An oldie but a goodie

I have had a crazy busy weekend, with no time for any sewing or knitting or anything! Yesterday I left the house at 8am, and didn't return until 9pm, too tired to do more than stare at the TV. Today has been similarly manic.

So, I thought I would show off one of my favourite creations from the archive.

When I was at uni, I made myself a simple black skirt with an elastic waist, and hand-stitched rings of braid and ribbon around the bottom of it. I adored this skirt, which was black enough to suit my arts student self, but also had cheerful splashes of colour and a bit of interest. I wore it with black tights and Doc Marten's, and a black cardigan.

Fast forward almost 20 years *gulp*, and I found myself making a similar skirt for my 4 year old daughter. Not black, as she wouldn't wear black! Not pink, in an effort to de-bubblegum her wardrobe. I found a pale blue chambray that was sturdy enough to carry the braid, but girly enough to suit my pinker-than-pink daughter.

I made a simple loop of the chambray, about 8cm longer than I wanted it. At the top, I sewed a deep hem, about 4cm deep, with 3cm left open. I stay-stitched along the top edge, and halfway down the hem, again, leaving an opening. I ran two lengths of elastic through the two channels, and tied them off. I hemmed the bottom with a 1cm hem. Then I stitched strips of varying braids and ribbons around the bottom of the skirt.

It quickly became a favourite item, and when it became too short to be decent, I had to make another. I chose all red braids this time, and added some fringing for a bit of fun.

Listening to: Mazzy Star