One of the most often worn garments that I’ve made for my daughters have been their Hula Hoop skirts. I made two each for both of them back in 2012, so it was definitely time for me to get the pattern out again and reprint it to make a larger size for Clare.

The fabric was leftover from a Ruby dress I made a few months back.  It’s a very soft woven with a sheen to it.  One side is darker than the other.  One of the features of this skirt is that it is fully reversible, and no matter which side you have out, there is a little contrast from the other side showing in the folded back sections.

This skirt is very straightforward to sew.  There is elastic in the waistband, and all raw edges are fully enclosed.  It does take quite a bit of fabric both because of those large curved flouncy skirt pieces and because it is reversible.  I’ll be interested to see which side Clare prefers to wear as the “right side”.

I cut size 10 for Clare.  Because the waist is elasticised the sizing is fairly forgiving.  This pattern goes up to size 12, so I imagine that there will be a few years left of reprinting it ahead of me!  It is quite adaptable for different ages depending on the fabrics that you choose. It can also be layered with leggings or tights so is a year-round skirt option.

And did I mention that it twirls?