Oliver + S Lazy Days Skirt

Once I started working on my tote bag in class, I was anxious to practice some basic sewing skills on my own. I forgot to mention in my previous post, but the whole reason I want to learn how to sew is to be able to make garments. There are so many times that I see something in the stores that I'd love to have, but it doesn't fit right or the color is wrong or whatever. It would be nice to be able to come home and replicate things I see in the stores, but customize them for me. :)

Ah, but I'm getting ahead of myself here. First, I need to learn and practice all those basic skills before I start getting crazy with apparel. I was intrigued by a simple skirt that I saw made up on Cara's Blog. The Lazy Days Skirt is a free "pattern" from the children pattern designer Oliver + S. It was a perfect project for practicing some basic skills and getting a finished product out of it. I bugged my co-worker for her daughter's measurements, shopped for some cute fabric and went to work. The final product:

I think it turned out so cute! My co-worker's daugher is half Japanese, so I wanted the fabric to be a nod to her heritage, but still be appropriate for a 3 year old girl - I think this fabric was both. I also love the multitude of colors in the skirt and think it would be equally appropriate for summer or with tights and a sweater for fall.

I even had enough fabric leftover to make another skirt for another co-worker's daughter who is also half-Japanese, so it was perfect. I highly recommend this skirt pattern. It's a simple project, but you're left with a really cute little skirt.