Sewing for Lila has been a total crapshoot for awhile now. Remember the Beachy Boatneck I was so sure she was going to love? She’s worn it zero times, and has assured me that she never will. Apparently she does not like 3/4 sleeves, and the sequins were too scratchy when the shirt came off over her head. Luckily it’s big, so I’m hanging onto it in hopes that she may develop into a reasonable human being sometime in the near future.
But in the meantime I’m sticking with skirts, and from patterns she’s already tested and accepted. I made two Oliver + S Swingset skirts last fall, and she has worn them non-stop for the last eight months. In fact, I may become physically ill if I have to see her in either one of those skirts again. So out with the old, in with the new.
Even though I’d kinda like to burn those first two, I really do love the Swingset pattern. It has a nice full, swing-y shape, and I like the look of the skinny elastic rows at the waistband. And the lining makes it feel substantial. I’ve lined all four swingset skirts and my Roller Skate dress with Robert Kaufman Savannah batiste – it’s super soft and lightweight and makes perfect lining fabric.
This time I left out the drawstring – it’s a lovely addition, but the bow is forever coming untied on those first two skirts I made. And since there were no buttonholes, I threaded the elastic between the lining and the skirt exterior, same as the Roller Skate dress.
The fabric for the polka dot skirt is Dear Stella’s Sprinkles from the Piper collection. And skirt #2 is Essex yarn dyed linen in denim, which has recently surpassed Essex yarn-dyed linen in black as the fabric I want to use for everything. In fact I made this very skirt for the Handmade Kids Clothing Swap.
I added rows of running stitches along the bottom like Lila’s rainbow sprinkles skirt from two years ago, which is long outgrown (along with those red shoes, which have been replaced by pink). The colors don’t pop as much on this version of the skirt, but I think the denim will be a little more practical than the white, considering all the tire time her skirt hems see. Then again, the polka dot skirt is pretty much white (now with a black hem). Maybe a pair of shorts should be next on the list.
Here’s a little Mother’s Day flower for everyone….have a happy weekend!
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Love the stitching on the second one… Wow, she looks confident on her bike – I need to get my butt into gear with teaching Isabella!
I love the running stitch detail on the hem! I hope you have a lovley mother’s day 🙂
I love the look and simplistic idea of these skirts! I am curious as to where you got the pink shoes?
thanks! these came from tinysoles.com – they are made by livie & luca and are available all over online!
The striped Beachy Boatneck is one of my favorites and Lila looks so precious in it. I sew for my grandaughter and hope for the best, not really knowing since she lives across the country. If you have any advice in this area I would appreciate it. I enjoy and learn so much from your blog. Thanks
I love it, gail – swingset skirts 2.0. they are perfect! i LOVE all of these tips, too. i’m interested in checking out the lining you recommended. thanks for sharing – all of it!
in terms of making clothes that she will wear, you may have to compromise your ideal style just a bit. (i’m just sharing what works for me.) i don’t want to spend the time sewing something if it’s not going to be worn. i mean, obviously, who does? 🙂 i know the dresses i make have to have a certain level of girlishness to them, or they won’t be worn. my girls hate shorts so that’s out. they aren’t too keen on solids, so that’s out. they love the *feel* of voile, so i can take more liberties in the fabric choices there. another idea is to have Lila help you choose the fabric. my girls love doing that, and i steer them in the direction that I’d like, while still giving them some say.
am i sewing my ideal style? no. but i have found a middle ground that i am happy with. oh, this doesn’t really seem like your style, but my girls did love (LOVE) the portobellopixie dresses i made for them. and i mean love! those dresses have literally been worn once a week for 4 years. talk bout getting sick of them! 🙂
iris has those same shoes- but in red!
I adore both skirts. And thank you for reminding me that I had wanted to buy some of that Sprinkles fabric. I have a little mother’s day money so I think I will order some today before I forget again.
Hi Gail, I enjoy your blog and seeing all the cute stuff you create.
I cannot tell you how many lovely little items of sewing are hanging–unworn–in my Kathryn’s closet (she is 7). I recently made the Make It Perfect “Little Uptown Jacket” for her and it is completely adorable…but I have to twist her arm (read: bribe with candy) to get her to wear it. Why oh why?!? What she really likes right now are last year’s too-short knit shorts (Gymboree) with a paint-splattered tee shirt that advertises her dance studio. Such is life. I love her anyway. 🙂 And I will sew for her as long as I possibly can!
thanks laura! oh man, i love the uptown girl jacket! silly kids. and yes, they have mind’s of their own and crazy fashion sense, but they’re still pretty lovable. 🙂
Oh Gail, I love your posts so much. The skirts are lovely and the photos divine, but the way you describe everything makes me smile. Also, those running stitches are too adorable for words.
My daughter is very particular too and will only wear skirts or dresses that twirl. I’ve tried making her shorts, pants and straight skirts but she simply refuses to wear them. Very frustrating! 🙂
I laughed out loud at your despairing of the two previously sewn skirts:) Aren’t our girls just like that? They find something they love and wear it ad nauseum till we can hardly stand it. My recent trick – used with my older daughter who loves to wear her boxy sports team tshirts – is to leave it in the laundry bin for as long as possible until she starts asking for it. Then another week or two till I “get ’round to it”. Sometimes buys me a good three weeks:)
However, I would find it difficult to grow tired of either the first two Swingset skirts, or these most recent two. All are just so adorable! Love the hand stitching on the denim one – that hand made detail is what I love most about sewing. And that sprinkles fabric is so great! Kind’ve matches her bike helmet:)
These are lovely, as were the first two! Maybe with warmer weather coming my daughter will be more interested in skirts and dresses. There are so many cute patterns out there, although many of the dress patterns also have tunic options which is nice.
Haha! I totally groan when Em comes down in some of my less-favorite creations, or something so worn/grown out of that she shouldn’t be leaving the house in it. but yes, these swingsets are really super cute and i still can’t get over the fact that lila rides a bike already!
Such sweet skirts, Gail! I love those stitches on the batiste. And that sprinkles fabric is amazing, isn’t it? I also used it (for a top) and Norah totally adores it.
really cute. I somehow just became aware of this pattern during KCW and I really like both pieces in it. Your fabric choices for the skirts are great! My 4 year old is in a crazy clothes stage where I totally don’t know if she will wear something or not. It seems that dresses with sleeves are out, but straps are ok, and shirts with long sleeves work too. Of course this will change next week. She also randomly decided to wear jeans again for the first time in months. There’s a reason I’ve been sewing for her little sister more than her lately……
Those little pink shoes are really cute and look comfy. What brand are they?
Hi there! We just wanted to let you know that we shared your Sprinkles skirt in our latest blog post, here: http://dearstelladesign.com/2013/06/show-us-your-stella/ : )