I woke up this morning to temps in the low 60s...it feels like fall back home! lol As much as I love fall, I would love for the seasons to slow down a bit because I'm not such a fan of what come next (like beyond frigid temps and mountains of snow)! So with the crisp, almost Georgia like fall air wafting in through the windows, I'm being nostalgic and drinking tea from my Atlanta mug I snagged from the airport Starbucks last time I was home....
Love that thing...it reminds me of the plantation home where Brian and I got married! And on a side note, I take milk in my tea, and I don't think I've ever mentioned that our milk here comes in bags. Yes, I said bags! lol You put the bag in a pitcher at clip off the corner...takes some getting used to!
Anyway, on to my actual topic! I've been quite busy upcycling lately thanks to Pinterest! Here's the 'Pinspiration,' shall we say, for one of the newest pieces of my wardrobe!
After looking at a few tutorials, I set to work! To make your own button down skirt, you'll need:
- a men's button down shirt (the bigger, the more A-line your skirt will be)
- elastic
- sewing maching
- needle & thread (if you make a mistake like me! lol)
Start with your hubby, boyfriend, or dad's old shirt...
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| Yep, my hubby loves pastels, lol |
I started by cutting off the sleeves, but next time (oh yes, next time! This skirt is that cute!), I plan on leaving the sleeves so I can put pockets on it! So ignore this step if you want pockets.
Next, cut off the shoulders, leaving it long enough to still be a decent length skirt! And watch out for the buttons and front pocket...leave yourself enough room to fold over about an inch for your waistband!
I then pinned and sewed the sleeves shut, but again, for pockets, skip this! Instead, turn the arms inside what's left of the shirt, cut and sew pockets big enough to your liking.
Now, I have to admit, this is where I messed up! Sewing all the way to the top opening of the sleeve is a BIG no-no! It will later mess with your waist band, and create more trouble than it's worth! So DO NOT sew all the way to the top of the sleeve; leave enough room to fold over your waistband.
With that in mind, time to create your waistband! Turn your skirt inside out, and fold over and pin about an inch to create a tube for your elastic.
When sewing the waistband, leave a space to thread your elastic through. Use a safety pin (I happened to have a paper clip nearby) to thread the elastic around the skirt. You'll want to measure the elastic by wrapping it around your waist at what feels comfortable to you...probably an few inches shorter than your actual waist measurement.
Once you've worked the elastic all the way through the waistband, sew it together.
Finally, with your needle and thread, sew the waistband shut and turn right side out....and ta-da!
Wait, I forgot! Last step....admire your handy work and rock your precious new skirt!
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| P.S. This is right before I went to the school board to apply to be a substitute this fall! |
Oh, and if you're wondering about the belt from sleeves from the inspiration pic...the sleeves aren't long enough to make a belt with themselves, and I didn't have any fabric that would match to add to it. But I think it looks great with a wide belt like this one! And a wide belt hides any sewing mistakes (like not sewing the waistband straight like I did!) you might have made! Win-win!
