Friday, April 22, 2011

Turning a dress into a skirt

 A friend had given me this green dress along with some other things when she was moving away. I really liked the color and thought it was pretty but when I tried it on the sleeves were too short and I could tell it wouldn't be something that I would wear that often. I just don't wear dresses that much, I generally prefer skirts.

So I decided to make it into a skirt. This was one of those really quick (To be totally honest I did it one Sunday morning before church) easy projects. I decided I wanted this skirt to be a nice long one. So I figured out the right length and just started cutting. Because it is made with two thin layers that are wrinkly I cut each one separately.

After cutting I sewed on a strip of some other fabric I had one hand (some soft green flannel) at the waist and made a casing for the elastic out of it. It doesn't show as it is tucked inside the top of the skirt. I measured the elastic around my waist and then threaded it through the casing and sewed it in place. Quick and Easy and it was ready to wear!
It is quite comfortable and I like it much better than a dress. :-)
I am thankful that my mom taught me how to sew so that I can take something I wouldn't use and make it into something useful to me. Even if your mother didn't teach you how to sew I encourage you to give it a try. Start with simple projects like this one and you will find how rewarding it can be!

I am linking this to Jackie's Fix it up Friday:



2 comments:

Jackie said...

That is a great idea! I have some dresses that aren't conducive to nursing that I may have to do this to. You always have great ideas for repurposing clothing. Thanks for linking up.

Nola said...

This is great! My mom didn't teach me to sew very much. She taught me basics but not how to do clothes. I wish I could read patterns well. Do you know of any resources online or DVD on how to sew simple clothes and such?

I haven't sewed anything in so long. I want to get back to it. I am finally feeling like I am at a stage with my kids that I can do it again. I need to start simple like you said. Thanks for the encouragement!

Oh and if either of your girls (or boys!) don't want to learn how to sew I encourage you to make sure they do anyways. My mom wanted to teach me and I said no. She didn't persevere. I want to learn for me but also to teach my kids.

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