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I found a 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–it was the perfect option!
Come along as I show you how to repurpose a women’s skirt to a girls’ skirt!
Repurposing a Women’s Skirt to a Girls’ Skirt
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.
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!
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