I go through this every season. In an effort to make more room in our small NYC apartment I purge my clothing. If I havn’t worn in it in the last 3 months and its not seasonal then it’s outta here. It feels SO good to get rid of stuff. But as I am purging, my kids are growing out of their clothes. So it’s the perfect excuse to up-cycle some of my old clothing into new clothing for them. I am going to spend all of my sewing time this week making over these clothes into new ones for my kiddos. Every day I will share at least one of them with you. I hope you enjoy it!
Today is a very simple up-cycle. I have had this dress for over 3 years and maybe worn in twice. It was a Gap clearance buy when I was pregnant with my first and I didn’t fit into my regular clothes, but couldn’t fit the pregnancy clothes yet. So now when I wear it I either feel pregnant or very juvenile. That being said the fabric is soft and silky and a really beautiful print/color. I decided to keep it simple and just make a skirt for my daughter.
The process:
It really couldn’t have been simpler. I measured how long I wanted the skirt + 1 1/2″ for a 1″ elastic waistband casing. I used the original hem and side seams.
I folded the top down by 1/4″ then again by 1 1/8″and pressed/pinned. Then I stitched that in place leaving a 2 inch opening for the elastic.
Next I put the elastic through the casing, stitched the two ends of the elastic together, and then sewed up the opening in the casing of the skirt. I top stitched in the middle of the elastic on the right side of the skirt, stretching as I went, to keep the elastic from turning, but this stem is optional.
Finished! Super easy and adorable. 15 minutes total. My daughter loves it too.
Come back tomorrow for a little bit more involved up-cycle.
10 Comments
Brilliant! And adorable!
very cute skirt!
When you say you get rid of stuff that isn’t seasonal, does that mean you buy new clothes every season?
Ha! no I wish! No, what I meant to say was that if I didn’t wear something in the last three months – and the reason was not because it is the wrong season to wear it, then I get rid of it.
i thought that was a woman sized skirt at first and i kind of couldn’t wait to see you rock it at a meetup. 🙂 what a great idea, you’re going to feel like a superhero by the end of this!
What an awesome way to deal with clothes that won’t be worn by you. Your daughter will be dressed in the loveliest fabrics and you will get a second enjoyment seeing them on her.
Wow, this is such a great idea, and I love the way the skirt turned out! Super cute!
I remember doing this! It was a great way to lengthen the life of things and to give me fabric to sew with since we were working with a limited budget. I also changed up the girls jeans – during fall/winter they were long and as they grew out of them (usually lengthwise) I cut them off as shorts and either hemmed them or added trim to them. It’s a really cute skirt, too!
That is gorgeous fabric! I have just cut up a dress of mine intending for it to become a skirt for me, thanks for the inspiration!
Super fun series! Love this skirt. I would have worn that thing to death as a little girl.