I Sew a Supercute Skirt for My Kid So She Can Torture Me in Style

Its beauty was not marred by a later incidence of incontinence.

He's got Bette Davis Owl bedroom eyes!
Who knew that the terrible twos would lead into the *@#$%& threes? Not I. For unknown reasons, I believed that the irrational behavior that causes a two-year-old to act against her best interests would magically disappear as said toddler approaches the age of three. Not so. At age three, my daughter’s newfound physical and verbal abilities have enabled her to campaign more effectively against her best interests.  A recent brunch out featured her hurtling over booth seats, much to the chagrin of her parents and aggrieved restaurant patrons.  I am counting the days to full-day preschool. My husband is looking into the possibility of Swiss boarding school for tots. I'm sure it will all work out for the best!

I’m really hooked on the Lazy Days Skirt, available at Oliver & S . It’s so simple and lovely. Designed for beginner sewers, it doesn’t require a cut-out pattern. The elastic waist creates natural gathers.  At least she will look good being bad.
I also sewed four earbud pouches. I downloaded the pattern from Pattern Patti on Etsy. Her directions and step-by-step photos were clear as can be.

Velcro, I shake my fist at thee


A revelation: the results of most sewing projects, unless you make PJ pants or a shirt, are girly. Fabric choices are more often feminine than not. They cannot be made masculine by any stretch of the imagination.

Even if I found black fabric emblazoned with bleeding skulls pierced by a Morningstar (actually, this sounds fairly manly!), a pouch is inherently girly. A real man doesn’t worry about tangling his earbuds! He just tosses them into his briefcase or stuffs them into his jacket pocket with nary a care! A girl, on the other hand, is mindful that their $30 price tag means she’d better take care. She lovingly sews a pouch with a Velcro enclosure (damn you, Velcro! But I’ll get to YOU later) with a lovingly selected outer fabric and a complementary liner fabric. Must teach myself to sew on snaps…


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