. Every year as I grew taller she would sew layers of lace on the bottom of my long dresses :) The circle skirts are gorgeous and in fashion for the teenagers as well now I notice. Lovely you have little ones to sew for Nanna Chel.
ReplyDeleteTanya, that's a good idea to sew layers of lace on the hem of a dress to make it last longer as a child grows. You had a clever mum.
ReplyDeletehow gorgeous, Chel...every little lass should have a twirling skirt. I made two that were each 3 tiers of thick cotton but they were murder to iron so didn't get worn often :(
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Sue, the one I made is a knitted fabric and I didn't even hem it. LOL! I doesn't need ironing either which is a godsend and I am sure my girl is happy about that. :-)
ReplyDeleteYou brought back a memory or two with this post. I remember the Knit Wit era, used to go to the Wentworthville store.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first started sewing I made my 2 year old niece a black spotted circular skirt, stretch fabric, just on a wide elastic waistband. She loved it, one day I went over and she was wearing it, it was 5 years later. She grown taller but it still fit her around the waist.
Cheryl, I made that skirt for my almost five year old granddaughter a couple of years ago and was surprised when I saw her wearing it in a photo. I guess she finds it quite comfortable now and perhaps the waistband was a bit big for her before.
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