Poodle Skirt for 50s Day at School

I forgot to check my daughter’s backpack until Sunday afternoon. Good thing I looked before the fabric store closed, because I found a note announcing that Tuesday is 50s Day. It’s the 50th day of school, so they’re celebrating all things 50 – and they asked the kids to wear 50s attire. Do you mean that I need to go to the store and buy fabric and notions, and that I need to sew a poodle skirt for my daughter’s educational success? That may be some parents’ nightmares, but it’s a dream for me! I wish all classroom involvement was this fun.

I used Dana’s circle skirt tutorial.  It’s not a hard concept, but she already has the math done for you, so it’s a great tutorial.

The pink acrylic felt was very see-though. I almost bought grey, which was much more opaque. But it’s for a five-year-old girl, so it ought to be pink! I got a yard of it (or was it 2?), and it was good that I had extra. I ended up cutting the skirt out twice, and basting the two pieces together at the waist before sewing to the elastic. The second piece wasn’t quite big enough, so I went with the tapered look and attached my pink pom pom trim to the first layer.

The poodle art was on Flickr, and I wish I’d bookmarked it. I should have used a less detailed dog for this, though. By the time I sewed around the dog’s face, it lost too much nose shape. So it looks like a horse. But who wears a horse skirt? I hope that the context of the skirt will let everyone know it is, indeed, a poodle.

My iPhone came in very handy for this project. I just dashed out the door as soon as I read that note, since stores close early on Sundays. I was doing Google Image searches for poodle skirts as I shopped. I actually have to head back to the store tonight. Turns out that the bottom of the skirt is MORE than 2 yards in diameter, so I ran out of the pink pom poms.

I think she looks adorable. Luckily they showed a video to the kids at school today about 1950s styles. I mean, my mom wasn’t even born until 1960. That was a long time ago, and not on Taylor’s radar at all. It was over a half century ago! I was raised on 60′s and 70′s stuff, so I don’t hold any nostalgic attachment to Elvis or poodle skirts or any of it myself. Now that she’s seen the video, she at least knows what it is they’re doing. Though she keeps calling it 80′s Day. Maybe they’ll have one of those. I could totally get behind making some stuff for that too! Acid wash jean tutorial anyone? he he!

Isn’t kindergarten fun? Next week is Halloween, and I’m in charge of collaborating with two other moms to do the party.

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