Sugar and Spice Skirt

Sugar and spice, adorably sweet, but best of all easy and quick!

This is how my littlest girl was dressed today. Isn't she sweet? As you can see we are dressing bright and cheery trying to chase this snow away. The skirt is sugar, and my little middle child brings all the spice! Definitely my most spirited, but when she is sweet I feel like there can't possibly be another child as sweet as she is in all the world. Funny how those fiesty kids can flip either way!

One yard will make a skirt up to about size 5
You will need 3/4 inch elastic

You will need to take two measurements:
- Around the hips
- From waist to knee (or desired length)

You will need to cut waistband pieces, and 3 skirt tier pieces.

Waistband= hip measurement X 1.25 + 0.5 inches by 4 inches
Tier pieces (use full width of fabric for all sizes)
1st tier= waist to knee measurement minus 2.5 inches (finished waistband) + 1.25 inches (hem and seam allowances)
2nd tier= 1st tier measurement minus 2.5 inches
3rd tier= 2nd tier measurement minus 2.5 inches

All seams have a ¼ inch seam allowance unless otherwise stated.

This is what you should have for pieces. In this photo I have cut my waistband in two pieces but it can be one long piece. Tier pieces are photographed folded in half lengthwise.

I like to do my pressing first. On the long edge of each tier press up ½ inch and then up again another ½ inch. This will form your hem.
For your waistband piece(s) press in on the long edge ¼ inch and then again 1 inch. This will form your elastic casing.

Let’s start with the waistband. Unfold your pressing. We will fold this back up when we create our casing. Much easier to press a flat piece. With right sides together sew down the short ends. If you have left your piece one long piece you will only have one end to sew. You want to create a tube. Make sure you finish your seam with a zig zag stitch.

Fold back up where you have pressed to create your casing. Sewing close to the casing edge sew around your waistband leaving about 2 inches open. This is where you will insert your elastic. Set aside.

Take one of your tiers. Sew right sides together down the short end as you did previous. Finish your seam. This will create your “tube”. Do this with all 3 tiers.

Now, I think a skirt should have side seams and not just one seam at the back or on one side. So opposite of where you have sewn your tier into a tube (on the fold) sew ¼ inch in. You will not need to finish this seam as it is on the folded edge. Do this will all 3 tiers.

Take all of your tier pieces and your waistband and mark midpoints with a fabric pen. Your midpoints will be halfway between your seams on each side.

Now you will want to set your waistband aside for a moment and put your tiers together. Wrong sides facing out take your medium length tier and put it around your small tier and your longest tier on top. Raw edges together. I will show another picture to better understand this.

This view is looking inside your tiers. It is like you have one big tube now but inside you can see all three, shortest to longest.

Now it can sometimes be difficult to gather several layers at once so here is a trick that will make this easy. Take a large piece of dental floss. Starting at one seam run a zig zag stitch over the floss leaving an end of floss long enough to pull. Sew all the way around being careful not to sew into the floss or you will not be able to pull it. If you are using a woven you may be ok doing just two rows of gathering stitches. I am using a fine corduroy.

Pulling on the floss gather your tiers to fit the bottom of your waistband. Pin right sides together matching up side seams and mid point marks.

This is what your skirt looks like from the inside. Sew around raw edge, pull out your floss and zig zag stitch. Then finish your raw edge.

Turn your skirt right side out, press seam up towards waistband and topstitch about 1/8 inch in.

Measure your child’s waist. Cut a length of elastic that length. Insert into casing with a safety pin. Overlap elastic about an inch, pin and sew together. Sew closed your casing.

You’re done!! This skirt is adorable! It flares out just enough to look princessy with also being simple enough to play in and wear day to day.