Bias Taped SKIRT

A few weeks ago I sewed that blue and white skirt for Clara and sort of had a project fail.

I didn’t make the skirt full enough and it was constantly ridding up when she sat down.  It’s just like we talked about with the Project Runway banter….sometimes it’s hard to get the proportions right on kids.  I hadn’t sewn for a baby for so long that I forgot how “bent” their bodies are most of the time.  (btw, thanks for chiming in on the PR stuff.  It was fun to read your commentary!)
So….
I gave it a Round 2.
And this time I love it!I started with the Simple Skirt tutorial and made a few changes.
Here’s what you do….You can embellish your skirt with all sorts of trim…ric rac, lace, twill tape, whatever!  For this skirt we’re using bias tape (since you know how much I love it.  Check out the original tutorial on Understanding and Making Bias Tape.)

Now, often I use double-fold bias tape for projects.  In fact the Simple Skirt tutorial has a version with bias tape bound hems.  But when I made those 40 yards of bias tape last month, I reserved some for single-fold.
And since some of you have asked, “what do you use single fold tape for?”  Here you go!

Mostly, I use it as an embellishment.  Because bias tape is cut on the bias (the diagonal) it has more give and is a great when working with curves or forming it into a curved embellishment (check out the perfect example HERE on Lindsay, Etc.)

Okay.  The project is pretty self-explanatory: start making a skirt, sew on the trims, done.

For a baby skirt, however, I increased the gathering ratio to make it even fuller and gave it a real chunky hem.  So if you’re making one for a 6 month old baby, here are the dimensions:

• Cut a rectangle of fabric 45 x 11 inches
• Cut 1-inch wide elastic 18 inches long (if your baby is skinny, back it off an inch or more)
• Use 1/2-inch wide and 1/4-inch bias tape for embellishing.

• Before sewing the skirt, iron a 2-inch wide hem in place so you know where to place the bias tape.
• Pin Bias tape in straight lines, parallel with the hem.  Use however much or little you want.
• Sew down both sides of each bias tape trim.
• Then sew your skirt as outlined in the Simple Skirt Tutorial and sew the chunky hem in place.
• You’re done!

My senorita bambina (redundant?) is ready for church.

And in case you were wondering….yes, she was obsessed with the Wallflowers.  I had to snap quickly.

And eventually found a different flower for her to play with.
She wasn’t too thrilled.

Happy bias tape sewing!

  1. 1) Jackie

    I love the green you used for the skirt, so cute. I love the whole project as well. I’ve been keeping an eye out for bias tape makers. My little girls loves to wear skirts.

  2. Ohhh…I love this! Seriously, the green is perfection. Not too baby, not too grown-up. And about your Project Runway post. I am seriously wanting to tweet that link to Tim Gunn. For reals. I would love to see a “Project Run-and-Play” PR. Yaya!

  3. Dana – this skirt is so stinking cute, just like everything you make! I would be honored if you would consider adding a photo of it into SewSet.com!

    And the photos – gah, fabulous! Love the flower background!

    Thanks so much for sharing.

  4. Super cute, as always – the baby and the skirt 🙂

  5. Ph, your little senorita bambina is too darling….
    And I like the skirt, too! 😉

  6. 7) Leigh Anne

    Your skirt turned out adorable (as is your model)! Thx for the reminder for a good use for single-fold bias 🙂

  7. Your blog makes me want to buy a sewing machine again. And perhaps not hate bias tape. And try again for a third baby in hopes I might get a girl. 🙂

  8. 9) Katie

    Did you make her darling headband, too? Sooo cute. I want some for my babies!

  9. I love your style! I could seriously wear target shirts everyday ( me and the kids hang out there too) and simple is always better especially kids. I adore H & M kids clothing but even they are funkifying almost everything! Hello Kitty is everywhere and All sorts of animal stuff! Yuck. Love love your site!

  10. SO CUTE! Polka dots and kelly green are a winning combo, especially on a little gal as cute as your Clara. 🙂

  11. 13) brooke

    Love it! So cute! Makes me want to run home and make a cute skirt.

  12. 15) Kelly

    Miss Clara and all your girly projects makes me oh so clucky *blush*

  13. Love her! She’s so adorable. And the skirt looks great, too!

  14. I cannot even handle how cute her face is! Her expressions! I’m having a boy, so no skirts here, but she is so stinking adorable.

  15. Between this post and the last one on Project Runway, I’ve figured out what’s been bugging me about so many kids clothes lately. There’s no such thing as a SOLID-colored plain article of clothing in stores that I can find. Everything has logos and garish pictures that take up the entire front of the shirt, or a too-busy print covering the whole thing. It’s so frustrating trying to buy clothes for my kids these days … good thing I’m learning how to sew so I can get more things into the closets around here that don’t make you blind just from looking at them.

  16. I made a Texas A&M skirt for my friend’s Little Miss using your pattern for the simple skirt and I’ll have to ask her if it rode up. I love that you admit a Project Fail! It teaches even those of us without your skills that it’s OK to make a mistake. It’s just Back to the Drawing Board! LOL

    And no, senorita bambina is not redundant. Literally it’s “Miss Baby”. And it’s too cute just like her!

  17. 20) Marichucky

    Señorita is spanish (miss) and bambina is italian (little girl). So you’ve mixed two languages in such a short sentence 🙂

  18. Super cute skirt! Clara is adorable as usual! 🙂 I love the photo of her little baby legs standing up.

  19. what a wonderful idea! love it its so cute!
    thank you for a great tut

    Lilach

  20. So adoreable. Can’t wait to make one for each of my two granddaughters!

  21. 27) Heidi

    I absolutely LUUUUUV your blog! Your tutorials are so well put together and easy to understand, and everything is adorable!

  22. 28) bel

    so lovely and so adorable!
    the little angel looks just like you, Dana!

  23. 29) Amanda

    How did you get those flowers hung on the wall? Trying to do the same thing for a birthday party this weekend and would love to know your secret! Trying not to put holes in the wall…

    • 30) Dana

      When making the flowers, I tied them with a piece of string in the middle and I left the ends of the strings a few inches long. Then to hang them, I placed a piece of tape on the strings to tape it up. Then I used more tape to tape some of the petals right to the wall (transparent, Scotch tape stuff). Sorry, kind of hard to describe 🙂

  24. 31) Jackie

    I have to tell you, I love your blog. I love making things I’ve seen on your blog. I love your detailed tutorials, and your wonderful Fabric A-Z book. Since reading I have made pounds of bias tape in every color imaginable, and use it on everything, I even am using gold bias tape to outline on my sons ninja costume this Halloween, so Thank You!!!

  25. I really have to get in the seeing for baby thing. Thanks for the inspiration. Love it.

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