Stretchy Tube Skirt from MIALI

Back in October when I heard that my niece was returning to the US for a short visit, I knew I wanted to take the opportunity to sew something for her. Pulling out my scrap fabric, I found this cute print with small pink flowers.  Using the Stretchy Tube Skirt tutorial by Make It and Love It, I pulled together this little skirt.

Some things I learned and need to improve upon:

• Finishing the edges-the edges of the skirt were uneven and in some places the thread from the fabric was loose. I know some people use a serger for this (I don’t have one) so I need to practice finishing the edges with the sewing machine.
• Working with elastic-when I measured and cut the elastic, I left plenty of room, but after sewing it into the fabric, it wasn’t stretchy enough. I need to practice sewing elastic and (I think) stretch it out more while sewing. I also need to make the fabric band that the elastic fit into longer. It was a small problem since the elastic was encased in the fabric band; the band was difficult to stretch and fit over the diaper. Once over the diaper though, the skirt fit well.
• Shorter skirt for younger babies- a tip my SIL shared is that many crawling babies would be better able to move on their hands and knees if they wore a shorter skirt. While my niece is no longer a crawling baby, she does like to jump up and down and climb, so having a shorter skirt and pairing it with leggings (they live in a cold climate) would be better. The skirt I sewed went to her calves.