I've had the skirt of this dress in my head for a while now. It's simple, too. Three pleats in the front and three in back. So for Easter I drafted up a pattern for the skirt and I thought I'd share the tutorial with you. The skirt itself is really simple, pretty much straight lines. I used this fabric from Kollabora. I love the tie dye, mottled look of it. It's a cotton twill, perfect for heavy projects. It may be a bit stiff for this kind of skirt, but I couldn't help myself. I will be making some pants for Felix out of this and I think those will be perfect. This was my second invisible zip insertion and it went even better in this than the last. Probably because this fabric is much more responsive than chiffon. Perhaps? I then thought how I could make it out of jersey. And I love my jersey version, too. I made it out of a stripe jersey, it's soft and wears totally different. This was easier to sew up as I didn't have to work with any fasteners because of the amount of stretch. It's still pretty cold around my neck of the woods, so I'm not about to wear shorter skirts without stockings any time soon. But I couldn't help myself. I'm just itching for warm weather! Click the read more button for the full tutorial. First Outfit Details:

• top: H&M
• belt: thrifted
• skirt: handmade
• shoes: thrifted
• earrings: etsy

Second Outfit Details:

• top: handmade
• skirt: handmade
• shoes: thrifted
• bracelet: handmade

Oh! And lookie, I just found a skirt you can purchase that's very similar, but much less expensive than the Kate Spade dress version. Check out the awning stripe pleated skirt. You'll need:

• ruler
• pencil
• butcher paper
• 2 yards fabric
• invisible zipper
• clasp
• sewing machine

Get your measurements. Use the above  chart for those measurements and chart them out on a large sheet of paper. All seam allowances are 5/8 inches. Find the center. This is the center point of your middle pleat. Measure 3 inches to either side. Then measure a 4 inch (or if you have a really tiny waist, 2-3 inch) gap on either side and mark out the next bank of pleats. Bring the pleat edges to the centers. Center the excess behind the sewn pleat. This is what it will look like when those pleats are sewn and pressed. Sew one side, right sides together. Cut your waist band at 5 inches tall and 1 1/4 inch wider than your waist measurement (2 seam allowances). Fold the seam allowances in and fold the waistband in half lengthwise. Sew right sides together. Add your zipper (I just used zipper insertion instructions). Sew right sides together of your skirt and add the clasp at the top of the waist. Hem your skirt with a rolled hem. Fini! NOTE: If you're using a stretchy knit (40-60% stretch). . . Before you add the waistband, sew both sides of the skirt together. Then sew the waistband together (use a negative 1 inch seam allowance here). Then pin the waistband to the skirt (right sides together). You'll have to stretch the waistband a bit as you sew. Then finish the garment with hems.

This tutorial is free for personal use only.

Blue twill fabric was provided by Kollabora.com.