Making an Up-cycled Skirt

            While flea marketing a few weeks ago, I found this fun zebra fabric and it was begging to become a skirt. The zebras are printed on cotton so I chose to do something more casual. Here is what I did to create my upcycled jean skirt.

             First, I thrifted a pair of old jeans that fit in the waist. The legs and inseam do not matter at all since they will be cut away. I chose to cut below the back pockets because I did not want to lose them or the side pockets. I didn’t worry about using my pinking shears because I kind of want it to fray a little. Denim will fray only slightly but if you do not like that look, just cut it a little longer than you want and add a little hem.  Now you have your waistband.

The zebras that I wanted to use were on the top half of the fabric panel so I cut them off. The bottom is covered in random smaller zebras but I haven’t decided what to make with them yet. I folded the top in half with right sides together and sewed a center back seam. With the fabric turned right side out, I gathered the fabric across the top by hand to match the waistband size.

Pinning the gathered section into the waistband, I positioned the seam with the back seam of the jeans. I topstitched around the edge of the jeans making sure that the skirt was secured. I have a healthy fear of wardrobe malfunctions. For the hem, I used my rolled hem foot. If you do not have that type of presser foot, you can absolutely do this hem without it. Just turn the edge in about 1/8 of an inch twice and stitch over the folded fabric.

I am pretty happy with the way the skirt turned out. The only thing I would do differently would be to use thread that matched the thread in the jeans to attach the skirt and off-white thread for the hem. The black matches the detail in the zebras so it works. I may end up changing it or adding trim later but, for now, I’m happy. That is the great thing about being able to sew. If you are not happy with the way a certain item of clothing fits or looks, you can adjust it.

As always, the sky is the limit. Happy crafting!

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