Bubble Skirt Tutorial (Beginners Sewing)

I love a great bubble skirt, don't you? I decided to make my girls St. Patrick's Day outfits because I only got around to slapping together some hair clips for Valentine's Day. I also bought some adorable St. Patty's day fabric on clearance last year for under $2 a yard, so my total cost for this project (two of them!) was only about $4 with fabric to spare. THAT is when it really pays to have some very basic sewing skills. You can easily learn everything you need to know from your sewing machine's user manual. That's where I learned!

You could do this skirt with whatever cotton fabric you like.

You will need: Cotton fabric (I used two coordinating prints, but you could certainly use one print, a print and a solid, one solid, or two different solids. I hear color blocking will be all the rage this spring), 7/8 in. elastic, basic sewing implements (If you want to use coordinating thread make sure you have it on hand. I use basic white on the top and on my bobbin 90% of the time.)

Let's measure to figure out how much fabric and elastic you need. Measure the waist, then add about 1/2 in. for seam allowance. Cut your elastic to that length. For the waistband, you can really do whatever you want as far as the width goes. This project is simple measuring because you'll use the whole width, from the finished edge to the other finished edge of the fabric to allow for an amply full skirt. You only have to measure the length!  I wanted a waistband that was about 2 in, then double that number since you're going to be folding it in half, then add another 1/2 in. for seam allowance, meaning I cut mine at 4 1/2 in. For the skirt front, you will measure from the waist to where you want the skirt to hit. Write that number down(), subtract the waistband's intended width (mine was 2 in.), then add 4 in. (the extra bubbling fabric), plus 1/2 in. for seam allowance. Now you'll need to figure out the inside lining measurement, which will be the length of the skirt front minus 4 in. Your fabric is cut! Now it's time to sew it together!

I should also mention that if you're planning on making this project for a bigger girl or for an adult, you may have to cut your fabric differently. You'll want the width of the fabric to be at least double the measurement where you want the skirt to sit. This extra fabric adds fullness and helps give the skirt the bubble effect. For example, my hips are 32 in., so I'd want my fabric at least 64 in. wide, which means sewing two pieces together or using the length of purchased fabric rather than the width.

1. Line up one cut edge of your skirt front and lining, right sides together. Pin along that edge. (If your working with a print where the direction is important, make sure you're pinning so that if you open these fabrics up, fold in half hot dog style and hold the edges together with the longer fabric facing you, that longer piece is going the right direction.)

2. Using the edge of your presser foot to judge seam allowance, use a straight stitch and sew down that edge. Remember to back stitch!!

3. Fold the whole skirt piece in half, hot dog style, right sides facing out. You'll want the skirt front facing up.

4. Fold your waistband in half, also hot dog style and right sides facing out. You could press this down with an iron if you felt the need, but I did not.

5. Line up the raw edges of your folded skirt and waistband carefully. Pin.

6. Sew along the raw edge using a straight stitch, the presser foot's edge serving as your seam guide. Zig zag stitch or serge to finish the raw edge. I don't have a serger, so zig zag it is! You could also use pinking shears to finish the edge, but that never seems secure enough for me.

7.  Thread the elastic through the waist band. You can use a safety pin attached to one end of the elastic to keep a hold if it as you're threading. Pin the elastic at both ends of the skirt.

8. Sew the elastic in place. You'll want to run over it a few times by back stitching then going forward again in order to make sure the elastic is secure. I despise having to rethread it!

9. Fold the skirt in half, hamburger style, right sides (skirt front) together. Line up the last of your raw edges and pin. The skirt will be gathered from the elastic now, so take extra care here to pin nice and straight.

10. Sew using a straight stitch along the raw edge, from the top of the waistband to the bottom of the skirt. Zig zag stitch to finish the raw edge. (The edge isn't actually raw if this is a little girl's skirt. It should be the selvedges (the finished edge of the fabric when it's purchased), but that has never stopped me from zig zagging)

Now you have a beautiful, simple skirt that you can make for any occasion and on a budget. Even if you use amazing, fashion-forward designer fabric, it's a very reasonable cost to complete this project.

Wide D-Ring Ribbon Belt

This project can be adjusted for little girls by using 1 1/2 in. ribbon instead of 2 in. ribbon.

You will need: 2 in. grosgrain ribbon (to get the measurement for your ribbon, measure your natural waist then add seven inches), two 7/8 in. d-rings (these can be found with the sewing notions), basic sewing implements

1. Heat seal the ends of your ribbon.

2.Put one end of your ribbon through both d-rings. You may have to accordion fold the ribbon to get it though neatly. Pull it through about 2 in. and fold it back against the length of the ribbon.

3. Sew across the two layers of ribbon about 1/2 in. down from the d-rings.

4. Reverse stitch back over the initial line of stitching. You'll see in the pictures that I used white thread with navy ribbon. You may want to use coordinating thread so that the stitching isn't so obvious.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4, only about 1/4 in. further down. This second row of stitches will provide a more secure hold.

6. To wear the belt, wrap around the waist and pull the free end of the ribbon through both d-rings, then fold it back over and pull it back through the second d-ring until the belt is tight. It's made to be worn at the natural waist.

I love the gathering that you get using d-rings much smaller than the ribbon. If you prefer a straighter look, use larger d-rings.

Window To The Heart Pillow Tutorial

You will need: 5 2 1/2 in x 11 in pieces of printed cotton fabric (I'm using a tan and country red check), 2 13in x 13 in pieces of light neutral muslin, poly fill, basic sewing implements

1. Place two of the printed cotton strips together, right sides together. Adjust the thread tension on your sewing machine all the way up. Set your stitch to the longest stitch length. Sew down one long side of the two strips, moving fairly slowly. The fabric should gather into a cute little ruffle. (Have you noticed yet that I avoid pinning like it's the bubonic plague? Anytime precise measurements are not absolutely a necessity and I'm not sewing a huge length, I find it unnecessary. I also avoid precise measurements at almost any cost.)

