Pioneer Skirt Tutorial

So this week our Church is doing a Family Pioneer Trek.

Where we all dress up like Pioneers and reenact the Pioneers crossing the plains from Nauvoo, Illinois to the Salt Lake Valley,  over 165 years ago.

(To learn more about the Mormon Pioneers, click HERE)

We won't be trekking 1300 miles as they did, but 7 miles a day, for 3 days, pulling a handcart by day, and camping by night, with my wee little ones whining about being hot and hungry is sure to be an adventure. 

It's going to be awesome. 

So for this upcoming adventure, we needed clothing. Good thing I have a fabulous fabric shop in my basement and all the cute fabric I could dream of at my fingertips.

So I whipped up a few items for me and my little gal to wear on the trek. 

Here is a little tutorial for the size 4T skirt!

You will need:

1 yard Cotton Fabric

Enough Elastic to go around the waste of your little pioneer

(Please excuse these awful phone pics, my camera was in the shop)

1. I opened up my 1 yard of fabric and cut it in half right down the fold.

 2. Then I laid the pieces right sides together and sewed down the right side, making one really long strip of fabric. 2yardsx22".

3. I like to hem the bottom at this point before it becomes a circle. So I folded over the edge about 1/4", and then fold it over again 1/4" and press down.

4.  Then sew a straight stitch all the way along the bottom of the skirt to make a clean hem.

5. Next, put your skirt right sides together again, and sew down the left side of the skirt, connecting the other end and making a circle, tube, skirt thing.  Sorry, no picture.

6. Once you have your circle, it's time to the make the casing for the elastic.  Fold over the top just a little bit wider that your elastic width, then fold it over again and press.

7. Next you are going to sew a straight stitch all the way around the top of the skirt, but make sure to leave a little opening to feed your elastic through!

8. Now, measure your little lady's waste and cut your elastic about 1" shorter than that measure. Connect a big safety pin to the elastic and feed it through the skirt.

Once it is fed through, you will have the ends of the elastic sticking out the opening you left.

This is the point where I try it on the my little lady and make double check the how the elastic fits, and make any adjustments to the elastic length as needed.

9.  Next, connect your two elastic ends.

10.  And sew your opening shut.

 Hello cute little skirt!

 And cute little pioneer girl!

I will be back tomorrow with the tutorial for that sweet yellow apron!