A Pantsformation - or... How I Made a Skirt from a Pair of Pants

There is a lot to love about upcycling.  First there is the obvious recycling benefit, which is also nice when you are working with a budget.  Second is the creative aspect; it really is more exciting for me to figure out how to re-arrange my existing clothes than it is to buy a pattern and cut along the lines.  The third, and perhaps most compelling reason, is that it usually takes a lot less work.

There, I said it.  I love love love to sew.  But it is really really cool when I don't have to sew in a zipper or finish every little last edge.

After my last upcycle, my closet was down one skirt.  So... I rummaged through an old clothes bin to see what I could find that might want to be my newest skirt.  And then I saw it, a pair of stretch cotton-blend trousers that are way too big for me.


I started by taking my seam ripper to the inseam and completely taking out that seam on both legs.  Next, I matched the front seams to each other, and then the back seams together to make a skirt.  There was some extra fabric, particularly on the back side, so I pressed the edges down to make a straight line from the top of the skirt to the bottom.  I pinned these together and tried it on to determine the length.



  

 
I allowed an extra inch for seam allowance and cut off the bottoms of the legs. After trying it on again, I realized it was still way too big for me as a skirt, so I took it in on both sides. In case you were ever wondered, it turns out that a yellow crayon works great as a back-up fabric marker.


I sewed the back seam all the way down.  When sewing the front seam I left about 6" open at the bottom.  I pressed the edges down and sewed them both just as if I were hemming. Then I cut off any excess fabric on the insides.


I finished any unfinished edges at this point.  Then, I pressed the hem at the bottom and sewed that down.  The only other thing I did was remove the back pockets from the inside and stitch them closed.  They always bothered me because they wouldn't lay flat and they bunched up inside.

I love my new skirt!!