Pleated skirt and bloomers with detachable braces

This project has been on my to-sew pile since the beginning of September when I was sketching out ideas for winter clothes for S. I actually bought the flecked grey material for making H’s school pinafores with, but when pre-washing it became obvious that it must be a silk/wool mix which didn’t seem the most practical choice for a hard-wearing uniform. I picked out some polyester drill for the pinafores and saved this material for a dress for myself and this bloomers and skirt set for S.

The skirt is made with lots of rectangles (I’ll post the measurements in another post when I’ve made a version for H too), and features box pleats on the front and a gathered elasticated waist at the back. The straps or braces are crossed at the back (I sewed them fixed at the point of crossing to prevent them slipping off the shoulder) and are completely detachable.

The bloomers share the same set of braces and again feature a flat waistband at the front with pleat details and a gathered, elasticated back. They are also elasticated on the leg openings – though the style would work just as well with ordinary hems.

The braces are fixed with button holes in the flat-front waistband of both the bloomers and skirt and on small buttons on the inside of the back elasticated waistband.