Babies and toddlers are fun to make clothes for because everything is done in minisizes.

I crocheted a hat and skirt set for the daughter of a friend a couple of years ago. After fitting the child, who was 1 at the time, and noting what needed to be adjusted, I got busy with other things and put the outfit away.

With spring temperatures finally arriving, Easter around the corner (and much nagging from her mother), I decided to pull the outfit out again and give it to the little one, who is now 3.

Needless to say, her head has grown in the past two years, so the brimmed hat has to be replaced. Instead of crocheting a larger hat, I’m contemplating crocheting a bolero to match the skirt or sewing a jacket.

She’s short, so although she could still wear the skirt as a mini, I’m debating about lengthening it.

After getting the skirt back out and examining it, I realized that I know how to create my own needlework pattern. I was so taken with the basket weave pattern of an Entrelac scarf I knitted in the fall that I found myself in awe of the creativity it took to develop that pattern.

I wondered how the designer did it and how long it took to create.

I’d forgotten that I had created my own pattern. Mine is a mishmash of stitches for a simple crocheted, drawstring girl’s skirt.

I eyeballed everything, but for the sake of trying to offer a bit more guidance to you, here are instructions for how I created my pattern.

Drawstring skirt

Size J hook

Round 1: Chain 78. (Fit the chain around the child’s waist and increase or decrease the number of stitches as needed.) Join last stitch to first with slipstitch.

Round 2: Chain 1, Single crochet (SC) in each stitch around. Join with slipstitch.

Round 3: Chain 3, DC in each stitch around. Join with slipstitch.

Round 4 and 5: Chain 1, SC in each stitch around. Join with slipstitch.

Round 6: Chain 3, *SC in next three stitches (sts). DC five times in next st for shell stitch. Repeat from * around. Join with slipstitch.

Round 7: Chain 1, SC in each st around. Join with slipstitch.

Rounds 8 and 9: Chain 3, DC in each st around. Join with slipstitch.

Rounds 10 to 14: Chain 1, SC in each st around. Join with slipstitch.

Rounds 15 and 16: Chain 3, DC in each st around. Join with slipstitch.

Rounds 17 to 22: Chain 1, SC in each st around. Join with slipstitch.

(Continue working Rounds 15 through 22 until desired length is reached).

Round 23: Chain 1, *SC in next three sts. Five DC in next st. Repeat from * around. Join with slipstitch and bind off.

For the belt:

Chain 65.

DC in each stitch around.

SC in each st around. Bind off.

Weave a ribbon through the belt’s DC spaces. Leave a little extra on each end. Cut and knot around belt end to hold in place (or cut even with belt and hand sew ribbon to belt.)

Note: You can also use a ribbon as the belt.

To weave the belt through the skirt:

Pull the belt through the first DC space at the front of the skirt, *skip three DC spaces, weave the belt through the next DC space, repeat from * around until belt weaved entirely through top of skirt. Pull both ends of belt to cinch at waist and tie in a bow.

The child’s brimmed hat was crocheted from a free pattern I found online.

In addition to finishing this outfit for my friend while the weather is still cool enough for her daughter to wear it, I’m ready to sew for myself.

The sewing bug hits me every spring. This year, instead of buying more patterns, I’m going to go through my personal stash.