I found this beautiful 100% linen Gap skirt at the thrift store. It was in perfect condition, and I loved the print. It was size 0, which would fit my older daughter, but it would have been a bit short for her. I just couldn’t leave that beautiful skirt at the store, since it only cost $1.59! Suddenly, I had an idea: I could alter it to fit my younger daughter! She had requested a skirt for her birthday, and pink is her favorite color–perfect!
The skirt has a waistband that forms a sort of hollow casing, and it also has a left side zipper. I realized that I could easily open the casing just a little on each end and insert some elastic, making the waist narrower so that it would fit my little girl with a very small waist.
I started by measuring the waistband of a skirt she has that fits her well.
Then I carefully unpicked a portion of the waistband on each side (and you have a nice view of some chipping nail polish on my thumbnail!). 🙂
I attached a safety pin to one end of the elastic, and fed it through one side of the waistband…
Pulling it through to the other side.
I held the other end of the elastic down with a pin, to keep it from getting lost in the casing.
Then I put a pin at the other end of the elastic, to hold it in place.
I stitched straight down through the elastic.
And then I stitched the other side.
Then it was time to close the waistband casing back up.
Voila! The waistband is now smaller! Here is the front view:
And here is the back view, so you can see the gathered section.
It fit her perfectly, and she loves it. I was very happy to have a beautiful linen skirt for only $1.59!
thank you so much 🙂
Thanks, Natalie! Hope your weekend is blessed!
What a fun tutorial! Thank you for linking it up to All Things Girly on VW! Have a wonderful week end!
You're welcome, Jessica! It's really easy to do. 🙂
Wow! So easy!! I'm definitely going to have to try this. It seems like so often things in thrift stores don't fit quite right and this is a great way to make more of them useful! Thanks for the tutorial.
Hi Collette~
Thank you so much for this lovely comment! I am so thankful for your encouragement. To God be the glory!
Blessings and hugs to you!
Hi, Joy!
I've been offline for several weeks, getting ready for the schoolyear…and am just now catching up on all of my blog-reading 🙂
I think I always say this when I leave comments here…but I really want to say it again, how blessed I am by your blog! Your post (below) about treasuring your children was just the encouragement I needed to hear this morning.
{{Hugs}} and a big thank you for sharing your thoughts and encouragement! 🙂
~Collette
Hi Gae!
Thank you!
Thanks for tagging me…I have been thinking of doing a homeschoolish post soon, so maybe I can incorporate the meme into that.
I hope your day is blessed!
Dear Joy,
A wonderful tutorial, thank you for sharing
BTW I have tagged you in the current homeschool meme running around. Would love to hear what you have to say
Blessings
Gae
Oh Joy, what a clever Mama you are 🙂 The skirt is so pretty! Recycle clothing is the best 🙂
maria b.
Grace~
That's a great to turn the shorts into a skirt! Every time I see Mrs. R's skirts, I think I should make one. I've made one before, but it's been a while. Mrs. B gave me a skirt that someone gave to her that she thought I could use for one of the girls. I hope to make it soon. It's so cute and it has a lace petticoat underneath.
Maria~
Thank you! Yes, I always feel happy when I can reuse something. 🙂
I think that is a great idea. I have thought of taking a denim pair of shorts I have which I don't wear because I love skirts and cut it off and sew a bunch of different colors of fabric to make a skirt out of it. It would look like the one Mrs. R made for her girls to wear at the music fest. Thanks for the idea.
Yvonne~
Thank you! Yes, I was so happy to be able to have such a nice skirt so inexpensively. 🙂
Lisa~
Thanks for visiting…we remake lots of clothing here, too. I love it!
Lisa~
Thank you, and thanks so much for stopping by!
Jodi~
Isn't it great to get something for such a small price?! I plan to look for more skirts at the thrift store to use in this way. And a friend just gave me a great ladies skirt to remake for one of the girls. 🙂
Beth~
Thank you so much! I would only feel bad about giving a gift from the thrift store if the item looked well-used or not very nice. But when I can find things that look new and in great condition, I just love it! Our children love going to the thrift store, too, and they even buy things for each other from there. 🙂
Lynnie~
Thank you! She's already worn it several times, and always receives compliments on it. 🙂
What a great idea! I know she must be thrilled to have this cute skirt in her closet! I do love the color of the fabric!
How very pretty and nice that you could SAVE money and get a beautiful skirt for your little girl!! Sometimes I feel very guilty by buying things at a thrift store for gifts for my children…then I realize that it is foolish to spend money when God has given me that opportunity! It's like laughing at a gift that God gave us, right? I'm going to be your newest follower! Blessings, Beth
Wonderful! Most of our daughters skirts come via this method! It has given us unlimited access to beautiful skirts for only a few dollars a piece..thanks for sharing!
Jodi
Joy,
This is a wonderful idea! Thanks for sharing!
I'm stopping by from the Raising Homemakers link up. Stop by and visit me. 🙂
Blessings,
Lisa
I do this all the time for my daughter! Great tutorial and photos! Blessings, ~Lisa
You little girl must be so happy to have such a pretty pink skirt!
What a brilliant idea! Don't you feel wonderful when you can create something so lovely and useful out of your ingenuity?
Great job!
Yvonne
Thank you, ladies, for your sweet comments!
Great idea! Thanks for sharing!
That is such a pretty fabric on the skirt Joy. What a bargain too! I never thought about this before as sometimes out local consignment shop has things for great deals but they may be a bit large. Abby looks so sweet wearing it! ♥
What a great idea, Joy! I don't think I would have thought of doing something like that . . . I'll be keeping it in mind for future reference. 🙂 Thank you for sharing!
Brilliant, Joy!
What a wonderful skirt, and no wonder you didn't want to pass that deal by!
Thanks for the tutorial, as well!
Deanna