***Please note this tutorial was written in 2008 when tutorials were just being birthed and I was unaware of how to take good photos!***
As I promised, here ruffle skirt tutorial. This DIY skirt is perfect for beginners and experienced sewists alike. Your daughter might even have fun sewing this for herself! 
1. Cut ruffle piece of fabric about 44" (the width of your fabric) by 5 inches.
2. Body of skirt piece can be any width as long as it is at least 2 inches wider than the child's hips and shorter than the ruffle. I'd recommend somewhere between 3 and 5 inches wider than the hips.
3. Cut 1 piece of 3/4 inch elastic 1 inch longer than child's waist. To determine the length to cut, take the length you want the skirt to be and subtract 1 1/2 inches. For example, if you want the skirt to be a total of 12 inches long, cut the body of the fabric 10 1/2 inches long by the width you've chosen.
Putting it together:
1. Sew the body of skirt together by folding fabric, right sides together, and sewing a 1/2" seem allowance.
2. Use pinking sheers to trim the edge of the new seem and iron seem open. 
3. Sew ruffle together in the same manor, iron seem open.
4. Lengthen your straight stitch (to about 5 or 6 on most machines) then "baste" the top of the ruffle 1/2" away from the edge. For more info on how to make a ruffle check here.
5. Pin the ruffle to the body, right sides together, matching seems. The ruffle piece is larger than the body piece so try to pin it evenly all the way around. 
6. Gently pull on the bobbin strings of your basted stitches and carefully pull the ruffle evenly around.
7. Sew the ruffle onto the body of the skirt. Remember to return your stitch to a regular length!
8. At top of skirt, iron seem at 1/4". Then fold over again at 1". Stitch close to the edge leaving a "casing" for the elastic. Leave a 2" opening to insert elastic.
9. Measure elastic to fit child's waste comfortably, add 1" and cut.
10. Insert elastic into casing. It is easiest to do this by attaching a safety pin to one end of the elastic and inserting that end. You can then work it around the casing, making sure not to lose the other end in the casing.
11. Sew elastic together securly.
12. Finish sewing casing closed. Be careful not to sew on the elastic.
13. Iron hem by folding 1/4", press, then folding 1/4" again.
14. Sew hem. You're done! I'll post the tutorials for the banded skirt next and then following that will be the little elastic waist A-line skirt. Stay tuned.
