These simple gathered skirts are so easy and addicting to make. I used the Starry Sky skirt project that I contributed to the most recent issue of Making Magazine for these. Perhaps the fact that I made not one but three for Clementine is evidence that they are basically Sewing Crack? They nearly fall off my machine. Bonus: she’s worn these three skirts non stop since January. When it was cold she’d wear them with leggings underneath, and now that it’s warm she wears them with those shorty-legging things that are called tumble shorts or undershorts or something like that.

This first version is made with a Japanese quilting cotton that I picked up on a trip to Seattle last year at a great shop in Kirkland called Circa 15. Great quilting fabric selection but also a great selection of apparel fabrics (union chambray, double gauze) there as well. It’s hard to see but there are tiny little pandas scattered in the flowers. Clementine picked it out.

The second one is a Nani Iro brushed cotton that has some sort of magical glitter ink (unicorn blood?) so the flowers sparkle. The sparkles are a Big Win with my girl, and the brushed cotton makes it super soft.

Check out my little vampire. Until a couple of weeks ago we were convinced those front teeth would never grow back. She’s been completely toothless in front for nearly six months. And then, a few weeks ago, a solitary front tooth started growing in, and the dentist assures me there are more to come.

One thing I should point out (that you can really see in the photo above) is that Clementine is taller than the size I made for her, so the hem on these skirts lands a little higher than normal on her. She measures a size 7 in her waist but a size 9 height, so a I made a size 8 as a comprimise. There’s still a 2″ hem, however, so I can take them down yet in fall. I also like to leave a little excess elastic in the waist so that I can take the waist out too. These skirts really can last a long time if you want them to!

I made the third skirt with my Sidewalk Knit in the green pencil print. I’ve discovered that this print is nearly impossible to photograph correctly; I think it must be a combination of the super bright colors with that teal hue…for the life of me I cannot get my camera or editing software to get the colors right on screen, though the closest one is above.

The knit makes the skirt drape closer to the body, so there’s less “poof” to it than the other two, but it’s comfortable and swishy.

If you’re looking for the instructions for this skirt (it comes in both children’s and women’s sizes), pick up a copy of Making Magazine issue 3! It’s now available online from the Making shop, as well as many other local yarn and fabric shops. Here in Ann Arbor you can pick up a copy at Spun in Kerrytown.

Starry Sky skirts for Clementine

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