Homemade Friday: Daughter gets skirts that may or may not be from a guilt-induced sew session

When Adele started daycare/preschool, she was required to wear a uniform.  I didn't think it would be that much of an issue because Sebastian had to wear one when he went to preschool, so we had a few pieces of clothing I thought she’d be able to wear.  But her sizing has suddenly skipped from “totally normal’ to ‘completely wonky.’  (That’s the technical term, of course.)

She went through a ridiculous growth spurt over the winter holidays, so much that all of the sudden none of her clothes fit.  Her 4T pants fit her in length, but not around the waist.  But the 5T pants are entirely too big and look ridiculous.  It could, possibly, be because the larger pants I've been trying on her are made for boys, as I've just been putting all of Sebastian’s pants on her since I didn't feel like buying a bunch of new stuff.  But I think that’s weird because they are tiny children so why should their clothing be made/sized so differently to cause this sort of problem for a mother who is just trying to cloth her children?

Sebastian also outgrew all of the pants I bought him at the beginning of the school year.  When he does wear them he shows some ankle.  Plus they’re too tight around the stomach, too.

Here this skirt is lovingly styled with a pajama
top and Mimi the pillowpet.  And her brother.

The point of this is that my children need clothes.  Adele, specifically, needs bottoms.  Since she requires a uniform I can’t just stick her in some black leggings that may possibly, technically be too small but that aren't so small that they are uncomfortable, because leggings.

I was complaining about all of this to a friend of mine, and she suggested just putting Adele in skirts or jumpers.

I admit that the idea never actually crossed my mind.  But once she said it I realized that it was a perfect solution.  It made complete sense.  (Hello, my name is Jaime and I make things much harder than they are.  Also easy solutions are foreign to me.)

Adele exhibiting the Thomas stare.

Once I had a workable solution I made it even more workable and also cheaper by deciding sew the skirts myself.

I found khaki material at Wal-Mart for around $5 a yard.  I bought a couple of yards and made two skirts.  But there's tons left over so I can use it to make shorts when it warms up and long, elastic-waist pants, too, when I get a little time.  

I’d already used this particular pattern a couple of times before (Here is one.  The other one I made out of bicycle fabric that I also used for shorts for Sebastian.  The skirt has since been lost, although how you lose an entire skirt in this house, I have no idea.  If you see it anywhere, let me know.)

I measured Adele’s waist, and according to the pattern she was a size 6, so that’s what size I cut out of the fabric.  I cut two skirts out at once because I knew she’d need more than one, and I’d be better off just doing them both at the same time.

I'm not sure what's going on here.

Once I cut them out and really looked at the skirt pieces I realized that they were way too big.  I figured the best and easiest way to solve this was to just cut a few inches off of each side.  Adele was at school so I wasn't able to try anything on her, plus there’s really no way she’d stay still long enough for me to pin and whatnot anyway.  I cut more off of one skirt than the other, so even though I used the same pattern it looks like two different skirts. 

I also had to shorten the amount of elastic I used to make it at all wearable for her.  I don’t know if I am just really bad at taking measurements (probably) or if she’d just eaten a really big meal whenever I took the tape measure to her, but the sizing was horrible. 

Luckily I was able to make it work with a little shrug and a lot of “eh – it’ll be fine.”

Wrinkles mean they are loved.

So now I feel at least a little better about sending Adele to daycare, if only because she has a couple of items of clothing that fit correctly now.  (Let’s not talk about the polo shirts she’s required to wear, and the fact that none of the ones she has fit her because they are all huge.) (Let's also not talk about the fact that she still screams and cries so loudly when I drop her off that I can hear her all the way down the hallway. She has pretty skirts!)

Pattern: Simplicity Sew Simple 1968
Size: 6, but probably should have stuck with 4
Material: Khaki