Nightbloom Pleated Skirt

Do you remember this fabric?

Two years ago I made Elora an overall dress using this fabric, which is called Nightbloom. It’s from the Plant Peeps collection by Meenal Patel. I was sad when she outgrew it because the fabric is just so adorable. I had the leftover fabric out last weekend with plans to sew something for a friend. When Elora caught sight of it, she asked if I would sew her a skirt. I thought, perfect! The fabric is dark enough to avoid staining, strong enough (it’s a linen blend) for everyday play and exactly right for the fall weather to come. How serendipitous!

psst, A Thrifty Notion still has a couple other bolts of Plant Peeps in stock and other suitable cotton/linen blends.

Some browsing yielded this free tutorial for a pleated skirt. You take some measurements, do a little math and use paper to easily make the pleats. Elora’s roll of painting paper was just the right size for this kind of project.

The hardest step for me was putting in the zipper. I don’t work with them enough. But, it was totally worth it - - -

Autumn perfection! This little miss is going back to school (finally!) on Monday. It looks like the weather will corporate so that this can be her first day outfit.

The pattern is very adaptable, so one could just as easily sew any size skirt. I opted for 2” wide pleats and a 1.5” wide finished waistband. She has room to grow into this one, which is just as I like it.

The girl’s got character. And patience for my photoshoots, thankfully.

Here’s to sewing for the people we love most!