Gem (my 8 year old) made her first skirt! I call it the awesome skirt, can you see why? :)
This girls is a big maker (gosh, where did she get that from?) and constantly has something on the go, usually a little wool felt stitchery project of her own design. But she hasn't made herself any clothing before.
We drafted a pattern together based on the Crafty Mamas hoody skirt. She chose to have a stretchy knit skirt rather than a woven (like Mum wears). So, we started with a white Stella base.
She did most of the sewing on the machine herself, with my guidance. Except the waistband, that's the tricky part, so I did that for her. The waistband is also made of Stella, so it's one of those gorgeously comfortable skirts - no elastic.
Next, she had her first experience with dyes. After some discussion and planning, I showed her how to mark and tie the skirt, then apply the colours to get the effect she wanted. She was amazed to see the colours run into each other and mix, creating new colours. I don't think she understood much of the dye process before, you need to actually do it and see it in action.
After curing overnight (what a painful wait for a young lady!) we cut the ties and rinsed. Then the awesomeness of the colours and patterns was revealed. The look on her face when she realised what she had created was priceless.
Here is another recent project she came up with as a surprise for me. It's the best little pincushion I've ever used! She embroidered "Ma" at the top and used a polymer clay button I made ages ago.
There is only one downside to all this. I think I'm going to have to hide my fabric stash :)
