When I was a teenager, my ex-boyfriend bought me a luxurious cashmere sweater. It’s funny that he was my ex-boyfriend, right? Well, never turn down cashmere! I wore and wore the thing until it had holes in it and even then couldn’t bear to throw something so soft and vibrant away. When I learned to sew I stashed the magenta cashmere with my fabrics, in hopes of upcycling it someday.

I thought of that luxurious project seed recently, when Rora made her love of purple clearly known. Turns out the sweater is enough fabric to make a skirt for her miniature proportions. A magenta purple cashmere skirt? Why not!

Rora and I settled on the Heather Ross strawberry fabric for the waistband. it’s one of her favorite prints and matches the cashmere well. I sewed a tube of fabric with French seams and attached the waistband with the same method I’d just practiced when making those Closet Case pajamas.

A double fold hem would have been bulky, so I opted for a rolled hem treatment. My Juki doesn’t have special stitches like this, so that’s when I pull out my mid-range Janome. It serves me well for garments. The rolled hem foot came with the machine.

I wish you could touch this! The softness is truly exquisite.

Of course, Rora looks sweet in her upcycled cashmere skirt. She does in everything! I’m glad my basic garment sewing skills allow me to show her love this way. She watched most all of the process, so she knows I made it with my own hands.

What a pleasure it is to sew for a child!