UP-CYCLE A PRE-LOVED ADULT SKIRT - TUTORIAL

This is a great project for re-using loved, but no longer needed skirts - perhaps they don't fit anymore, maybe a corporate skirt that will no longer be making trips to the board room?   It is a quick and easy project for a competent sewer - so suited for Big People or Little People who've had a bit of sewing practice. 

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* What you'll need

• Adult skirt (A-line or similar) that doesn't get worn anymore
• Contrasting fabric for casing (in this case an old shirt)
• Sewing machine
  
• Tailors chalk (if you don't have this, a pen that will mark fabric will do)
• Fabric scissors
• Thread
  
• Pins 
• No-roll elastic - approximately 3cm wide.

* Making the body of the dress

Work out how long you want the dress.  Measure from just above the chest down to the desired length.  (in our case, just above the knee).  Add 1.5cm on to this for a seam allowance. 

Use this measurement to measure up from the hem of your skirt, draw a line parallel to the hem and cut through all layers of your skirt.  

If your skirt is lined, and you want the finished dress to be as well, carefully pin and baste the lining to the top of the skirt.  

Measure the width at the top of what is now your dress.   Cut a contrasting piece of fabric to make a casing to fit the top of the dress.  Ensure you add in seam allowances for joining the casing.  You will need to cut the fabric for your casing 3cm wider than your elastic. 

Sew the side seams of the casing and press open.  The casing will now be a complete circular piece.

Fold under 1cm on one raw edge of casing and press. 
note: in this example I used the hemmed edge of the original shirt, so I didn't need to do this step.

Turn dress inside out.  Pin casing to the top edge of the dress, matching raw edges and side seams.  Right side of casing should be against inside of dress.  Sew.  

Fold casing over to right side of dress.  Press.  

Top stitch close to top edge.  Pin and topstitch bottom edge of casing - making sure to leave about a 10cm opening to thread the elastic. 

Measure and cut your elastic.  The length of  the elastic should be the chest measurement for the Little One who will be wearing the dress less 3cm.

Using a large safety pin, thread elastic through casing.  Overlap ends by 3cm.  Sew elastic.  

Push elastic back into casing and topstitch the opening in casing.  

Evenly spread out the gathers in the top on the dress.  

* Adding the straps

The skirt I used for this project had a sash which was perfect to use as straps.   You may need to make straps - you can use the off cuts from the original skirt or you can use a contrasting fabric.   As a guide, for a size five dress, each strap will need to be about 50m x 8cm.   

To place the straps, you can either pin them on the dress while fitting (as we did) or pin and sew by eye.  At the front of the dress, each strap should be placed about 1/2cm from the centre front.  At the back, the straps should just touch at the centre back.  

When you place the straps, make sure you have enough strap to overlap the depth of the casing + seam allowance.   This will allow a tidy second row of top stitching for extra strength.  

Top stitch the straps in place along the top edge of the casing.   When sewing, make sure not to stretch the elastic, otherwise you will flatten out the gathers.  

On the inside of the dress, turn under the raw edge of each strap end, pin and top stitch

* Finishing off

Trim all threads, press and voila!  New life for an old skirt.