Hacking WWD Staple Skirt

I love the finishing of the Winter Wear Designs Staple Skirt for kids. It's got all the bells and whistles of a proper woven zippered skirt. Everything in the instructions is wonderful and I have always gotten great results using it. 

See how pretty the finishing of the zipper is! 

The only thing is, whether it is the A line option or the pencil skirt version, my girl only wears those on special occasions because it limits her movement and she is, after all, still a toddler! 

We own one pass me down retail wear skirt that had an A-line shape till where the hips are then it ended off with a pleated flounce. Kind of like a tennis skirt or a drop waist pleated flounce skirt. And she loved that skirt. It was made with denim and has plenty of movement and was also very very cute! Unfortunately she was outgrowing the skirt and it's becoming too mini for my liking. Hence, I had always wanted to hack the staple skirt into a similar one and I finally did it! With the help of Apostrophe Pattern's latest pattern generator: Gathered Skirt generator!  

Since I have made Staple Skirt a couple of times before, I knew roughly where I would like the flounce of the skirt to start - for reference, I used the lengthen/shorten lines and simply cut the skirt pieces there. 

I kept the pockets etc so after following the instructions, you will get a shortened skirt with the pockets sticking out. Then, I measured the diameter of the bottom of this shortened skirt and entered into the generator following the instructions. I selected the length of the skirt to be 13 cm, and hem to be 2cm. 

The great thing about the generator is, you can suggest a pleat length and if the math don't work out, it will automatically change to the closest length that will work. Yay! (e.g. when i selected 5cm, it was okay, but when I selected 6cm, it automatically switched to 6.1cm) 

Another great thing about it is, for projector users, it comes with markings so that you can actually mark it on your fabric and fold accordingly - very beginner friendly. 

After pleating and attaching, my girl's pleated skirt was all done! Isn't it adorable?

The fabric i used was a stretch twill in bright yellow and I used a cute strawberry snap button for a pop of color and also cos jean buttons are still difficult for her to put on herself. 

And here is the skirt worn! (the top is rtw, i think that slogan is cheeky =p Also, rtw in this home are all hand me downs from friends cos I have not bought any clothes for my kids from retail shop in a really long time!)

Look at the great range of movement this skirt has. No wonder she loves skirts like this.

Thank you for visiting! Hope to see you again soon! 💗

Eunoia Design Group Kaleo

Eunoia's Kaleo has just been updated! It now has more sizes, better fit, pockets, a new puddle jumper length (not floor length but slightly above ankle) etc etc and it also has projector file!! YIPPEE!

I love how elegant it looks! And it's just a really beautiful top and skirt combo. 

I made ours in puddle jumper length because this toddler isn't exactly very good at climbing steps while wearing maxi skirts. This length is perfect for her. It's long enough to keep her legs covered yet give her plenty of ease to move around and jump. 

The top has a high neckline in front and a lower one at the back, but i have seen others wearing it on their little ones the other way round without any problems!

And because it is lined, the dress has no bands - which makes for a lovely silhouette!

Did I mention it has pockets? 💗

Bella Sunshine Designs Isabella Banded Skirt

Let's talk about a FREE skirt pattern! This is the Isabella Banded Skirt from Bella Sunshine Designs.

I'm wearing the ladies version which can be found here and my girl's wearing the girl's version.

It's free for all subscribers of their newsletter and you can get links to the free copy after subscribing!

Easy!


What I love about this skirt is the fact that it is so fast and easy. A quick sew for when you need that little bit of sewing therapy.

You don't even need to print anything if you don't want to! The measurements for the skirt are all provided so you can get right to it. And it's great cos you don't have to worry about it not fitting right since all u have to do is check your measurement with the chart and cut out accordingly! There's grading instructions too!

And for a free pattern, it's even nicer that it comes with 2 length options so you can choose whether you prefer a longer length (that's the one we are wearing) or a super cute above knee length!

Did you notice the lace detail on my girl's skirt?

Clear instructions on how to add various types of trims are also found in the tutorial so this is the perfect pattern for a beginner to use!

If you have a lot of woven fabric in your stash (like me), this is an easy way to use them all up! (Then u can buy more! 😂)

So, do consider subscribing to their newsletter to get this lovely, BEGINNER FRIENDLY skirt pattern FREE~~~~~

Psst!! Want MORE free patterns? Join their facebook group and you can grab the Reagan Raglans for kids and ladies (including plus sizes!) Just check the pinned post for the coupon code to make them 100% free!

(I've made so so many Reagan Raglans already! They are very well drafted!)