
I turned 35 in September. I had not been feeling great about it. I don’t know where the last five years have gone. 35 sounds old to me, how have I got that old?!
In some sort of age-related freak-out, I became obsessed with the idea of making a circus skirt. Something really bright and fun, that I could wear for my 35th birthday to fend off old-age.
I found this poly cotton on eBay and knew it was perfect for the skirt I had envisioned. I think it was about £5 – 6 per meter. Its proper happy fabric!

I based the skirt pattern on the Clemence I made in 2017, with a few tweaks. Of course it has pockets, but I also wanted it to last, so I sewed bright bias binding to all the inner seams. I installed an invisible zip with no buttons this time too.



This isn’t the sort of skirt I can wear everyday but it makes me smile every time I see it. Not sure if I will be sewing with polycotton again in a hurry – its not awful, but its got a firmness to it that isn’t as comfy as it could be. I do like how the slight stiffness really makes the skirt puff out though.