A Baby Skirt for Clara

I’m so in love with this patchwork baby skirt I made for Clara! (And with her too, for that matter!)

Our family has been doing a lot of sewing over the past couple of weeks.  It was my eldest son who was tired of not finding the toys he wanted anywhere and decided to be a little like mama and just make them himself.  I took him to the craft store with a hefty $5 budget to pick out all the felt he wanted and he came home with a nice bundle and started hand sewing. 

After several (wonderful) attempts, he asked me to teach him to use my much-neglected sewing machine.  I was half thrilled and half apprehensive, but I set it up for him anyway.  My sewing machine is so old.  I got it as a birthday gift – on my 14th birthday – and that was some time ago.  And while there was a period in my life where I was sewing every day, lately it’s been just sitting in front of me on my desk, there to remind me that I should use it, but with me always having something else to work on.

So it was inspiring to see my son catch onto using the sewing machine so quickly!  I mean, he was threading that needle within like two attempts of being shown how.  And then problem solving when the thread got stuck or when the tension was off.  His passion for his creativity makes my mama heart so proud.  The next time he took a sewing break, I decided I might try to make a little something myself.

I bought this fat quarter square of fabric many, many years ago.  (See, this is why I like to hang onto things – the sewing machine is being used again, a 9-year old fabric stitch is being used now… I’ll never be one of those clutter-free mavens!).  The fabric is from moda and is called Prairie Paisley II by Polly Minick and Lauri Simpson for moda (pdf).   I fell in love with the Americana feel of this fabric when I first saw it and so I bought a couple of bundles and put them aside for the perfect use… which hadn’t come until now!  I had purchased a few pre-cut 5″ charm bundles, but all I could find anymore is a link to some of the fabrics which seem to still be for sale in shops such as here and here.   

Don’t even get me started on how many cute fabric bundles are over there on moda right now, too.  I didn’t think it would be dangerous to take a peek around there, thinking that a bundle from 2008 would obviously not be there, but there are so many other cute fabrics that would make such adorable clothes for Clara that I’m trying to evaluate any wiggle room in my yarn budget to make room for more fabric!  The Charm Packs, which are the perfect size for this kind of patchwork, are here. 

So anyway, I was trying to decide what kind of project would be easy to make.  So I peeked through some of my pins on my sewing pinterest board and came across this very easy and adorable little patchwork baby skirt by Create Kids Couture (download link is at the bottom of the linked page).  And really, it was so simple to make.  The pre-cut squares made the process even easier, and within an hour or so, Clara had herself a brand new baby skirt.  The best part about it is that the elastic waist and long length of the skirt (on her right now) will last us many, many months in the future!  What more could I ask for?

Maybe just some more patchwork baby skirts for her.  And some more adorable baby pictures! <3

~mellie