Upcycled #3: DIY Momma’s Top to my Little Nugget’s Skirt

June 10, 2016September 6, 2017 by empaycheeks In Clothes, DIY Projects 3 Comments

I’m super thrilled to share with you guys my first DIY post.

I have mentioned in my previous posts how I am into upcycling and my imagination goes on and on whenever I spot my rarely used clothes in my closet. I thought that it would be best to share with you how I re-purpose my clothes for my daughter’s use.

Without further ado, let’s get right into the tutorial.

Choose your top to upcycle. Tip: Choose something that is easy to sew. Jersey or cotton are just two of my favorites. They are easy to sew, easy to spot on my wardrobe too.

Materials to use:

Three-quarter to an inch of garter / elastic, fabric scissors and a measuring tape, and sewing machine.

Measure the waist of your subject. When sewing simple skirt, the size of the fabric can be twice or even thrice the size of the waist, depending on how gathered and full you want the skirt to be. I am making this skirt a little longer, and make it fit for 2-3 years old.

Note: I kept the bottom hem of the blouse untouched, so I don’t have to sew it later on. 

This top happens to have an external pocket, so I went ahead and removed it. You may opt to keep it for some added spice, but fot the length I intend to have, the pocket will make it too long for my liking, so I had to remove it.

Cut the fabric to your desired length.

Some fabrics are good without sewing the hem, but since most basic sewing machine has zigzag stitch, I prefer to sew the hem of the other end of the skirt (waist area).

Zigzag stitch should look like this:

Next is to fold and sew the fabric into about an inch, or follow the size of the garter (making sure the garter fits and can move easily).

Leave about an inch unsewn. Then insert the garter (I usually use a safety pin on the end so it will be easier to pull the garter).

 

Gather the fabric, and it should look like this:

Sew the opening, and voila! Instant SKIRT!!!

I just wanted the little miss to look a little more edgy so I paired the skirt with a black leotard and boots.