I fully admit to taking superfluous pictures for this tutorial.

Yes, folks!  We continue on today with our tutorials for the Mommy and Me, Mix 'N Match Spring Skirt Combo!  (You can hold your applause 'til the end.)  If you missed it, you can see the first snapshot of this project here.  We've also already covered the Mama skirts:

The Mama Underskirt

The Mama Overskirt

So we're moving on to baby!  Well, let's be honest, now.  Toddler, really.  And I'm excited about this tutorial because 1) It's my favorite piece out of the four, 2) It's so super easy it's dumb to be telling you how to do it, 3) I think I actually constructed this one correctly - unlike the larger versions... and D) there are just too many ridiculously cute photos of this girl in this skirt.  

Yep.  As the name of this post implies, you are hereby fully warned that there are gratuitous photos of said cutie patootie.  Shameless, really.

Here we go.

Firstly, grab that old sheet you already cut up for your underskirt.  Cut it to the measurements you need - measure around the waist and add about 2 inches for the width of the rectangle and measure from the waist to the knee-ish (depending on where you want the skirt to lay) for the height of the rectangle.  If you're super smart, you'll make sure to cut this rectangle so that the finished edge of the sheet becomes your bottom hemline.  That's right. We're so clever.

Of note: I just read in one of Dana's easy tutorials on MADE that for an easy elasticized skirt, you should measure around the waist and DOUBLE that so that the skirt is extra bouncy and flouncy.  Why I didn't think of that, I'm not sure, but it's brilliant.  However, I'm not too sad.  On an 18 month old, the extra 2 inches I did add seem to be enough.  


Now, you'll fold over the UNfinished edges of the rectangle, iron them, and sew a straight stitch.  You're just finishing off those edges is all.

Now, you'll measure some strips.  I did not want my entire skirt to be ruffles.  Rather I just wanted the bottom to be ruffly, so the overskirt would lay flat on the top and poof out at the bottom.  Therefore, I decided on three strips of ruffles.  I measured about where I wanted them to start and stop on the skirt and determined that three strips of 3 inches each would be the right amount.  For the width of the ruffles, I doubled the width I cut the initial rectangle for the skirt base.  This gave me plenty of gathering room.

Once you've got your strips cut, go around the edges with a zig zag stitch.  I chose to do this instead of actually finishing the edges.  Why?  Well, 1) I wanted the edges to fray a bit, but not too much.  The zig zag will prevent too much fray, but will allow the subtle distressed look I wanted and b) well, it's just easier.  If you don't like that fray thing, you could just iron the edges over twice and straight stitch along that.

Now, run a gathering stitch along the top of the strips.  Just set your machine stitch length to the longest setting and sew a straight stitch.  Then pull the top thread to gather it into a ruffle.

I wanted my ruffles to begin low on the skirt - so that the ruffled edge was just overlapping the finished edge of the skirt base.  
So, pin the first ruffle about 2 3/4 inches up from the bottom of the skirt base.  Then, sew a straight stitch along the gathering stitch line.

Pin and sew the three strips on, one at a time.  The following two ruffles were pinned and sewn so that the bottom of the ruffle just barely overlapped the top of the ruffle below it.

Now, flip the whole thing over so that the front is face down.  Fold over what will be the top of your skirt and iron this fold.  Make sure the fold is large enough to allow elastic to slide through.  You're going to make a casing, in case you couldn't figure that one out.

When you sew this casing, begin a few inches away from the edge.  You need to leave some of the casing unsewn so that you can slide your elastic in and sew it up.

Now, fold the rectangle in half width-wise, with your ruffles on the inside.  Pin up the side.

Sew a straight stitch along the pins.

Measure out your elastic.  I actually had a picture of this step until I decided that was just an insult to your intelligence.  Obviously measure it to the size of your waist minus a 1/2 inch or so.  


Slide your elastic into that little hole you left in the casing.  Use a safety pin to guide it through.  When it's all the way through the casing, sew the two ends of the elastic together with a zig zag stitch.  I do two rows, like so:

Now, just use a straight stitch to sew up that little hole along the casing seam.


Turn it right side out and voila!  A ruffly skirt,

that fits perfectly under your overskirt!  (Which we obviously haven't made yet, but this is what it will look like!)

You can see it's ruffly goodness in action, peeking out of the skirt here:

Have you been wondering about that banana?  Yeah.  She is mad for bananas.  She can't get enough.  They are easily her number one favorite food - before chocolate even which I can't comprehend.  She has at least one a day.  So that's how I bribed her to be in some pictures... I distracted her with a banana.  I was just glad the banana matched our outfits.


Now you've got one perfectly cute ruffled underskirt.

It's just right for sitting in.

And perfect for munching in.

Or lounging around in the grass.

 And it even looks cute with drips all over it.

Is that enough with the superfluous pictures?  No?  One more for good measure?  Ok.

*Be sure to check just below for all the fun parties I link to!