Create a skirt

1. Cut the fabric. For ages 2-3, cut one 8.5cm x 92cm and one 15.5cm x 92cm piece, both from spotted dark fabric. For ages 4-5, cut one 8.5cm x 100cm piece and one 17.5cm x 100cm piece. Pin right sides together along one long edge of each, machine stitch and press.

2. Pleat the fabric along the unstitched long edges of the dark pink spotty fabric 4cm in, with the fold going underneath to the left. Pin and measure another 4cm up and pleat with the fold going underneath to the right. Continue all the way along the rest of the fabric, folding and pinning until you come to the end and tack.

3. Cut a 16cm x 56cm rectangle of light pink spotty fabric for ages 2-3 or 18cm x 64cm for ages 4-5. Pin to the dark pink cotton with right sides together and along the pleated edge. Machine stitch, remove the tacking, trim the pleats and press.

4. Pin the two edges of the skirt right sides together, matching the seams. Machine and zig-zag stitch the edges together. Turn the hem under by 1cm then turn under again, so the bottom edge runs parallel with the line of stitching. Pin and stitch with dark pink thread.

5. Pin pom pom edging around the bottom of the skirt, on the wrong side so they are showing beneath the hem line. Machine stitch then hand sew over-stitches to tidy any loose ends on the trim. Turn the top edge of the skirt over by 1cm then again by 2cm to create a channel, pin and machine stitch.

6. Use a seam ripper to make a hole in the channel, between the stitching and the top of the garment. Fix a safety pin through the end of the cord and thread through the waist band. Trim two pom poms from the left over edging and stitch to either end of the cord. To finish, position the flower on the skirt and sew into place.

Make a flower

1. Cut a 11cm x 35cm rectangle of dark pink spotted cotton. Turn in the two short ends by 1cm and press. Turn in the two long edges by 1cm, press and fold in half longways. Pin and machine stitch around three edges with pink thread.

2. Sew running stitches, with pink thread, along the machined sides and pull to gather as you go. When you reach the edge, sew the ends using over stitches. Add further stitches to the centre of the flower to pull it together.

3. Cut an 8cm x 18cm pieceof cream spotted cotton and repeat steps one and two. Cut a pom pom from a length of edging and sew it into the centre of the flower. Fix this flower to the centre of the dark pink one with hand stitches.