ruffles for miles

Ruffles...what a fun word. Isn't it? rrrrrrruffles

And of course, ruffles are a super cute embellishment to little girls' clothes. A must for the wardrobe of every little princess.

They're pretty easy to make, too. But I recently made a ruffly tutu for Isa with so many ruffles that I knew I was WAY over my head trying to make them by hand. I had to ruffle a two inch strip of no-fray chiffon made up of yards, and yards, and yards of fabric (I lost count but I think it was over 15 yards)!!

There was no way I was going to try to do it by hand using a long machine stitch and then pulling the bobbin thread like I normally would when doing quick ruffle. I needed a serious solution...and it just so happened that Michael needed an idea for a Christmas present for me. Done. A ruffle foot for my sewing machine.

The foot is one strange looking contraption...but it is amazing!

It takes the long strips of fabric that are straight going in...

...and turns them into ruffles as they go through the foot. It's like magic!

Isa loves her new skirt! She wears it everywhere!

On this day we went to Orange Leaf to celebrate little miss Isa's transition to being a 'big girl.' (aka...she's out of diapers!! Yahoo!!)

She wore it on New Year's Eve to a little party too! And here are the ruffles up close. The more she wears it, the more they relax and look better because the skirt gets even more full!

I got the fabric as part of a little 'kit' from a very fun etsy shop called DreamSpun. Remember when I made the girls' flower girl dresses for my brother's wedding? Well, I couldn't find no-fray chiffon anywhere locally...and I also needed a specific color of ivory to match Christen's wedding dress. (it was a white-ivory as opposed to a yellow-ivory) So I was thrilled to find DreamSpun and the sweet people there who hand-dyed the fabric to match a swatch I sent them!

I was so happy with the way they went out-of-their-way to help me...and I also bought an adorable shirt for Emma and this pettiskirt kit for Isa. I had always liked the big, full pettiskirts I've seen in children's boutiques but the price kept me from buying one. Since this was my first time making one, I learned little tricks and if I make another in the future it will be even better. (which I'm sure I will...because these girls love all those ruffles)