https://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/dress-to-skirt-refashion • Posted by Kristi P.
Got a dress with a stain on the top? Or maybe it just doesn't fit the way you'd like? Here's a simple tutorial to turn that dress into a perfectly fitting elastic-waist skirt!
Got a dress with a stain on the top? Or maybe it just doesn't fit the way you'd like? Here's a simple tutorial to turn that dress into a perfectly fitting elastic-waist skirt!
You're going to start by separating the top of your dress from the bottom - or skirt portion - of the dress. You can either use a seam ripper, if there is a separate waist seam, or simply use your scissors to cut the length of the skirt you want.
Measuer and cut your waistband elastic so that it circle your waist (wherever you want the skirt to sit), plus 1 inch seam allowance for sewing the elastic together.
Fold under the waist of your skirt at least 1.5 inches (to encase the elastic wiast band). Sew all the way around, leaving a 2 - 3 in gap so that you can thread the elastic through the waist you've just created.
Use a safety pin to thread the elastic through the waist you've created on the skirt. Make sure you don't lose the end of the elastic inside the waist of the skirt!
Sew the two ends of your elastic together with a nice, strong stitch. You can either overlap it and sew both raw edges or put the right sides together and sew a single straight stitch. It may help to pull the elastic out of your skirt waist a bit for this step.
Sew closed the 2 - 3 in gap you left in the waist so that the elastic is complete;y enclosed. Redistribute the skirt around the elastic so that the gathering is even, and you're done! (*You may need to hem the skirt to your desired length, depending on how you cut it from the dress.)