A Petticoat Skirt For a Birthday Girl

David is leaving for Galena tomorrow. In all our life together he has left me to go alone to a reenactment just once, when I was very pregnant with our little David. Quilts are draped about the living room, uniform coats and belts and boots are heaped up into big bundles, ready to be packed. I have been cookie baking and fudge making for him. If I cannot be there in person, at least he will have this and will not Starve.

The reason I am not going? My baby sister is having her birthday party this weekend and I wouldn't miss it for anything! I can't believe how much of a young lady she is now. I looked at my little Malachi today and told him I clearly remembered when his Auntie was his very age. Will the future years go by just as quickly as these last ones have passed? Will Malachi be eleven years old before I blink my eyes, as it seems my little sister has?

This week has been spent sewing for the sweet birthday girl. My mother gave me the suggestion of curtains for her bedroom so after planning the style with the help of my mother I made these little valances. They are very simple and the trim is a single row of zig zagged on blue-green satin ribbon. I hung a finished curtain on one of our porch windows to see how they look. I hope she likes them!
Today I made her a green skirt that is based on this tutorial. I liked the overall look of the skirt but did not follow the original instructions on how to make it. I did not make the top tier a trapezoid shape. The top tier is made of two rectangles 18" x 26" (to give a hem circumference of 50") and the two bottom tiers are each appx. 100" and 200" around the bottom of each. I tacked on a little pink ribbon bow at the bottom of the skirt and used the same pink ribbon to make a tag for the back, so she knows which way is forward! I like the pink and green together. It makes me think of watermelon. :)

I had just enough of the skirt fabric left to make a decent size bag. I still need to make and attach the strap, but that is an easy project for tomorrow. The outside has 3 pockets made of the same green fabric on the outside and lined with pink on the inside. The inside has two pockets made of leftover curtain fabric and trimmed with green ric rac and turquoise bias tape.

Now once a yummy mocha chocolate cake is baked and frosted, we will be all set for a birthday party!

Hopefully I won't miss David too much, but I have my doubts. :) I'll be glad when he is home again. We have not had very many overnight separations since we were married and it will be strange to have such an empty bed at night. I'm glad I have my wee babe to help fill the space.

Lovely weekend to all!

Sarah