The Easiest Denim Skirt Hem Ever

 Hello Readers. I really liked this long white denim skirt but it was made for someone much taller than me.  That is no problem because it is so easy to fix. Anyone can do it. No sewing or sewing machine is required. All you need is a pair of sharp scissors and a tool to  measure your skirt. Let's get started. 

 

 Before and after. 

This white denim skirt was perfect for summer. I thought it was just way too long on me. I am short (Just 5') so making clothes fit is nothing new for me. I usually have to shorten things so they fit well. You can see the sleeves of this shirt are too long too. That's alright, I can fix that too. This skirt was made with a released hem. That means there is no real hem at the bottom of the skirt at all. This is a relaxed casual look that is great for denim. The edge has a soft fray and a few threads hang loose. I love this look. I am not a very formal person I like that casual vibe of this skirt. This is also easy to alter to the length that I need it to be. I can just cut the new length with sharp sewing scissors. 

I knew from trying on the skirt that it would be better if I made it about 4-5 inches shorter. I measured          with my cutting mat to make sure I knew where I wanted to make my cut. I decided to cut my new hem off at 4 inches just to be safe. I could cut another inch off later if I wanted to. They say, "Measure twice, cut once." That is good advice in this situation too. If I cut off too much now, I won't be able to put the length back. 

 

 My new hem was not cut super precise. I wanted to show this so you wouldn't feel anxious about cutting your new hem. It isn't brain surgery. I cut as straight as I could and when the edge starts to fray it will all work out fine. Don't over think it.

   

Now that the length is right, I want to get some of that cool fraying at the hem. I used a little scraper that removes pills from fabric. It didn't work as well as I thought it would. Sometimes things don't work as well as we plan. It's time for a new plan.

  

 I tried a new tool. This wire brush was actually made for suede but The wire bristles worked so much better. The brush really made the edge fray well. The edge will continue to fray a bit more in the washing machine every time it is washed. 

 

The fraying will look something like this when it's all done. If you want to make the skirt even shorter you can cut more length off and start the process all over again. 

 

My new shorter skirt was fun to make and nice to wear too. Thank you for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Denim for Pennies

 Hello Readers. Sometimes when I go on a thrift adventure I find a real gem. This classic simple denim skirt was an amazing find. It was only 25 cents.That's right. One quarter.

Before and after. 

I liked these front seams a lot and the dark wash of the denim was nice too. 

I found this skirt in the 25 cent bin. 

Were they serious??? I doubled checked with the nice grandma-type woman at the front desk. (She reminded me of my Grandmom.) They were serious. It was only a quarter!!

The only problem was that the skirt had was the messy hem someone had made. I didn't mind, I have made some messy hems before. I took it home and made it my own. 

I needed to resize this skirt. It was just a bit big and I wanted it to fit really well. It had stretch to it and that would help with fit and comfort. I made new side seams so that I could keep those 2 front seams centered and symmetrically placed. 

I wanted the skirt to have a straight fit like a pencil skirt. I liked how it turned out. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. And go by your local thrift store, you might find something fabulous.

 ***Year End Update***- This skirt is such a great basic, it is always easy to wear.

Patching Distressed Denim

 Hello Readers. I have always liked distressed denim. It just seems relaxed and there isn't any pressure or stress about it being perfect. It's a little messy. It's casual and fun.

Before and after.

This skirt was cute but it was meant to be low in the waist. I wanted to raise the waist but that means the distressing will be up on my thigh and I wasn't comfortable with that open hole so high on my leg. I wanted to patch the hole from the inside with this fabric I had in my stash. It had little green sneakers all over it and I just thought it was cute. 

I cut off the long white threads just to get them out of the way. This will open up the hole but I am going to fill it in so it's OK.

I cut a piece of the fabric and made sure it covered the hole fully. I turned the skirt inside out to check the coverage. 

I stitched around the hole to secure the fabric to the denim. I patched the other hole the same way.

