Tiered Lace Skirt

I’m not sure that I can contain my excitement today! I am thrilled that Sarah asked me to be a contributor here on Bombshell Bling. I love a good crafty/DIY/creative project especially one that involves my sewing machine. I am excited for the opportunity to share some of what I love to do with all of you.

With Valentines right around the corner, I just had to share a pink and red heart filled project. The best thing about this is that, yes, it is perfect for Valentines day, but also any time of the year. I happened to use a heart shaped lace for this skirt. You could use any type of lace. In fact, you could skip the lace and use tulle or just a cute cotton print. There are endless ways to customize this adorable skirt!

Want to make one? Well then, lets get started!

1. Gather up your supplies.



You only need 4 things to get this done. Fabric for the under layer, lace(or tulle or more fabric) for the top layer, bias tape and elastic. I used 3/8 inch elastic for my skirt. You can choose a wider elastic, if you so desire.

As for what fabric to use, I would stick with light weight fabrics. Try to avoid anything too heavy or it might not have a fun bouncy quality.

The amount of fabric is going to vary depending on what size you are going to make. If you are making this for a child, you will probably need only 1 yard of fabric.

2. Figure out your measurements.

Under layer- Width: Measure the waist and then multiply that by 1.5. Length: You can determine the length. I would note that whatever you determine as the finished length of your skirt, add an extra 2-3 inches to the length when cutting so you have extra to hem your skirt and to add the elastic.

Top ruffled layers- Width: Measure the waist and then multiply by 2. Length: You can determine the length. I would note that whatever you determine as the finished length of your skirt, add an extra 1/2 inch to 1 inch for each top layer that you cut.

Bias tape- The same width as your top layers.

Elastic- The size of the waist.

3. Cut your fabric.



I cut three top layers. You can cut as few or as many as you would like. The length of my finished skirt is 10 inches. I cut each of my three top layers at four inches wide totaling 12 inches. You will need the extra length to be able to sew the top layers to the under layer.

*Not pictured, but make sure to also cut your under layer and elastic as well. Remember to cut an extra 2 inches from the desired finished length of the skirt. That way you have a 1/2 inch to hem the skirt with. And you have 1 1/2 inches for your waistband.

4. Add the bias tape to your top layers.



5. Ruffle your top layers. I have a special ruffle foot for my sewing machine. If you don’t have one, just turn up the tension to the highest and the stitch length to the longest, and you should get a nice ruffle.



6. First, hem your skirt. Second, fold over the top edge of your skirt at about 3/4 inch or longer depending on how wide your elastic is. Sew the casing for your elastic.



7. Sew the top layers to the under layer. Sew the pieces with the right sides facing and the top layer upside down. Also make sure that you sew the first top layer exactly atop the stitches that you sewed for the elastic band.



You sew the layers on upside down, but once they are sewn, flip them so they are facing the right direction and they should look like the picture below.



8. Add your elastic. Pull the elastic through the waistband.

9. Fold the skirt in half with right sides facing and sew the skirt together.

10. Flip the skirt right side out.



11. Dance like a ballerina, shout HOORAY, or jump for joy because, my friends, you are DONE!

One Year Ago…

Our baby girl turned one on July 2. I am shocked at how fast that year went by. Annabel is the sweetest little girl. She is so content and happy and has just a calming spirit. She loves her family. She lights up anytime Ethan or her daddy walks into the room. She loves to cuddle. She is our little angel.

11 Months

She is such a sweetheart. She is so loving and happy and calm. She loves to snuggle.

She loves her playroom. She could be in there all day playing with toys.

She is in her pull everything our of the cupboards and dishwasher phase. My kitchen floor is constantly covered in Tupperware.

She loves to giggle. Her and Ethan laugh with each other all day.

She adores her daddy. She adores her brother. I may no longer be her favorite :(

Terrified of strangers. (Which is the exact opposite of Ethan.) She becomes paralyzed with fear anytime someone new tries to talk to her.

She hates to sleep anywhere but her crib. Not my favorite thing.

She hates her car seat. The car is really the only time I see this girl upset.

I can’t say that she is close to walking. I think because she is such a pro crawler and can get around super fast that I don’t think she has the desire to learn anything new. Plus she likes to stay in her comfort zone. She isn’t a fan of new people or new experiences. The idea of walking makes her very uncomfortable.

She can stand on her own without holding on to anything. It terrifies her. She doesn’t do it often.

Her cheeks just kill me. They are so big and adorable and kissable. They get kissed a thousand times a day. I cannot go anywhere without being told how beautiful our baby girl is, a minimum of 3 times per outing I get stopped. She is our most beautiful daughter ;)

10 Months

 

Annabel is on the move! She speed crawls, she rolls, she pulls herself up, and she walks all around things. She is just constantly moving. I think I miss the days where she would just stay sitting where I put her. This phase is fun too.

She is pretty strong. I have yet to see her stand on her own without holding on to something, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she could. She barley hangs on with one hand when standing. She is close to standing alone.

She says mama now! Yay!

She waves goodbye.

She is still just the happiest and the most content baby I know. She is so calm. I know that might seem contradictive to what I said above about how is she always moving. She just has such a calm and sweet spirit. She barely gets fussy when she is hungry and tired. Sometimes I get frustrated in those few minutes a day that she might be fussy. Then I remind myself how lucky I am and how I really have nothing to complain about because she really is such a good calm happy little girl.

I think I mention this every month, but those cheeks and that hair they just make me melt. She is just beautiful.

Like I said, she is on the move! It was almost an impossible feat to get a picture of her. Most of her photos were a total blur. At least she was having fun.

9 Months

Weight: 23 pounds! She is in the 95% percentile for height and weight.

Annabel finally crawls. She is a speedy one. Wow! I love to see her really crawl. Ethan never did, he just did the army crawl. I think it is extra cute watching her get around on her hands and knees.

Her top two front teeth are coming in.

She finally sleeps through the night. I think it really helps that she can finally roll over. Now she sleeps on her stomach. She seems to sleep much better in that position.

She can pull herself up. Naptime is getting tough, because she just wants to stand up. I usually have to go in and lay her down once or twice before she will fall asleep.

We had to make the switch to her big car seat, which she loves so much more. She always hated her infant car seat. She will now actually fall asleep in the car.

I finally captured a teeth smile.

8 Months

 

She has her two bottom teeth.

She finally rolls over!

She can get into the sitting position on her own.

She is as chubby as ever. Her leg rolls and her cheeks are the best! I just went shopping and bought her all 18-24 M/2 T clothes. Actually the swimsuit I bought her is a size 4T.

She is starting to get a little shy around strangers. If she doesn’t recognize someone she just stares at them with this terrified look on her face.

I love when she is tired, because that is when she is the most ticklish. I love her little laugh.

She is such a happy a little girl. She is so calm and so sweet.

I love when she gives you her cute little smile and then tilts her head to the side. Its like she is saying, “Yea, I know I am cute.”

She has a permanent bow in her hair, otherwise her hair take on a mind if its own!

The High Chair

Sometimes I think Annabel is getting too big. Then I put her in her high chair and I am reminded of how wrong I am. With her little feet dangling so far from the ground I realize just how perfect our princess is.