Denim Hopscotch Skirt

If you'll permit me, I'd like to elaborate on the denim skirt I made Dolores as part of the Kid's Clothes Week challenge (the result of which I disclosed the other day). I didn't get round to sharing my creations on their site, but their blog well worth a gander for highlights of other participants inspiring creations. 

I must admit that this skirt took up the vast majority of my time during the Kid's Clothes Week sewing sessions. In fact it probably took way longer than it should have done, but I guess that's what happens when you try to sew at the end of a busy day spent dealing with a crazy baby. But it was the promise of seven whole hours of sewing laid before me that lead me to make this skirt. I knew a woven item would take more time than the usual knit leggings I whip up for her. 

Pattern:

I was very kindly given the Oliver + S Hopscotch pattern, among others, by the very generous Jenna. I'm still on the fence about the knit top/dress part of this pattern, but every version of the skirt that google could rummage up looked awesome, IMO. Seeing as Dolores is well stock for clothing for the foreseeable future, I decided to make the Size 2 (years), even though she's currently only 13 months old. That should have the bonus of lasting her a bit longer than if I'd made a smaller size, which helped justify the extra time I spent on this project. 

Cleverly, the front skirt sections are gathered into the waistband, but the back skirt section folds over at the top to form an elastic casing. With the back part elasticated, I'm wondering if you'd need to use the buttons at all to put this skirt on and take it off. I really like how this pattern is drafted, and the instructions are nice and clear. I did spend a whole evening constructing the pockets as per the pattern, only to decide to remove them the following morning, but that was my fault not theirs! 

Fabric:

Now here's the issue: the fabric I used was too thick for this pattern. I really wanted to stash bust this small piece of soft pale blue vintage denim. It reminds me of the 70s and the film Dazed and Confused! The colour in the image at the top of the post isn't very accurate, and I couldn't' get the tweaks right. The above button close-up image is more accurate. If I'd used the recommended weight of fabric (something like a quilting cotton), this project would have been a breeze and the pockets would have looked ace. The thing about children's clothes is that they are small. And the thing about smaller pattern pieces is that it's more difficult to get a super clean, crisp finish when using heavier fabrics than if you were making an adult's sized version. However, I battled on and I actually think the final outcome looks good! Phew! 

The wooden flower buttons were from my stash from an un-recall-able source. I stitched the centre of the flowers with yellow thread. I was tempted to do yellow topstitching on the skirt as well, but considering the difficulties I encountered in getting a neat outcome, I'm glad to didn't. In fact, now I think about it, this little skirt's colour scheme reminds me of Tilly's 70s feel Beignet. 

Thoughts:

I definitely intend to use this pattern again, probably in a larger size and DEFINITELY in thinner fabric. I'd like to have another go at the pockets, as they add something special to this fairly standard skirt pattern. I promise I'm not wishing anyone's life away, but I CAN'T WAIT to see Dolores running about in the outfit above (t-shirt charity shopped from Leigh-on-sea) in a year or so!