Thursday, April 22, 2010

instant skirt

I have this pair of jeans I bought on the clearance rack of a thrift store. And although they were dirt cheap, once I got home and tried them on I realized they were not doing me any favors.
So, what did I do?
Got out my Ginghers of course.
First I chopped off the legs at the knee
Then I cut the leg inseam.
The scrap fit perfectly for my middle panel.

The front needed a little something so I sewed in a detail

And because I thought it needed some femininity, I added ruffles to the back.

I would say it's my favorite new skirt. And for $1.75 plus 30 minutes I think it won't be the last pair of pants I cut up.

TRY IT! I would love to see your own results. This is a perfect solution for turning your little girls outgrown pants into some summer fun.
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17 comments:

  1. So, so, so cute. Looks like a great project for a Girl's Weekend!

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  2. Do you use a special needle to sew through the denim?

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  3. katie, are you serious? how do you come up with this stuff. so adorable. i have a few pairs of the girls jeans I am trying this on as soon as the sewing machine gets here. Nice job!

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  4. I use a 14 needle....I think. I have a bunch of leather needles hanging around and it was one of those!

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  5. That skirt looks amazing. And quite possibly something I might be able to do! I happened apon your blog, and I love it.

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  6. oh Kate, I love this idea. I tried something similar and failed miserable, I think I'll unpick it and do your version, much better. I especially like all of the details and the ruffle in the back.

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  7. super cute!! I am your newest follower and can't wait to see what you do next!

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  8. I have just the pair of pants I've been meaning to do this with...

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  9. Love the new skirt. I can see why its your favorite new one.

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  10. So cute - I did something similar last summer when I was helping with an army themed VBS at my church - I took camo pants and turned them into a skirt with some floral granny fabric for the panels - that way I fit the theme and still managed to be fun and girly :) Thanks for posting this, perhaps I will make some more skirts!

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  11. Love it! I'm going to try it.

    Warmly, Michelle

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  12. I have done this a kazillion times! LOVE to make these better than starting from scratch! Great job, I love the looks of this skirt.

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  13. That is sooooo cute!! I have thought of trying this, but it seemed to complicated. Your explanation doesn't scare me off though, so perhaps my turn is coming!

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  14. This is great! You inspired me to revamp my old jeans and I am almost finished making them into a skirt! I even did ruffles for the first time! =) Thanks so much!

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  15. This is such a beautiful skirt! I love how you've filled in the back with different fabrics! I am adding a link to this post on my blog! (Link will be added to this post: http://blueeyedbeautyblogg.blogspot.com/2012/06/diy-shorter-denim-skirt-with-ruffle.html)

    Helen
    Blue Eyed Beauty Blog

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  16. as a Holiness Pentecostal woman.. denim skirts are expensive.. but... jeans are a dime a dozen so to speak.. we do this all the time with jeans.. but we also do it with sweatpants...they make for really great around the house skirts.

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