Janel at Pearls wrote a series recently about dressing nicely. This is an important goal for me, for several reasons. As representatives of our Lord, loveliness should be valuable to me. I also want to represent well His ability to care for me. (The same is true of my representation of my husband!) Dressing femininely shows that I trust God’s design. And, finally, dressing nicely makes me feel better so it is easier for me to apply myself to my work.

So, as Christian women, we don’t want to look like “golf apparel ladies” – the female equivalent of the stereotypical golfers in mismatched baggy plaids. We may not want to look like runway models, either, demonstrating an excess of concern over our appearance to what could be the point of idolatry.  But we do want to strike a balance.  We want to be lovely and pulled together, but not vain or fake.

I have some difficulty doing this on a tight budget, as I am very, very small and it’s often hard for me to find nice clothing that fits from the usual “frugal” sources.  One way I have have made a big dent in my wardrobe needs, though, is to sew myself some skirts.

Now, I am not a very advanced seamstress, but anyone who can sew a straight seam should be able to make skirts like the ones I make.  Because I am very practical, I wanted something very versatile, so I make full, gathered ankle-length skirts with drawstring waists.  These:

• are long enough that I do not need pantyhose, etc.  I can wear plain old socks, or knee-highs.
• are full enough that I can move easily.  I have difficulty installing a carseat in these skirts, but I have never had trouble doing anything else while wearing these.  I can climb over baby gates and in/out of wagons, clean the house, sit on the floor and play with the children, etc.
• are very adjustable in the waist so they fit whether I am pregnant or not pregnant, getting thicker or thinner.
• are all the same length so that a single slip (or two) goes with all of them and I don’t need multiple lengths.

I will give instructions in another post. 🙂

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