Dress up and imaginative play was one of my favorite pastimes as a child and has become one of my daughters as well.  Paper towel rolls become spyglasses, the broom can suddenly fly, and don’t get me started on all of the things a common stick from outside can become; limitless!  When my daughter saw the Mi Vida one of the first things she asked for was the skirt to be removeable so today we’re going to go through the steps to make that a reality.

Let the magic begin...

Take a measurement...

Construct the bodice and pants per the pattern, sewing them together creating a Mi Vida with no skirt but, before you attach the bodice to the pants we need to grab a quick measurement.  When you reach step #13 you won’t be basting the skirt to the pants but, we do need to measure the distance between the two marks (the part you will be gathering the skirt).  We will need this for our waistband measurement.

To create the removable skirt:

Step 1:  Sew the three pieces together the same as the instructions show in step # 7-9.

Once you complete steps #7-9 you will have

  • connected all 3 skirt pieces
  • hemmed the bottom and front outside edges
  • have the gathering stitches at the top

Let's Create the Waistband

To create the waistband you’ll start with the measurement taken earlier between the two notches.  For purposes of this blog post we’re going to say that was 18″ (but you’ll of course use yours for whatever size you’re making).  Start by adding seam allowance to your measurement; we’ll use 3/8″ so a total of .75″ added (3/8 to each short end).  You’ll want to cut 2 pieces of fabric 18.75″ x 3.5″.  You’ll also want to cut a tie for each side of the waistband.  You can make it as long or as short as you’d like but the average length will be 15 – 20 inches.  Once you’ve cut these pieces you’ll have a total of  6 strips of fabric.

Sew two sets of  TIE-WAISTBAND-TIE combinations on the short ends creating one long piece.

Press open your seams and lay one long strip on top of the second, right sides together. Using a 3/8″ seam allowance sew them together as shown below.  Clip your corners and turn the waistband right side out.  The partially sewn edge along the bottom should be a great start to helping you press the bottom edge towards the inside by 3/8″.  Press well.

Putting it all together...

With the waistband turned right side out and pressed well slide the gathered skirt inside the waistband section so that it is sandwiched between the front and back of the waistband sections.  Pin into place then sew/topstitch 1/4″ around the entire rectangle.

 

Now, it’s time to play!

~Mallory

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