Matryoshka girl's skirt

DS loves to draw. So I kept him company last night, doodling matryoshkas.

This morning I decided I'd try out making my own matryoshka appliqué from fabric scraps. I'd seen a beautiful example on this blog, which had been taken from an Ottobre pattern. I wanted to follow my own design (a.k.a. didn't feel like digging for my old Ottobres). As soon as this was done, I had visions of a girl's skirt - that DD has been asking for for weeks, but I'd lacked the mojo.

So I pulled out some fabrics and DD's measurements, haphazardly drafted a skirt with a yoke and pleats, and got going. By lunch, I had this:

DD's happy, and I feel I've made the best out of a very rainy Sunday!

A rough sketch of what I did:

Took a measurement of the length, divided into yoke (about 1/3) and skirt. Added length for an elastic casing to the yoke. Took DD's waist/hip measurements (amost equal) and added about 10 cm/4 inches ease on the yoke, and doubled this whole width for the skirt. Put four asymmetrical folds in the skirt part. Sewed together, appliquéd the matryoshka, et violá!

Regarding the dress from my last post, Wendy asked about the pleats lying flat. Since I used a fairly weighty knit, the fabric of the skirt is quite heavy and sort of drags the folds down, so they lie perfectly flat. I suppose this would work with every knit; I'd only expect differently if you used a stretch woven, in which case I'd strongly recommend a muslin; the pattern as is requires a lot of stretch. So go for it, Wendy!

I wish you all a sunny Sunday!