broken umbrellas = child's rainy day circle skirts

Hello!

I often wonder whether I'm doing the right thing by catering to my daughters' hoarding tendencies by letting them keep things like their broken umbrellas, but, hey, they really like them. And they're made out of fun, waterproof fabric, and the shape is perfect for a little kid's circle skirt.

Anyway, here's the sad, broken umbrella. Better off as a dress-up skirt than in the garbage, I think!

 I cut the old metal umbrella bits off, being careful not to cut any of the fabric. As you can see, it has a cute ruffle. I decided to keep the velcro tie tab with the little bow as well as the little plastic nubs that covered the umbrella's spokes - my three year old says those are her favourite parts. Best thing about using an old umbrella - no hemming! Just cut the waist to the right circumference, insert an elastic waistband, sew the casing shut, and you're done. This one's a work in progress, I just started it this evening.

Here's one I made out of our last broken umbrella. (I apologize for the missing before-shot of this one.) I made this quite a while ago but it still fits my five year old, who loves to wear it over splash pants in the rain and slush.

With a side view:

Thanks for reading!
Amy