Pattern review: The Twirl Skirt by Lil Blue Boo

I was really busy last weekend (and will be working this weekend as well!) so I didn’t do any sewing. I had all intentions of doing a little crocheting and update you on that but didn’t even get time to pick up my hook.

So I thought I would go back and review the pattern which was my first foray into sewing with knits! I made these little skirts for Miss 4 in January (when I was home for a glorious 5 ½ week school holiday!)

The Twirl Skirt by Lil Blue Boo

I have had this pattern for a long time. According to my download – June 2011! Yikes. Now you know why I'm trying all these patterns - I have so many sitting around (for long periods of time) and really need to make them. It was recommended by a friend so I could try sewing with knits.

The pattern pieces are really simple – one piece to cut the four panels of the skirt and then the waist band. That’s it! It includes a stretch gauge which I found incredibly helpful to determine just how stretchy my knit ribbing was. It also has tips for sewing with knits (or unruly knits!), the type of stitches to use for a sewing machine or overlocker/serger, using upcyled tshirts, lengthening the pattern, adding a yoga or maternity waistband and more. Seriously – a very versatile pattern indeed! I learnt so much before I even starting sewing.

The pattern goes from 12 months to women’s sizes XS, S, M, L and XL. For Miss 4, I made the size 3T/4T (goes up in ‘even’ sizes).  She is such a skinny mini that the waist band is a little too big but that is probably more due to the stretchiness of the ribbing I used rather than a fault in the pattern (oh and just that she is sooooo skinny!).

This came together fast. Like really, really fast! I made two versions – one with the overlocking exposed and one with the seams inside. I used a combination of newly purchased knit and some old tshirts of mine. I’ve not really done much upcycling but I certainly will be looking at my old tshirts in a different way now.

Miss 4 loves these skirts. I specifically made them for her to wear to kinder and daycare and they have been fantastic. They are now covered in paint but I honestly don’t care – they both took about an hour to make and cost peanuts! She is still wearing them as it is getting colder over the top of leggings and tights.

Will I make this again? - absolutely. It would be cute to make skirts in team colours, Christmas themed ones, ones made from favourite tshirts (mmm I think the green love one pictured above is getting too small!) and I might even try some in a fleece fabric to see if that works for winter wear. It will be one I think I’ll be making for years to come so certainly fantastic value.

Will I make this to sell for Lil Pip? – yet again no. Simply due to not being about to source great knit fabric in Australia.     

Pattern: The Twirl Skirt by Lil Blue Boo

Fabric: Jersey knit and ribbing from Spotlight plus upcycled tshirts of mine
Difficulty (1-10 scale  with 1 being easy and 10 hard): 3 only because you need to get your head around the stretch of knits
Time: Less than one hour to cut, sew and take a photo!