How to Sew a Summer Kids' Skirt with Faux Pleats
Building a kids' wardrobe is a fun, rewarding task for any crafting mom. Want to sew a skirt for a 3-4 year old girl at almost no cost? You can use leftover fabric for this. You'll need bright fabric with a natural fiber content — a girl won't get too hot in a skirt like this, even on a very sunny day. The design has a few advantages: an elastic waistband, which makes it easy to put on, and a loose cut that doesn't restrict movement. On top of that, it looks like a pleated skirt even though it's sewn using the simplest possible method.
How to cut a skirt for a preschool-age girl
First, take measurements — for our design you'll only need 2 measurements: hip circumference (HC) and item length (IL).
HC – 60 cm.
IL – 35 cm.
Making adjustments:
To sew a bell-shaped skirt, multiply the HC by 1.5, so the width comes to 60*1.5=90 cm.
Add 3 cm for the top hem for the casing and 2 cm for the bottom hem, so the length comes to 35+3+2=40 cm.
Choose coordinating fabrics — in this case, light-colored fabric with a cheerful print.
Cut the necessary number of strips totaling 90 cm in width (plus a seam allowance) by 40 cm in length.
Sewing
Sew the fabric strips together into one piece.
Sew the side seam, finish the seams, and press them to one side. Sew a double hem on the skirt and a casing, leaving a gap for the elastic.
Thread the elastic through, sew it by hand or machine, and close the opening with an invisible stitch.
You can sew a skirt like this for an older girl too, and if you choose plaid fabric together with a solid color, you'll get a great option for a first-grader.
@bussinka, I see we're on the same wavelength today. It's already time to get ready for school — I'm thinking of making something similar for my younger daughter. I won't manage real pleats, I remember sewing them once, but there are so many little details to get right, I really struggled with it. So here I'm thinking of using this idea and just making the gores slightly wider at the bottom, and that's it!