The one on the left is NOT mine... no new children here. ;)
But without further ado, here's the Box Pleat Skirt!
Okay, so it's not really made from squares but rectangles... BUT it's made with box pleats, and boxes are square (technicality: cube), so can we compromise? Whew. Thanks!
Materials:
about 1/2 yard main fabric
1/4 yard coordinating fabric
1/2 inch elastic
Instructions:
Cut 9 rectangles each of your fabrics...
for the main fabric, cut them 6 inches wide by the length you want (mine are 12 inches)
for the coordinating, cut 3 inches by length.
TIP: For each main rectangle you cut, your skirt will, after pleating it, be 3 inches wider. You want to get it wider than your girly's waist, so you can cinch it in with the elastic. So with 9 rectangles, this skirt is 27 inches. Then I bring it in to 21 with elastic. Add or subtract rectangles as you wish!
Sew long sides of rectangles together, going every other. Zig-zag each seam to finish. (Engage in self-talk, such as "Oh my gosh, this is mind-numbing. I can feel my mind actually numbing... So many rectangles! Argh! I have to zig-zag stitch them, too. This skirt better rock... It does. I know it does. Okay... I can do this!")
Once you get a big loop of a skirt sew, press the seams OUT from the smaller rectangles, so they are over the big ones.
Hem the whole thing up by pressing over 1/4 inch then another 1/4 inch.
Find the center of your smaller rectangles (1 and 1/8 inches in). Mark.
Fold big rectangles from the seams into that center mark.
I don't know if this helps, but here's what it looks like from this angle...
Once you get all those guys box pleated, basted them in place.
Now cut a 3 inch by 28 inch rectangle for your waist band. Stitch short ends together, using a 1/2-inch seam allowance. Then fold it in half like so and press.
Line all raw edges up and sew skirt to waistband, leaving 3/4 inch open.
Zig-zag stitch, leaving that opening. Then just thread your elastic through (mine is 21 inches) and close up the opening.
Twirl away!
