circle skirt

Sometimes I don’t want a big sewing project. If I’m pressed for time or simply need to fill an afternoon or one day out of the weekend, I don’t necessarily want to start a project that will take days, weeks, or months to complete. Nor do I want the hassle and expense of shopping for supplies for a larger project. I just want to sew for a couple of hours and have something to show for it. If that’s ever happened to you, these sewing projects you can do in a day are the perfect solution.

Make this for yourself or your daughter…or making a matching mother/daughter pair. This circle skirt can be done in just a couple of hours and it’s perfect for whirling and twirling when it’s done. Unless you have large amounts of the same fabric on hand (cause you just buy fabrics you like when you see them, maybe?) you’ll need to hit the store for material. If you’ve got enough fabric on hand, you’re good to go.

Vendor Apron

Are you the one they ask to help out with bake sales, garage sales, and other school fund raisers? You need this vendor apron to keep your notepads, pens, and other supplies close at hand. It’s super simple to make with an old pillowcase or one you fell in love with at the thrift store and now need a use for. Make a bunch so the whole PTA will have one.

Trendy Fashion Tank

With this awesome pattern there’s no need to spend your hard earned money on brand name t-shirts and tanks. The trendy fashion tank is patterned after a popular JCrew top, but made by you. You’ll need jersey sheets or another source of that same material to make this pattern. Flat jersey sheets can be bought at discount stores for around $7, so it’s well worth the investment to make this shirt yourself.

Hair Bows

Not only do these work up fast, they’re a great way to use up your scraps. Hair bows never really go out of style, so make a bunch. Give them as gifts or sell them at craft fairs. Depending on the material you choose they can be vintage, modern, or anything in between. No matter what, they’re sure to be a hit!

The next time you’re looking for a quick project, try one of these projects. They take a day (or less in most cases) and leave you with a great finished piece, a feeling of accomplishment, and instant gratification. Many of these projects are also great for sew sewers since they can quickly see the results of their efforts.

My littlest loves in skirts.

My littlest loves in skirts. In cold weather she puts them over pants and sometimes she even wears them over her pajamas. While I normally am not drawn to making clothes, I knew when her passion for skirts didn’t fade I’d want to start making some for her.

This skirt is reversible, so two skirts in one, though I think she is so in love with the top fabric that she’ll never switch it to the one underneath.

I think she is so in love with the top fabric that she’ll never switch it to the one underneath.

To begin making a DIY reversible circle skirt (or a non-reversible one for that matter), you’ll need to do some math. I take the width of the waist + 2. For her it was 19″ + 2 = 21″. Then I divide by 6.28 (or twice pi.) That gives me the radius of the circle for the waist, 3.34″.

Then I divide by 6.28 (or twice pi.) That gives me the radius of the circle for the waist, 3.34″.

Next measure from the waist to the length you want. I went just above the knee, which was 10″. Cut your fabric into a square and then fold into quarters. From the bottom left corner, start drawing first your waist circle, and then the outer, skirt circle (this is the same process I showed you for the DIY tree skirt in one of my December posts).

Cut your fabric into a square and then fold into quarters.

From the bottom left corner, start drawing first your waist circle, and then the outer, skirt circle.

If you are making this reversible (and you don’t have to, one sided is great too), do the same for the other side of fabric. In my case, I had to join two pieces together to make a square big enough for the circles.

I had to join two pieces together to make a square big enough for the circles.

Pin the circles right sides together and sew around the waist circle. Once sewn, make tiny cuts all around the fabric, taking care not to cut into your sewing. This will help the fabric turn smoother. Flip the skirts so they are wrong sides together and go iron the seam. Ironing is everything in sewing. Don’t skip this step.

Once you’ve ironed, sew a casing big enough to fit the width of elastic you’ll be using for the waist. My elastic was .75″ so I sewed a 1″ casing. Leave about 1.5″ for inserting the elastic.

Once you’ve ironed, sew a casing big enough to fit the width of elastic you’ll be using for the waist.

Put a safety pin through one end of the elastic and feed it through the casing (you’ll find the entrance for the casing hole between the two layers of skirts). Sew the two ends of elastic together and then sew each tail end flat so there is no bulk from the elastic’s sewn seam. Then sew the casing shut, completing the waistband of the skirt.

Sew the casing shut, completing the waistband of the skirt.

To finish the skirt, you could use a serger and serge the two layers together, and then press them to one side and sew a hem. I chose to add bias tape.

I chose to add bias tape.

I used a decorative stitch to complete the look.

Boom! A darling, reversible circle skirt.

And a very happy three year old.

Do you sew clothing for your children or grandchildren? What are your favorite things to make them?

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Charlotte Kaufman is a writer and sewist in Mammoth Lakes, California. She specializes in marine and home interiors and continues to fall more and more in love with quilting. You can follow her at charlottekaufman.com.

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