A pair of flower skirts

Last year I ordered some South African fabrics for my Dad to bring back from Cape Town for me. As well as a few metres my beloved Three Cats brand, I chose a selection of rectangular cloths which are traditionally worn by Tsonga women (you can see some examples of the way they are worn here).

These things come in a variety of super-bright colours and have a flower motif along the border, making them perfect for simple gathered skirts with just one seam at the back. All I did was cut them to size, sew them into 'tubes' of fabric, make a double casing for elastic at the top, then hem the bottoms. So quick, so easy! I had to line the yellow one, though, because it was a little transparent - and then I accidentally snipped part of the fabric so I used the lining as the waistband as well.

One for R and one for her sweet little cousin! The girls made such an adorable pair in their matching skirts, I couldn't stop snapping away.

Little M is somewhat recalcitrant when it comes to modelling - this is a girl who knows her own mind! - so it was fortunate that she took a liking to the skirt and put it on happily (unlike R, who only put hers on because I refused to give them a tub for their 'Barbie bath' until she did so).

Two happy cousins, two cute skirts and several very clean Barbies!