Wednesday, May 8, 2013

I-Spy Skirt

This is a little skirt I made for Becca's birthday.  She asked for an I-Spy Cake, so I thought this would be something she'd enjoy for a long time that would go with her theme.

So far every time I've participated in an I-Spy swap, I sign up for double spots...that way I've got plenty of extras to make hospital quilts from and if there are squares I just really, really love, I can put one in a quilt and put one in something like this.  I tried to remember some of Becca's most favorite squares from when she was sorting through them with me...or squares that just seemed especially girly.
(If you like the snitch necklace she's wearing, you can see more details about it here.)
Becca just turned 4, but she's really more of a small 3T size.  The skirt is big enough that will will fit her for a long time...so you can kinda use that to judge how big to make one of your own.

Here's what you'll need to make your own. 
44 4'' I-Spy Squares
1 1/2'' wide elastic long enough to go around your child's waist plus 1/2 an inch.
Thread, scissors, sewing machine, etc...ya know all the stuff you normally need to sew.

Here's how I did it...

I laid them out in rows, 8 squares in the first row, 10 in the second, 12 in the third, and 14 in the fourth.  I actually think it would have looked good a little fuller, so you could add a few more squares in there if you wanted.  You want to make sure that the first row, when sewed together will still be plenty roomy to fit over your child's hips

Then I started sewing each row together with a 1/4 inch seam...
...so that each row forms a ring.
Then I hemmed the bottom row, by folding it over, sewing, and then folding it over a second time.
Then I zigzagged all the other edges to keep strings from coming off.
Then I set the stitch length on my machine to the longest one possible and stitched a gathering stitch along the upper edge of the bottom ring of squares.

Next, I pulled the gathering strings bit-by-bit until it fit the bottom of the 3rd ring of squares.  I pinned frequently and then stitched.
Then I repeated for the rest of the rings until I had the whole skirt sewn together.
The last thing is to add the elastic.  The prints on the skirt are so busy that I thought I'd use wide black elastic for the waistband.  I measured my daughter's waist and then added 1/2 and inch.  I sewed the elastic together with a 1/4 inch seam.  Then sewed the seam allowances so they are opened flat.  I had the skirt turned right side out and pinned the elastic to the front, so that the fabric overlapped about a 1/4 with the back of the elastic.  I pinned the elastic onto the skirt in quarters matching the front, back and sides.
Then I sewed the elastic onto the skirt by pulling the elastic to match the skirt as I was sewing and sewed with a straight stitch.
And it's all done...
And it's equally fun from the other side...


Becca loves it...even if she was a bit of a reluctant model at first...


If you're interested in other I-Spy Projects, you can see some here.  If you're interested in participating in an I-Spy Swap, I'm not planning on doing any soon, but you can sign up to get an email when/if we do another one here.  I also ended up with a couple extra sets from our last swap, and those are here in my Etsy shop.


Please show my sponsors some love...

Urban Mod Half Yard Bundle from Sisters and Quilters
Create You Own Fat Quarter Bundle From Sisters and Quilters
Tuxedo Collection Fabric Bundle - From Sisters and Quilters

5 comments:

  1. Thats such a cute idea, although my 3 year old would probably strip to play ispy LOL

    ReplyDelete
  2. aww what an adorable idea for an adorable little girl! Thank you so much for sharing this and linking up with Handmade Tuesdays @ Ladybug Blessings. www.ladybug-blessings.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is so pretty and your daughter is so cute. I found you through the Sugar Bee Crafts link party.

    Thank you so much for this fabulous tutorial. I’m going to give it a try this weekend! I featured it today on my Weekly Inspiration post on my blog:

    http://www.sewcreativeblog.com/weekly-inspiration-diy-projects-for-the-long-weekend/

    Best Wishes,

    Crystal

    ReplyDelete
  4. Just finished up my ispy skirt for my 4yr old niece.Super easy putting this together. and i am a quilter not a dressmaker! she plans to use it for "dress up" and more will be made for my friends daughter's bday party. thanks for an easy tutorial and a great birthday theme idea.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for taking the time to comment. I love hearing from you. I also love responding, so please make sure your Blogger account is set up for me to be able to see your email address or include your email address. I've had to stop accepting anonymous comments due to spam. If you don't have any other way to comment, you can always send an email.