Reversible Two-in-One Little Girl Skirt

As we all know, I have two little boys, so I always love a chance to sew for little girls.  One of Buddy's friends turned three, and I whipped up this fast and easy skirt for her.  The beauty of this skirt is, it's actually two skirts in one!  I've made skirts similar to this one before, and it doesn't take any extra effort to make it reversible, just a little careful planning (which I have conveniently done for you). 

Another advantage is that this skirt is double layered.   Many little-girl skirt patterns are not lined, they just use a single layer of cotton fabric.  In my experience, a single layer is too see-through to make a good skirt.  Last time I made a similar skirt, I lined it with white cotton.  Then it dawned on me:  if I had used patterned fabric, the skirt would be reversible! 

This skirt is a great beginner project, it's really just a few straight seams and comes together quickly.  The hardest part is deciding which two cute fabrics to use! 

I made mine for a three-year-old, the final measurements were 18 inch waist and 11.5 inch length.  It's pretty easy to adjust the measurements, though, if you're making this for a younger or older girl.

What you need:

• Fabric A, cut 14" by 42"
• Fabric B, cut 11.5" by 42"
• 19" length of 3/4" elastic
• Coordinating thread, I used Coats and Clark All-Purpose

If you want to adjust the skirt length: 
Cut Fabric B the desired length.  Then cut Fabric A 2.5" longer.  For example, I wanted an 11.5" length, so I cut Fabric B 11.5" x 42".  Then I cut Fabric A, 14" x 42". 

For the waist, I just added 1" to my final measurement for the elastic.  I wanted an 18" waist, so I cut my elastic 19". 

Let's get sewing:

 1. Pin the 14" ends of Fabric A right sides together.  Sew with a 1/2" seam allowance.  You should now have a tube.  Press the seam open.  

2.  Pin the 11.5" ends of Fabric B right sides together.  Sew with a 1/2" seam allowance.    Press the seam open. Your fabrics should look like the pic below:  Fabric A is the floral and Fabric B is the yellow gingham.

3.  Turn Fabric B right-side-out.  Slide Fabric B over Fabric A, lining up the seams.  The two fabrics should be wrong sides together.  You should have about 1" of Fabric A showing at the bottom and 1.5" of Fabric A showing on top.

 4. To form the bottom hem, press and pin Fabric A on top of Fabric B.  Press 1/4", then 3/4".  Topstitch 1/8" from the pressed edge.  You should be sewing through both fabrics. 

5.  To form the casing for the elastic, press the top of Fabric A in 1/2", then 1".  Topstitch 1/8" from the pressed edge, leaving a 3" opening in the back.   Again, you should be sewing through both fabrics.  Use a safety pin to thread the elastic through, making sure it doesn't get twisted.

6.  Overlap the ends of the elastic by 1/2" and sew together securely.  Then tuck the elastic into the opening, fold down Fabric A, and topstitch the opening closed.  Make sure you don't catch the elastic as you sew.

And that's it, six steps and you've made two adorable little girl skirts!

-Lily

Linked up at some of the great blogs on my sidebar