2. Repeat with another two strips. Sew the ruffled double strips together using the same method (right sides together, 'ruffle' setting still on, sewing down the length of the fabric). Now sew the remaining strip in the same fashion. You should now have a ruffly rectangle of your printed fabric. You may notice that I messed up and put half the seams on the outside. It wasn't my intention, but I decided it suited the primitive look I was going for. Your call, though!

3.Place your ruffly rectangle face down on one of your 13x13 muslin squares. Center it. Sew around the edges of the ruffly rectangle, using the edge of your presser foot to judge your seam allowance. You may want to zig zag around the outermost edge of the rectangle as well. I like to use a good zig zag to finish any edge.

4. Now for the heart. Either make a heart stencil that will fit in your ruffly rectangle with at least 1/4 in of leeway then center it on the muslin and trace it , or free hand it directly onto the muslin. Verrrry slooowly stitch along that heart outline.

5. Pull the muslin away from the ruffles and make a little snip in the middle. Stick your scissors in there and snip around the inside of the heart, being careful not to catch the ruffles or the heart's stitching. You've now finished the front!

6. Place your front face down on the other muslin square. Pin around the edges. Sew down three sides using that presser foot seam allowance, then zig zag those three sides as well. Sew the last side only 2/3 of the way down.

7. Flip your pillow right side out. Poke the corners all the way out. There are fancy tools for that, but I just use a dowel rod or any other long skinny object that's handy. Stuff your pillow.

8. Fold the edges of the hole in neatly until the edge is level. Pin. Use a straight stitch to close up the hole, or you could hand stitch it if you like (I don't like).

Voila!! A cute Valentine's day throw pillow. You could use this method to do other themes as well. A pumpkin for fall or a Christmas tree, perhaps. I have also envisioned an Easter egg, stripes built right in. You could also adjust the measurements and make any size pillow you like, or maybe use the idea for the front to make a wall hanging or...the possibilities aren't endless, but there are a lot of them.

Stretchy Fab Headband Tutorial

You will need: cotton fabric (about a minimum of 12inx3in, you'll want the length of the fabric to go about 3/4 of the way around the head where the headband will sit, and the width will be the desired width of finished product x 2 plus seam allowance), 7/8 in. elastic (you could even use printed elastic if you have some on hand, though I'm using white because you don't really see it), basic sewing implements, embellishments (whatever you can think up is great)

1. Fold your fabric in
half, hot dog style, right sides together if you're using a print, pin if you like (I didn't bother) and sew using a straight stitch down the raw  edges, using whatever seam allowance you like (though you'll want to remember to allow for it in your measurements if you get too crazy). You'll have an inside out fabric tube now.

2. Flip the tube right side out. I know there are fancy tools for this, but I just stuck my finger in there and pulled it right side out.

3. Insert elastic into the tube openings about 1/2 in. You can pin it if you like, but I just made sure it was in place and dropped the presser foot on it.

4. Sew across the elastic and tube about 1/4 in. in using a straight stitch. Zig zag over it a few times for good measure.

5. Repeat with other end.

6. Now try it on! The beauty of these headbands is the ability to size them easily so they fit perfectly. Don't you hate stretchy headbands that either slide off backwards or squeeze so tight the hair won't lay down?

7. Embellish! Add whatever floats your boat. I've done them with assorted home made fabric flowers, purchased flowers, and one covered in buttons, even. I just hot glued the extras. You could leave it plain so your little lady could wear it for sports. You can match her athletic uniforms perfectly! I have made a few for myself as well.

I have used scraps from pillowcase dresses to make up a headband that matches the dress.

I made the tan one to match a wrap skirt that I'll be getting around to in the near future, and the pink one with the shabby rolled rosettes to match a dress made for my oldest daughter.

P.S., I was having technical difficulties with the pictures. I'll try to get one of each step up when I straighten this out!

I'm Taylor, lovely to meet you!

Taylor here, beginning my adventures as a blogger. I've always loved to write, and I've always loved to craft. It finally hit me that I could combine the two, giving me a chance to do a little more of both.

I'm a sort-of stay at home mom, happily married with two girls (7 and 3) and a boy (4). As the blog title implies, I'm no super mom. I forget it's my kids' turn to bring snack more often than I remember, homework disappears into the abyss that is our home if it strays too far from the back pack where it lives, and I'm late a minimum of 20% of the time. These tendencies have made me into a master of improv.

I don't think I've mentioned yet that we live in a tiny, tiny house. I don't have a fancy craft room or even a kitchen table to work at. I have relegated a corner of the tiny closet in our bedroom for my craft supplies and, until I come up with a more acceptable solution, they live in two cardboard boxes. These boxes are the very same boxes in which they were moved to this house. Because of this, I'll ask you to please excuse my scarred, dyed coffee table and the lack of pictures of my fabulous, extremely neat craft room. This is one reason I believe ANYONE can create crafty fabulousness. If I can manage a giant stash of ribbon and fabric in this house, everyone can find a place.

I've learned you can make something out of just about anything. My craft skills are minimal, meaning any project I post, you can absolutely do, too.

I'll be working on projects of about every sort you can imagine including kids' clothes, hair accessories, women's clothes, jewelry, and home decor.

I hope to see you around for my next post: a tutorial on adorable stretchy fabric headbands. (These were born out of necessity the night before my 7 year old's class pictures.)