After months of trying to find a denim skirt that actually fit my hips and waist, I finally gave up and decided to do it myself.
These old Levis I found thrifting, but they were always too thick and uncomfortable to sit in for extended periods of time, so I found myself constantly opting for my other pairs while running out the door. But! I couldn't bare to donate a pair of perfect Levis. Turning them into a cute denim skirt seemed like the best possible option, and I couldn't be happier with the results! And you'll be relieved to know it truly was not too hard! Read on to see how I did it!
And here they were, laid out on my table ready to be cut up.
Before cutting them, I put them on and marked a line with a black sharpie just above my knee, as I knew that that would be the absolute longest I would want them. Then, I folded them in half with the waist belts all lined up, and chopped them.
After chopping them, I then cut along the inseam of the pants, with the yellow stitching showing at the front of the pants, as seen in the photo below.
Then, I cut up the front seam of the pants until I reached the zipper, with the stitching being on the right of the cut.
I did a cut along the back seam as well, of approximately the same length as the first. On this side, I made the stitching be on the left of the cut.
After doing the incisions, you can see that I can now pull the seam underneath the zipper up to the side, to start forming the shape of the skirt. I got my sister to pin the new seams into place on the front and back, as it is extremely difficult to do this yourself because one has to place the flaps at a proper degree to keep you shape but also to prevent pulling and creasing. Once she had pinned the front and back, the newly formed skirt was ready to go.
Unfortunately my phone died so I was unable to take more pictures, but anyone who does crafts or other DIY projects, once you start, you can't stop until it's done. So for the remainder of the evening, I finished the skirt with no documentation, but thats alright because I believe I can explain it to you. As well, I have photos of the finished product that I can use for reference.
Once I had them pinned, I then found a thread that matched this denim, and hand stitched along the edge of the seam, as the arrows point to in the photo below.
I did my best to keep the stitching hidden, using what is referred to as a "hemming stitch."
Once the edge of the seam was fairly secured, I wanted to solidify it with my sewing machine, to ensure durability. With the same coloured thread I used along the hem, I sewed along the side of the stitching, through the two layers of denim that are both laid flat onto one another on the reversed side.I decided to leave all the edges raw and un-hemmed because I love the way it looks distressed, and I think it adds a cool edge to the overall look.
And once you have completed these two steps on the front and back, and cut the skirt to your desired length, Voila! Your DIY denim skirt is complete! It has been a closet staple since!
