It is challenging to find a skirt for my daughter because if I go with the age on the tag most skirts are too big around the waist and too short in length. There are many times I look at a skirt made out of cute fabric at the store and wish that it was a few more inches longer. It is kinda nice that I can sew simple clothing or refashion for that matter. This post is one of my refashion examples.
I found a skirt at a thrift shop. It is XS and has a draw string to adjust the waist. I don't have to do anything there. Also, the fabric is cut in diagonally; the skirt will fall nicely around her. I just need to cut the maxi length shorter, but wait... I wanted to do something fun.
1. Cut the skirt to the desired length. Also, cut a 2 1/2" strip right down to use it as a bottom facing. The rest? You can throw it out.
2. Trim off some fabric from one side of the strip so that it will fit nicely with the bottom edge of the skirt when you use it as facing. Sew the ends together to create a big loop and take care of the edge to prevent fraying. Also, Use a serger or zigzag stitch to take care the edge one long side of the facing before you attach it to the skirt.
3. With right sides together, pin the facing to the bottom edge of the skirt. Measure the bottom edge of the skirt to figure out how many and how big the scallops you want for the edge. Because the skirt you are going to work with will most likely be a different size than mine, so I won't specify a numbers, but an easier way to do this after you know the length of the bottom edge is to divide the length with the number of the scallops you want to use. Now, use that number as a diameter to create the circle. use this circle as a template and draw a line around the bottom of the skirt.
4. Sew 1/4" inside of the line.
5. Trim. It is kind of a tedious step, but this will help create a nice smooth edge on the scallops.
6. Turn the facing inside out. Press with iron.
7. It is totally up to you to end the process here to keep it simple. If so, you will want to finish off with the blind stitch on the hem. Having fun didn't end here for me, I decided to add some embellishments on the skirt with skinny string and some simple applique. For the string, I tied a bow and sewed that on to the peak. Then, I eyeballed it and stitched it along the scalloped edge.
8. For the applique part, I ironed the double sided fusible web on one side of the fabric. Traced the design I decided to use and cut them out. Then I peeled off the paper to stick it to the skirt with an iron. Follow the manufacture instruction for this part. Used zigzag stitches to go around the edge.
That is is! The skirt fits perfectly on my daughter and she loves this easy going one of a kind skirt! It is so nice to see that she loves the skirt as much as I enjoyed creating it.