I cut off the excess fabric away from the patch. I sewed the new side seams to make the waist smaller. When the waist is smaller the skirt will sit higher on my body. 

The skirt has a higher waist and the patches are a fun addition. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 

***Year End Update***- This skirt was casual and fun. I loved it but I haven't worn it again. I haven't worn the sweater either. Why?

The Denim Oops Skirt

 Hello Readers. I wanted to make a boxy denim dress out of these men's jeans. They were wide legged and there was a lot of good denim there. I ended up making some mistakes and barely was able to make this fitted denim skirt. That's how it goes sometimes.

I started with the jeans by cutting the legs off the jeans. I saved the rest for later.

I cut the legs open so I had 2 pieces of denim to work with. I didn't have as much denim as I thought I would. Why did I think it would be bigger? I don't know. I kept going. I thought I could make a fitted denim mini-dress. If you try this I recommend 3-4 leg sections to make a looser fitting dress.

I cut the back pockets off the jeans. I thought they would look cute somewhere on my dress. 

Let's just say, mistakes were made. I ended up with this mutant dress. I took a break and had a cup of tea. Maybe some cookies. Whatever.

Now I was mad and I was going to make something wear-able from this denim if it killed me. I cut the top of the dress off and decided to try and save this skirt. 

I had a front and back so that was good. I needed a waistband. I went back to those jeans. How could I use the original waistband?

I decided to cut the belt loops off, attach it to the skirt and actually tie it in the front. 

It looks like this. 

The fit at the back of the  waist would have been an issue but I made the waist of the skirt smaller in the back by pulling one side over the other and stitching it together and then sewing the waistband on to the skirt. This really helped with the fit of the skirt.

All the pieces I cut got a lovely fray on them after going through the wash. I thought that would happen. It made the skirt more casual and fun. You can see that the very front is not connected or sewn together at the center. That is so I can pull the skirt on and then tie it closed at the waist. 

The waistband was a cute element that also really kept the skirt closed. This denim had some stretch to it and this whole skirt would not work without the stretch. The skirt stretched enough to get on and off and it was comfortable to wear. 

In the end, I did not get what I thought I wanted but I liked what I got. Life lesson? Maybe. See you next time. 

***Chickie's Year End Review-I really had fun with this skirt. What a fun one-of-a-kind refashion.

The Fall Denim Dress

 Hello Readers. It fall. It is a beautiful season. I love the cooler weather, the changing colors of the trees, Thanksgiving treats. Everything about fall is wonderful, right?

I found something from fall that is not wonderful. Y'all, this dress is just as bad as the green corduroy dress from a couple weeks ago. Why so dowdy???

Somehow someone made sunflowers seem drab. The biggest boldest flower in the world is somehow diminished by this dress. I don't like the wheat grass either. I am allergic to wheat, and this dress.

I cut the dress up the side, spread out all the fabric, and tried to fit this pattern on the fabric. It just barely fit. Why did I choose a denim mini? Well, my denim skirts are all too tight. (Thanks Corona!) I wanted to make sure this skirt will fit no matter what. I can adjust the tie and the skirt will always be comfy.

I realized that the skirt was too long. I wanted this skirt to be short and fun. (Like me?) This tan corduroy skirt is a great length so I used it as a model. I cut the hem off the denim dress/skirt and realized I could still use it. 

I used the dresses original hem as the waistband of my new skirt. This isn't what the pattern said to do. I just can't ever seem to follow directions fully. Do I have a problem being told what to do? Maybe.

The new skirt turned out the right length for me. I did not make a traditional tie for this wrap skirt. I added the big white button and I tied the one tie around it. There is a bit of Velcro inside to keep the skirt closed at the waist.

Here is an up-close view of the button and tie and a peek at the Velcro. The Velcro is super fast and easy. It also will adjust the size of the waist if it needs to. My tip- Put the soft Velcro facing your skin and the scratchy Velcro facing away from you.

Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.