Blank Slate Patterns Schoolday Skirt

Ella is growing so fast lately, so you know what that means! She's outgrowing her clothes and needs some new pieces for school. Since she prefers to wear skirts, I decided to sew her a new Schoolday Skirt by Blank Slate Patterns (affiliate links).

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links to Blank Slate Patterns; however, all opinions regarding this pattern are my own. 

My daughter's school requires she wear standard school attire--shorts, pants, and skirts that are black, navy, or khaki. Blouses or shirts must be any solid color and have a collar, so I've made her a few of those as well. But today, we are here to discuss her latest school skirt. This is a really good one, too.

The pleated Schoolday Skirt (affiliate link) pattern by Blank Slate Patterns is so simple and straightforward to make. For Ella's latest one, I used a high quality 100% cotton twill which is the perfect weight and thickness for this skirt.

I must admit that I've made this skirt before (read about it here) using a lightweight denim, and since Ella still wears it, I knew she would love one she could wear to school. Although the denim version is a size 5 and still fits in the waist because I used adjustable buttonhole elastic in it, the skirt is getting a little short. For her new Schoolday Skirt, I compared her latest measurements to the sizing chart and chose to sew up a size 7. The length is spot on and the waist and hip areas of the skirt fit well with a bit of growing room.

Most little girls love a skirt or dress that flares when they twirl, and the pleated Schoolday Skirt definitely fits the bill! The first thing Ella did when she tried it on was spin and spin and spin making this skirt a definite win-win-win! 

You might think that all those pleats make this a difficult skirt to sew, but actually, the Schoolday Skirt is really very easy to make! Melissa's pattern instructions and photos make it a cinch to mark and fold all those pleats correctly. So don't be intimidated by all those pleats! Trust me!

You might also think that this skirt requires a lot of fabric, but all the sizes (18 months to 8) take no more than 1 to 1 1/3 yards! In fact, I used slightly less than a yard of 54" wide twill fabric to sew Ella's size 7 skirt. To make this skirt with less than a yard of the main outer fabric, you could always use a contrasting fabric or coordinating print to cut out the front and side front panels lining. 

The skirt has a flat front waistband with 4 buttons to secure the closure. Personally, I made buttonholes so that Ella could unbutton the front if needed, but honestly, I don't think she has ever had to do that on the first skirt I made her. Since the back waistband is elastic, she has always been able to just pull the skirt on and off. So if you aren't fond of sewing buttonholes, simply sew the buttons on to secure the front to the side front panels. I think it would work fine.

Here is a recap of the features of the Schoolday Skirt pattern:

• Sizes 18 months to 8 years
• 1 to 1 1/3 yards of fabric required (depending on size)
• Flat front
• Back elastic waistband 
• Pleats
• 4 - 3/4" buttons
• Buttonholes
• Easy to sew

Ella enjoyed wearing her new Blank Slate Patterns Schoolday Skirt (affiliate link) to school this week. She received lots of compliments from the teachers on her new skirt (which we both love to hear), and she was comfortable and the most stylish kid in her class!

See you again soon! Have FUN sewing!